Evaluation of urban-rural difference and integration based on quality of life

•The relationship between urban and rural areas must be properly handled in regional development.•This paper analyzes the differences in urban and rural quality of life based on coordination and equalization.•Rural-urban integration includes the difference of rural-urban quality of life and the overall coordination of social factors.•This paper can provide reference for urban and rural coordinated development and rural revitalization. The relationship between urban and rural areas must be properly handled in regional development. With the implementation of rural revitalization strategy, China has entered a critical period of change of urban-rural relationship and rural development mode. Urban-rural integration is an urgent problem to be solved. Taking the 87 counties of Gansu Province as evaluation units, this paper constructed an index system of quality of urban and rural life involving economic, social and environmental aspects and established a model for evaluating quality of urban and rural life. Then, importance-performance analysis (IPA), information entropy, equalization index and model of urban-rural integration degree were used to analyze the spatial patterns of quality of urban and rural life as well as urban-rural integration degree. Results show: (1) Quality of urban and rural life presented consistent spatial patterns. Both presented significant spatial variation, positive spatial autocorrelation and relatively strong spatial agglomeration. (2) There was a close correlation between quality of urban and rural life. Evaluation units with high quality of urban life also showed high quality of rural life, and evaluation units with low quality of urban life also showed low quality of rural life, suggesting polarization effect. (3) The urban-rural integration in Gansu Province was mainly of medium or lower degree. Hexi Corridor region presented high degree of urban-rural integration, Longzhong region presented medium degree of urban-rural integration, Longdong region presented different degrees of urban-rural integration, and Longdongnan and Gannan regions presented medium or lower degree of urban-rural integration. In the background of rural revitalization and urban-rural integration, Gansu Province should establish or improve the institutional mechanism and policy system for urban-rural integration from the perspective of factor-industry-function. This can help solve the problems in urban-rural integration and promote the progression of urban-rura