Relocation of manufacturing industry from the perspective of transport accessibility – An application of percolation theory

Industrial relocation patterns has become one of the central issues for sustainable development of economics. In order to analyze the relocation patterns of manufacturing industries from the perspective of transport accessibility, this study took the electronic and information industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt as an example to analyze the relocation patterns of manufacturing industries in China. Considering the transportation factors and economic factors, a topological network of Yangtze River Economic Belt was constructed. Based on this network, the relocation patterns of manufacturing industry both at present and in the planning period were analyzed by percolation theory. And results show that: first, percolation transitions exists during the process of industry relocation. Cities located in border regions are the bottlenecks for industry relocation. Second, both improvements in transport accessibilities and increase of production costs accelerate the process of industrial relocation in “fly-in” mode. Finally, preferential policies are needed for provinces in the upper reaches Yangtze River Economic Belt to attract industrial relocation.