Objective This study aims to explore the spatiotemporal evolution patterns of urban resilience in the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration and the influencing mechanisms of its obstacle factors, thereby providing a scientific basis for the resilience enhancement and high-quality coordinated development of the urban agglomeration. Methods An evaluation system was constructed based on four dimensions: economy, society, ecology, and infrastructure. The entropy method, kernel density estimation, and obstacle degree model were comprehensively applied to measure the resilience level and conduct obstacle diagnosis for 11 cities in the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration from 2017 to 2023. Results (1) The overall regional resilience maintained a steady upward trend with an average annual growth rate of 4.65%, yet significant internal disparities existed. Spatially, the agglomeration presented a “core-periphery” structure centered on Xi′an, and gradually evolved into a network pattern characterized by “axial expansion and polycentric coordination”. (2) Economic and social resilience constituted the core restrictive dimensions, among which the total import and export volume, the number of students enrolled in general undergraduate and junior colleges, and the total retail sales of consumer goods were identified as the key obstacle factors. (3) In 2023, the obstructive effect of the natural population growth rate rose remarkably, which indicated that the restrictive factors had shifted from an economy-dominated pattern to a balanced focus on both economic and social structural problems. Conclusion The urban resilience of the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration shows an overall steady upward trend, and its spatial pattern has gradually evolved into a polycentric collaborative network structure. Economic and social resilience serve as the major restrictive dimensions. The obstacle structure has shifted from an economy-dominated pattern to a combined economic-social pattern. The restrictive effect of the social dimension has changed from latent to prominent, and population factors have emerged as new notable obstacle factors.
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