每经记者｜淡忠奎 每经编辑｜杨欢 随着前三季度经济数据陆续出炉，中西部非省会（首府）城市竞争格局逐渐清晰—— 今年是"十四五"收官之年，这些城市5年来表现如何？再提"培育发展省域副中心城市"，又传递出哪些 新的信号？从中西部来看，省域副中心城市又该如何做好省会（首府）城市的"最强搭档"？ 榆林、宜昌、洛阳作为"头部阵营"成员，前三季度GDP分别为5654.11亿元、4553.28亿元、4454.9亿 元，榆林继续领跑，洛阳则反超襄阳。 塔尖之争：榆林减速，谁在"攻擂" 这背后，省域副中心城市建设也正迎来新的风向。 5年前，《求是》杂志发文，首次提到：中西部有条件的省区，要有意识地培育多个中心城市，避免"一 市独大"的弊端。今年8月发布的《中共中央 国务院关于推动城市高质量发展的意见》又明确提到：推 动有条件的省份培育发展省域副中心城市。 不是每个中西部省份都有官方明确认定的"省域副中心城市"。以陕西为例，陕西省"十四五"规划纲要是 在"提升西安国家中心城市发展能级"一节之后，又有单独一节规划"建设榆林高质量发展重要增长极"， 这被认为是历史性地提升了榆林在陕西区域发展格局中的地位。 据不完全统计，中西部省份至 ...

Core Insights - The article discusses the evolving economic landscape of central provinces in China, focusing on the shift from a "strong provincial capital" model to a "multi-polar" development approach [1][2] - It highlights the economic and population primacy of provincial capitals like Wuhan, which leads the central region, while also addressing the challenges faced by other cities [3][5] Economic Performance - In 2024, Wuhan's GDP is projected to be 2110.6 billion yuan, accounting for 35.2% of Hubei's total GDP, with a population of 13.8 million, representing 23.7% of the province's population [4] - Other central provincial capitals like Changsha, Hefei, Zhengzhou, Nanchang, and Taiyuan show varying degrees of economic and population primacy, with their GDP and population shares being 28.7%, 26.7%, 22.9%, 22.8%, and 21.3% respectively [4][5] Development Trends - The article notes that while the population primacy of central provincial capitals has generally increased since the 14th Five-Year Plan, some cities like Wuhan, Changsha, and Taiyuan have seen a decline in economic primacy [2][7] - Zhengzhou, Hefei, and Nanchang have experienced growth in economic primacy, with Zhengzhou's GDP share increasing by 1.1 percentage points since 2020 [7][8] Urbanization Strategies - Central provinces are exploring new growth poles through the development of provincial sub-centers and urban agglomerations to avoid the "one city dominates" issue [2][10] - The article emphasizes the importance of urban agglomeration development, with examples from Hubei's "one main, two sub" strategy and the establishment of urban clusters like the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban area [9][11] Policy Support - Various provincial governments are implementing policies to enhance the capabilities of provincial capitals while also fostering the growth of sub-centers, indicating a balanced approach between "strong provincial capitals" and "multi-polar" development [12]