Abstract Based on the panel data of major cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2005 to 2019, this paper discusses the influence of high-speed rail construction on urban-rural integration development and its internal mechanism by using multi-period double difference model and intermediary effect model. It is found that the construction of high-speed rail has promoted the integration of urban and rural areas in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and this conclusion is still valid after a series of robustness tests. Further study shows that the impact of high-speed rail construction varies in different geographical locations and cities of different sizes, and its promotion is more obvious in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, downstream areas and larger cities. Meanwhile, the regression results of intermediary indicates that the high-speed rail construction has a significant positive effect on the economic growth, optimization of industrial structure and investment increase of cities along the route, and can promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas through these paths. Based on the above study, the construction of transport infrastructure such as high-speed rail in developed areas should be enriched, and the shortcomings in the construction of transport facilities in less developed areas should be made up, so as to promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas in a practical and deep way.
HE Xionglang,WANG Shiyu. Whether Construction of High-Speed Rail Can Promote the Integration of Urban And Rural Areas: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Economic Survey, 2023, 40(3): 03.