Spatial–temporal dynamics and determinants of creative class concentration—A study on urban agglomerations in China

Abstract The knowledge spillover effects and the uneven spatial distribution of the creative class have attracted much attention from academia and politicians. Our study provides a comparative quantitative analysis of the spatial–temporal evolution and determinants of creative class concentration in three Chinese agglomerations: Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei , the Yangtze River Delta , and the Pearl River Delta , based on the panel data of 2011, 2012, and 2016 at the city level. It is found that the concentration of the creative class in the three above‐mentioned urban agglomerations in China has clear place‐specific differences. Results from the 2SLS regressions show that social tolerance is significantly and positively correlated with the creative class, but has no effect on the distribution of human capital in the three urban agglomerations. The level of economic development and also the degree of living convenience appear to be the main factors influencing the relative density of creative class (RDCC), while industry structure, university and Hukou all have positive effects on the RDCC in the three urban agglomerations. Moreover, the relative importance of the determinants varies according to the creative occupations. For major creative occupations, they are more inclined to concentrate in cities with high social tolerance, optimal industrial structure, high Hukou availability and qualified universities. For finance and health care occupations, cities with a comfortable climate are more attractive to them; while for management groups, cities with optimal industrial structure, high Hukou availability and adequate educational services are more attractive to them.