As China's economy develops at a normal pace, resources-based cities confront a big challenge in falling economy, constraining their transformation, which becomes a key topic to research for nation's development needs. This paper, based on CNKI, CSSCI, CSCD papers 2009 to 2018 regarding resources-based cities transformation, applies intelligence mapping, combined with traditional references research to analyze the reference counts change, magazine distribution and core authors, and uses CiteSpace software to study the common intelligence network and developing trend intelligence mapping. Transformation research of resources-based cities develops fast, mainly on cases, with two major groups of core authors. In recent decade, research domains are focusing on vulnerability and path creation, land use and spatial structural reconstruction, green transformation and sustainable development, industrial upgrade and industrial structural evolution, low carbon economy and eco-environmental management, and transformation efficiency and performance evaluation. The future research shall be on transformation mechanism, global comparison and innovative research.

This paper establishes an evaluation index system for resources-exhausted cities in China, which is used to score their transformation performances, applies hierarchical linear regression to study the internal drives and external factors. Operating environment is one key factor. Marketization level and capital investment impose a notable influence, but the third industry plays a negative role in urban transformation in the short term, positive in the long term. Influencing factors vary with regions and resources types. Resources-exhausted cities should plan their future developing paths according to their localities and predominance to avoid convergence.