The quantitative identification of rural land functions serves as a basis for rural land planning, coordinated spatial development, and control capacity improvement and is significant for rural ...transformation and sustainable development. This paper constructs an analysis framework to identify and evaluate “production-living-ecological” space (PLES) in rural areas of central and western China. On the Loess Plateau, which was taken as the study area, a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis was completed to determine framework indicators and their thresholds. Resource and environmental carrying capacity and land suitability were measured through GIS spatial analysis under different land functional orientations. This sought to recognize production space (PS), living space (LS), and ecological space (ES) in rural areas, reveal their distribution patterns on the Loess Plateau, and determine alternative areas for future land use. The results indicate that the PS and LS of the Loess Plateau rural land show a relatively low resource and environmental carrying capacity but vary significantly in different functional regions. The space distribution of PS and LS with higher carrying capacity shows obvious consistency. Although the Loess Plateau has vast sustainable land for development, the intensity of development should be carefully controlled. Additionally, significant regional differences remain in rural PLES, so reasonable future rural land planning should be formulated according to the PLES pattern. This study provides a scientific basis for promoting coordinated development of Loess Plateau rural areas and implementing a rural revitalization strategy. It is also a reference for identifying PLES and its coordinated spatial development in rural central and western China.
In this paper, we firstly constructed a theoretical framework based on major function-oriented zones (MFOZs). Then taking the Loess Plateau (LP) as the study area, we revealed the spatio-temporal ...differences and influencing factors of carbon emission equity by using the carbon equity model,
Theil
index, and Geo-detector. The results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2017, the carbon equity of the Loess Plateau showed a downward trend, but the ecological carbon equity remained above 2.3, which was significantly higher than the economic carbon equity. (2) The ecological carbon equity in the Loess Plateau increased from the core of urban agglomeration to the periphery. The spatial pattern of economic carbon equity changed from low in the northeast and high in the southwest to low in the north and high in the south. The ecological support coefficient and economic contribution coefficient of provincial capital cities and their surrounding districts remained low since 2000. (3) The equity of carbon emissions in each function-oriented zone in the Loess Plateau was compatible with its orientation. The ecological carbon equity of the key ecological functional zones (KEFZs) was significantly higher than that of the key development zones (KDZs) and the major agricultural production zones (MAPZs), while the economic carbon equity of the KDZs was significantly higher than that of the MAPZs and the KEFZs. (4) The formation and evolution of the spatial differentiation pattern of carbon equity in the Loess Plateau was the result of the long-term interaction effects of geographic location, social economy, science and technology level, and policy system. Among them, eco-environmental protection policy, government financial support, and geographical location are the key driving factors for the spatial pattern of ecological carbon equity. Geographical location, social economic level, and science and technology level are the key factors driving the spatial pattern of economic carbon equity. According to this study, to achieving carbon equity on the Loess Plateau region, what the key approaches are to fully implement the planning of MFOZs, design differentiated regional carbon compensation mechanisms, improve energy efficiency and ecological environment capacity, and build a collaborative regional carbon emission governance system. This research can not only provide an effective framework for analysing the carbon equity, but also offer policy implication for promoting carbon emission reduction and achieving high-quality development goals in the ecologically fragile areas.
With the increasing uncertainty of urban development, urban shrinkage in the rapid urbanization process in China has become increasingly serious. While many studies have explored urban shrinkage from ...the economic and population perspectives, they often ignore the essence of the phased evolution of economic and population factors. Thus, this study introduces the theory of economic resilience into the field of urban shrinkage and constructs a theoretical method for identifying urban shrinkage by integrating economic resilience and population change to reveal the evolutionary trajectory of regional urban growth and shrinkage. The results show that urban economic resilience and population change in the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia region (SSIMR) exhibit strong volatility, highlighting the importance of conducting urban shrinkage studies within specific crisis disturbance scenarios. In the context of the “new normal of the economy”, the economic resilience of cities in the SSIMR has significantly declined, and the problem of economic recession is gradually intensifying. The population change trend of cities in the SSIMR is relatively stable, with population loss being a common problem in urban development in the area and its scope and intensity increasing daily. Urban development in the SSIMR is evolving from global growth to widespread shrinkage, with 56.67% of the cities experiencing relative shrinkage, showing a spatial pattern of “western growth–eastern shrinkage”. Factors such as the agglomeration effect, industrial structure, and policy system collectively shape the evolution of urban growth and shrinkage.
