## 4 Results and Analyses
### Spatial Structure of Linkages and Node Identification
The connections of Baohua Town are somewhat one-sided--primarily oriented toward areas near Nanjing, such as Xianlin and Jiangning District--but due to the high volume of flows, Baohua ranks as a crucial node anchoring the Nanjing-Jurong linkage. Both the central city and Baohua function as major interchange points, where people transition between the local context of Jurong and the broader regional context. For example, a traveler from another part of Jurong might first proceed to the city center before continuing to Nanjing, or vice versa. * Moderate connectivity nodes: A number of other towns show intermediate levels of linkage in Jurong. Notably, Guozhuang Town (southwest Jurong) and Xiashu Town (southeast Jurong) have moderate but non-negligible flows connecting them outward. Guozhuang, located along a provincial highway that leads toward Zhenjiang and is also not far from the southern outskirts of Nanjing, has a decent amount of travel, especially relative to Nanjing. Xiashu, closer to the eastern side of Jurong, also has some interactions. These towns each tend to have a stronger connection in one direction; for example, Guozhuang is more oriented to Nanjing due to direct road links, while Xiashu is relatively more oriented toward Zhenjiang. While they participate in regional interchange, we classify these as secondary nodes occurring at a lower magnitude or more one-directionally. * Low-connectivity areas: The remaining townships in Jurong, particularly those farther from the Nanjing-Jurong main corridor (e.g., in the far south, such as Maoshan, or the far northeast), exhibit very low intercity flow counts. They neither send nor receive many regional trips. These places are currently not significant players in Nanjing-Jurong-Zhenjiang interactions. They may be more agriculturally oriented or lack major transport hubs and thus continue to function largely outside the daily urban field of the major cities. This spatial heterogeneity has important implications. It suggests that the integration of Jurong into the regional system is occurring along specific corridors. In particular, the data highlight a primary corridor running roughly west to east through the central area of Jurong: from the main urban core and Xianlin area of Nanjing into Baohua and then to the downtown area of Jurong, further proceeding east toward Zhenjiang (via the town \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Name** & **To Nanjing** & \begin{tabular}{c} **To** \\ **Zhenjiang** \\ \end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}{c} **Dominant** \\ **Flows to** \\ **Nanjing** \\ \end{tabular} & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Dominant** \\ **Flows to** \\ **Zhenjiang** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **Node** \\ **Potential** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline City Center & High & High & 7 & 5 & High \\ Baohua & High & Higher & 6 & 2 & High \\ Town & Higher & Medium & 4 & 2 & Higher \\ Guozhuang & & Medium & 2 & 2 & Higher \\ Town & Medium & Higher & 2 & 2 & Higher \\ Biancheng & & High & 0 & 4 & Medium \\ Town & Low & Higher & 0 & 3 & Medium \\ Houbai & Low & Medium & 0 & 2 & Low \\ Tianwang & & Low & Medium & 0 & 2 & Low \\ Town & & Low & Low & 0 & 1 & Low \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Identification of the potential of contact nodes in each township in Jurong. Figure 10: Level of population flow in Nanjing–Jurong–Zhenjiang. of Biancheng and onward to Danyang, a city under the jurisdiction of Zhenjiang). This pattern aligns with the trajectory of major infrastructure such as the Huning Expressway (Shanghai-Nanjing Highway), which traverses this alignment. Another corridor proceeds from the north to the south, connecting the Tangshan area in eastern Nanjing, through Huangmei (a town in northern Jurong), to the central part of Jurong along Provincial Road S122. These corridors are visualized in Figure 11, identifying the key linkage routes and nodes. Essentially, the role of Jurong as an urban interstice is being solidified along these axes, where infrastructure and spatial proximity facilitate movement.