Spatiotemporal characteristics, types, and paths of industrial transformation in typical resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin

[Objective] The Yellow River Basin has a large number of resource-based cities, and promoting the transformation of resource-based cities is of great significance for the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin economy. Clarifying the progress and characteristics of industrial transformation in resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin will help to formulate development policies in a more targeted manner. [Methods] In order to analyze the progress and characteristics of industrial transformation of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin, this study established a metric indicator system for the level of resource-based cities’ industrial transformation, quantitatively analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of the industrial transformation of 20 resource-based cities in the basin, and divided the industrial transformation of resource-based cities into four types by the level of transformation, the share of the output value of the mining industry, and the development of the substituting industries, and summarized and analyzed the paths and modes of industrial transformation of different types. [Results] The study found that: (1) As an important national energy and heavy chemical industry base, the overall process of industrial transformation of the 20 resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin is relatively slow. Most of the resource-based cities are characterized by a single structure of industrial sectors, a high proportion of the output value of the mining industry, a low proportion of the production value of foreign and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan investment enterprises, a small scale of the output value of the substitution industries, and unbalanced distribution of the sectors, and the overall level of industrial transformation is characterized by a spatial feature of “low in the middle and upper reaches and high in the lower reaches”. (2) Resource-based cities in the middle and upper reaches of the basin are mostly in the growth or maturity period, the type of industrial transformation is dominated by deepening transformation and slow transformation, and the transformation mode is mainly to mineral resources processing industry, which has the characteristics of path extension and dependence; Resource-based cities in the upper and lower reaches of the basin are mostly in the period of decline or regeneration, the type of industrial transformation is dominated by synergistic transformation and transitional transformation, the transformation mode is mainly to non-resource-processing substitution industries, and in addition to having the characteristics of path extension, the transformation is also path implantation, path creation, and path diversification. [Conclusion] Continuously promoting the transformation of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin and improving the resilience of the industrial economy is an important guarantee for realizing the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin economy. Resource-based cities in the upstream and downstream areas should make full use of the conditions of transportation location, industrial foundation, and natural environment, and expand and strengthen the substitution industries according to local conditions; resource-based cities in the middle reaches should efficiently develop and utilize resources, improve the level of deep processing of resources, and promote the diversification of substitution industry development.