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A Multi-scale Spatial Analysis of Innovative Enterprise Relocation: A Case Study of High-tech Enterprises
Author:HE Heming, ZHANG Jingxiang

Abstract: Enterprise relocation provides crucial insights into the locational preferences of innovative firms, reflecting regional industrial shifts and the evolution of urban functional layouts. Using a national dataset of high-tech enterprises that were certified and underwent registered address relocation over the past three years, this paper analyzes migration patterns and networks across three spatial scales: regional, municipal, and intra-urban. Drawing upon a dual-evolution framework of 'firm growth' and 'spatial restructuring,' we explain the underlying migration mechanisms. The findings reveal that: (1) at the regional scale, innovative firms display a co-existence of core city out-migration and cluster-based in-migration, intertwining near-field reorganization with broad-scale restructuring; (2) at the municipal scale, relocation is primarily characterized by diffusion toward strong county economies, supplemented by minor aggregation toward central urban districts; (3) at the intra-urban scale, firms predominantly exhibit a pattern of adjacent-ring outward migration, with the inner suburbs serving as the primary destination. Ultimately, innovative firm relocation represents a dynamic alignment between the spatial demands of firm growth and the shifting comparative advantages across multiple spatial scales, with distinct drivers operating at each level.

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