The Measurement of the Urban–Rural Integration Level of Resource-Exhausted Cities—A Case Study of Zaozhuang City, China

Urban–rural integration is an inevitable course for the transformation and development of resource-exhausted cities, it also internal requirement to achieve sustainable goals. Taking Zaozhuang city as a case study, this paper constructed “Economic–Spatial–Social” (ESS) evaluation index system urban–rural according connotations. We used TOPSIS obstacle degree (OD) models measure level, from 2009 2019, diagnosed obstacles. The results show that: (1) overall level in improves year by presents two stages: initial stage 2012, total slowly increases, but indicators fluctuated. period ranging years 2012 2019 was stable integrated development, with significantly increasing steadily improving year. (2) economic has good foundation, characteristics decreasing at first then increasing, attaining lowest value increasing; foundation social weak, growth rate highest. spatial rapidly increased year, urban rural area exchanges interactions have been strengthened. (3) According diagnosis degrees, main obstacles that affect are concentrated level. Finally, suggestions put forward coordinate cities.