Land cover in the Chinese Loess Plateau has undergone dramatic changes since the late 1980s. Revealing the trend in land cover change and eco-environmental quality response of different geomorphic ...units in this stage is a realistic requirement for promoting sustainable development of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Based on the data of geomorphic units and land cover in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018 of the Chinese Loess Plateau, we studied the trend of land cover change and eco-environmental quality response of different geomorphic units by using a significance index of land cover change, a proportion index of land cover change and an eco-environmental response model. The results indicated that from 1990 to 2018, the areas of forestland and construction land substantially increased, whereas those of cropland, grassland, wetland and unused land considerably decreased. Land cover change exhibited large geomorphic differences, and the main conversion of land cover was from cropland into other land types. Unstable trend of land cover change in the loess tablelands and sandy loess hills declined, whereas the unstable trends in the other geomorphic units enhanced. Eco-environmental quality varied among different geomorphic units. The expansion of construction land and degradation of forestland, grassland and wetland resulted in the deterioration of eco-environmental quality. The conversion of cropland and unused land into forestland and grassland, and the conversion of grassland into forestland were the main factors that drove the improvement of eco-environmental quality. The findings of this study may provide theoretical reference and support decision making for the optimization of land use structure and the improvement of eco-environmental quality on the Chinese Loess Plateau.
In the context of actively undertaking the transfer of domestic and foreign industries in the central and western regions of China, local regulatory behaviors influence the spatial distribution of ...polluting enterprises (PEs). This study examined the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration (GPUA), the largest urban agglomeration in the northwest region of China and one of the main regions that undertakes industrial transfer, using kernel density estimation and geographically and temporally weighted regression to explore the spatial pattern characteristics and evolution of PEs and reveal the effects of local regulatory behaviors, including environmental regulation (ER) and local protection (LP). The results indicate that (1) The distribution of the PEs tended towards energy and mineral resources and agglomerated along the development axes, aligning with the strategic positioning of the major function-oriented zones. Agglomerated areas gradually concentrate in key development zones. Major agricultural production zones exit high-density areas, and those adjacent to high-density areas often become secondary agglomeration core areas. Key ecological functional zones do not form high-density areas. (2) Both ER and LP have a positive impact on the distribution of PEs, and the dominant influence shifts from ER to LP. Counties with strict ER have increased the tendency of PEs to exhibit a certain layout due to better pollution treatment facilities and more mature pollution control technologies. The “pollution haven effect” has not yet formed within the GPUA. (3) The role of LP was more prominent in key development zones and major agricultural production zones, whereas the role of ER was more evident in key ecological functional zones. (4) RE and LP have mutually reinforcing effects on the distribution of PEs; the “innovation compensation effect” gradually manifests, but an increase in ER leads to a decrease in regional industrial clustering. This study provides a reference value for understanding the impact of government regulation on the distribution of PEs in underdeveloped areas.
The energy-driven expansion of artificial surfaces has resulted in severe ecological problems. Scientific evaluation of regional ecological resilience under different scenarios is crucial for ...promoting ecological restoration. This study chose the Shanxi–Shaanxi–Inner Mongolia Energy Zone (SEZ) and modeled an ecological resilience evaluation based on resistance, adaptability, and recovery. Land-use change and ecological resilience from 1980 to 2020 were then analyzed. Moreover, the SEZ land-use patterns and ecological resilience in 2030 were simulated under business as usual (BAU), energy and mineral development (EMD), and ecological conservation and restoration (ECR) scenarios. The results showed that (1) the SEZ was dominated by cultivated land, grassland, and unused land. (2) Ecological resilience showed a changing trend of decreasing and then increasing, with high ecological resilience areas mainly located in the Yellow River Basin, whereas low ecological resilience areas spread outward from the central urban areas. (3) The ecological resilience level was the lowest under the EMD scenario and the highest under the ECR scenario. This study not only expands the analysis framework of ecological resilience research but also provides scientific support for ecological conservation in ecologically fragile areas with intensive human activity worldwide.
Efficiently mitigating the severe air pollution resulting from rapid progress is crucial for the sustainable development of the socio-ecological system. Recently, concerns about nature-based ...solutions have emerged in the research on the treatment of air pollution. Studies on the purification of PM2.5 using vegetation currently concentrate on the individual scale of tree species or urban vegetation, ignoring the regional scale, which could better assist ecological governance. Therefore, taking the Fenwei Plain of China as the study area, an assessment framework of the air purification service’s spatial distribution reflecting regional vegetation was constructed. The dry deposition model and GeoDetector were used to quantify the spatial-temporal pattern and explore natural driving factors on the removal of PM2.5. The results showed that (1) the PM2.5 purification services offered by various types of vegetation exhibit notable variations. The average removal rates of PM2.5 by vegetation were 0.186%, 0.243%, and 0.435% in 2000, 2010, and 2021, respectively. (2) Meanwhile, a wide range of spatial mismatch exists between the PM2.5 concentration and PM2.5 removal. Insufficient supply regions of PM2.5 purification services account for 50% of the Fenwei Plain. (3) PM2.5 removal was strongly influenced by the types of vegetation and the Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), followed by the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and less affected by meteorological factors; a strong joint effect was shown among the factors. The findings in this research provide a new perspective on regional air pollution management at the regional scale.
