Spatial evolution and restructuring of the electrical equipment industrial district in Wenzhou, China

Industrial districts have attracted substantial international scholarly attention. Nevertheless, the spatial evolutionary pattern of industrial districts still needs further investigation. Based on statistical data of the basic unit census in 2001 and the firm database of Yueqing Bureau of Industry and Commerce in 2009, the paper uses GIS analysis to analyze the spatial evolutionary process of Yueqing electrical equipment industrial district over the past decade. The result of the study shows that the spatial evolutionary pattern of Yueqing electrical equipment industrial district is two-fold: local extension and nonlocal expansion. The local extension process of the industrial district shows the nature of path-dependency, i.e. `place-dependency´, while the non-local expansion process indicates a tendency of `scaling-up´ regional development. This study furthers the understanding of the restructuring processes of the industrial districts in developing countries and transitional economies.