Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Factors of Land Economic Density at Township Scale: A Case Study of Anyang City, China

Land economic density (LED) is vital for optimizing industrial structure and promoting intensive resource utilization. However, most existing studies have focused on city or county scales, with limited attention to the township level patterns. To address this research gap, we take 86 townships in Anyang City as research units and develop a four-dimensional evaluation system for LED. Using spatial autocorrelation, standard deviation ellipse, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) methods, we analyze the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of LED from 2005 to 2023. Results indicate that: (1) high LED areas form a ring around the central city with dual cores in western Linzhou county and southeastern Huaxian county, while low LED areas are concentrated at the northwestern and northeastern margins; (2) global spatial autocorrelation is weak, with low–low clusters shrinking from contiguous patches to only three townships by 2023, while high–high clusters expand from isolated points to multi-centered diffusion; (3) the ellipse consistently shows a northwest–southeast orientation, with the rotation angle increasing from 128.24° to 130.35°, the flatness ratio rising from 0.432 to 0.445, and the centroid shifting northwest then southeast; (4) GWR results highlight economic foundation, industrial upgrading, and government support as the dominant drivers. Based on these findings, we propose a “One Core–Four Poles, Three Axes–Five Zones” spatial optimization framework to promote coordinated urban–rural development. This study provides a practical and multidimensional evaluation approach at the township level, offering methodological support for regional territorial spatial planning and sustainable development.