Urban agglomeration is the strategic core area of social–economic high-quality development in the world. However, high-density agglomeration and high-speed expansion have caused dramatic changes in ...land space, leading to prominent eco-environmental problems and, thus, threatening human well-being. How to solve the contradiction between urban agglomeration land expansion and eco-environment protection has become an urgent scientific problem. In this paper, we constructed a framework of assessing land space change and its eco-environmental effects in the urban agglomeration by using the Geo-informatic Graphic, eco-environmental quality index (EQI), and eco-environmental contribution rate. We then quantitatively analyzed the characteristics of land space transition as well as its eco-environmental effects in the Guanzhong Plain urban Agglomeration (GPUA) based on the land use data in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. The results indicated that from 1990 to 2020, the production space of the GPUA continued to shrink, the living space continued to expand, and the ecological space showed a fluctuating increasing trend. There were significant regional differences in the land space change of the GPUA, with 92.2% of the counties showing a significant contraction in agricultural production space, 93.3% and 91.1% showing a significant expansion in urban and rural living space, and 64.4% showing an increase in woodland ecological space. Agricultural production space is transformed into ecological space and living space, and living space occupies ecological space and agricultural production space, which is the main mode of land space transition in the GPUA. With the continuous expansion of low-quality and high-quality areas of the eco-environment and the continuous contraction of medium-quality areas, the improvement and deterioration of the eco-environmental quality of the GPUA have coexisted, first showing a trend of deterioration and then improvement. The transition of agricultural production space into grassland and woodland ecological space improved the eco-environmental quality, while the transition of grassland ecological space into agricultural production space, and the occupation of agricultural production space by urban and rural living space as well as industrial and mining production space resulted in the deterioration of eco-environmental quality. The findings of this study may provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the allocation of land space resources in ecologically fragile urban agglomeration.
As areas of dense populations and high economic activity, urban agglomerations have driven an overall increase in economic efficiency; however, the associated ecological risks are becoming ...increasingly apparent. The construction of ecological security patterns (ESPs) is an important approach for ensuring the ecological security of urban agglomerations, thereby achieving coordinated development of society, economy and ecology. Previous studies on ESPs have rarely considered the demand for ecosystem services at multiple scales and have accordingly failed to accurately identify important ecological sources. Here, we propose a novel method based on multi-scale ecosystem service demand to identify ecological sources, which can more accurately identify the ecological source meeting the regional sustainable development. Selecting the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration (GPUA) as study area, we constructed a resistance surface by comprehensively considering natural and anthropogenic disturbances. We found high resistance areas are mainly concentrated in highly urbanized areas with Xi’an as the core. In addition, we performed minimum cumulative resistance and gravity model to obtain and classify ecological corridors. The results revealed that the ecological sources identified in this study can enhance the connectivity of the inner regions of the GPUA and the linkage between north and south ecological corridors. The ecological sources were found to be concentrated in the southern Qinling Mountains, with an area of 28,780.02 km
2
, accounting for 26.85% of entire region. Furthermore, we identified 121 potential ecological corridors, 47 ecological nodes, and 49 ecological breakpoints, and established that the extent of land with a high level of ecological security accounts for 21.98% of the entire regional area. This study offers a new perspective for ESPs construction, which can provide a scientific basis and policy guidance for the optimization of spatial structure and the maintenance of ecological security in ecologically fragile urban agglomerations.
The cultural and entertainment industry (CEI) actively promotes the economy. Xi’an is a comprehensive pilot city of China’s cultural system reform. The characteristics of the staged changes and ...regional differentiation of the interaction between the CEI and urban development from 2000 to 2020 were studied by selecting seven districts in Xi’an. We used an expansion intensity index, equal-fan analysis, and coordination model. This analysis revealed the mechanism of the interaction between the CEI and urban development. We found that both the CEI and urban development mainly expand to northeast and southwest, while the expansion synchronicity of the CEI and urban development differs in various directions. The coordination between the CEI and urban development shows a pronounced “center-edge” feature. In other words, the closer to the city center, the stronger the coordination between them. The city guides the layout of the CEI through the agglomeration of elements. Meanwhile, the CEI promotes the reconstruction of urban space in turn, through its production. The study’s findings may enrich the theory of coordinated development of the CEI and urban development. Furthermore, it provides a scientific basis for formulating the layout and development patterns of the CEI in Xi’an and other developing cities worldwide.
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