Equilibrium Characteristics and Obstacle Factors of the Life Service Level in the Yangtze River Delta, China

Under the new development pattern, promoting the balanced development of the regional life service level is the key to attaining the goal of meeting people’s need for an improved life. This study constructed an index system with six dimensions, namely, economic base, innovation drive, living environment, transportation, public services and life security, and explored the balanced characteristics and obstacles of the life service level in the Yangtze River Delta, China in 2020 using the Gini coefficient, the standard deviation ellipse, the global spatial autocorrelation, the equilibrium entropy and the obstacle degree model. Results show that: 1) the current overall level of life services in the Yangtze River Delta is in relative equilibrium, and the Gini coefficient of three dimensions, namely, economic base, innovation drive and life security, is relatively low and on the verge of imbalance. 2) The spatial pattern of the six dimensions of the overall level of the life service is oriented toward the ‘southeast-northwest’ direction with significant spatial differentiation and spatial agglomeration. 3) At present, most of the cities have a comparative advantage in the coordination of their life services, and the potential of their life service system shows room for further improvement in the future. 4) Currently, the quality of economic development, talent concentration, innovation inputs, innovation outputs, basic education, health care, cultural sharing, the living standards of the urban and rural residents and the construction of a transportation system are the main factors constraining the improvement of the level of life services in the Yangtze River Delta. This study attempts to research on the evaluation and measurement of regional life service level in the new era, and provides a reference for the promotion of regional coordination and sustainable development.