ABSTRACT
The port and city are complex interactive development and dynamic evolution system with intrinsic solid links. The port provides basic transport conditions for the urban, and the city's prosperity brings huge transport demand to the port. Research to explore the inner laws of port-city interaction and quantitative analysis of the formation mechanism of the port-city development mode is crucial to achieving harmonious development. By sorting out the basic logic of port-city interaction, this paper uses grey relational analysis to quantitatively analyze the controlling factors affecting port-city relationships. Based on the above-controlling factors, it proposes a new multiple-relative concentration index (MRCI) model to evaluate the relationships and main characteristics of the interactive development of ports and cities. Then, cluster analysis is carried out on the MRCI to determine the boundary conditions, and the basic laws of port-city development mode are summarized. The empirical study shows that the MRCI model proposed in this paper captures the controlling factors of port-city development and provides a more reliable description of the port-city relationships. The five development modes of port-city can be used as strategic choices for setting development goals in coastal cities at different stages.
