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Land
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Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability
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Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2024) | Viewed by 9293

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wanxu Chen

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Guest Editor
Department of Geography, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
Interests: ecological and environmental effects of urbanization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jie Zeng‬‬‬‬

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Guest Editor
Department of Geography, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
Interests: land use change; ecosystem services; ecosystem health; socio-ecosystem; spatial resilience; regional sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Shuai Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Global Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14850, USA
Interests: demographic and health studies; quantitative methods; computational and geospatial analytics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urbanization, as one of the important trends of world development, exerts severe stress and has far-reaching impacts on the eco-environment. Urbanization and eco-environment sustainability are extremely important parts of coupled human and natural systems and are one of the core contents of modern human and physical geography. There is a very complex coupling relationship between urbanization and the eco-environment. How to coordinate the relationship between them is a worldwide strategic problem. Uncovering the rules and mechanisms of global urbanization and eco-environment sustainability is of great significance to cope with eco-environmental issues and promote urbanization sustainability.

The goal of this Special Issue is to seek novel scientific papers related to urbanization and eco-environment sustainability, especially, but not limited to, original empirical studies and scholarly reviews on conceptual and methodological advances and on the interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research paradigms.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) urbanization and water systems sustainability; (2) urbanization and land systems sustainability; (3) urbanization and climate change; and (4) urbanization and ecosystem sustainability.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Wanxu Chen
Dr. Jie Zeng
‬‬‬‬Dr. Shuai Zhou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urbanization
  • water system sustainability
  • land system sustainability
  • urbanization and climate change
  • ecosystems sustainability

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 10893 KiB  
Article
Ecological Security Evaluation System Integrated with Circuit Theory for Regional Ecological Security Pattern Construction: A Coordinated Study of Chang-Zhu-Tan Metropolitan Area in China
by Tingke Wu, Shiwei Lu and Yichen Ding
Land 2025, 14(2), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020257 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 370
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and land use changes have brought enormous pressure onto the ecological environment. Constructing ecological security patterns (ESPs) contributes to scientifically utilizing ecosystem functions, maintaining biodiversity, and protecting the ecological environment. Thus, this study proposed a regional ESP construction framework, which integrated [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization and land use changes have brought enormous pressure onto the ecological environment. Constructing ecological security patterns (ESPs) contributes to scientifically utilizing ecosystem functions, maintaining biodiversity, and protecting the ecological environment. Thus, this study proposed a regional ESP construction framework, which integrated circuit theory with an ecological security evaluation system composed of a landscape connectivity analysis, an ecosystem service evaluation, and an ecological sensitivity analysis, to generate the ESP of the national-level Chang-Zhu-Tan Metropolitan Area (CZTMA). The results showed that (1) there were 22 ecological sources mainly consisting of woodlands, grasslands, and water bodies and distributed heterogeneously from the eastern to western CZTMA; (2) 48 ecological corridors connected the large-scale ecological patches such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and woodlands in the CZTMA, and the average distance of the east side was shorter, while the distance of the west side was longer; and (3) 13 ecological pinch nodes and 28 ecological barrier nodes were identified as important nodes. On this basis, this research constructed a multi-level ESP consisting of “one center and multiple cores, one belt and two screens, multiple corridors and multiple nodes” for the CTZMA, which not only guarantees the stability of ecosystems but also maintains their efficiency in providing ecological services and their resistance to the pressure of human activities. Moreover, a series of specific recommendations for the optimization of regional ESPs were provided, including protection of ecological sources and enhancement of their habitat quality, improvement of ecological corridor connectivity, maintenance of pinch nodes, and restoration of barrier nodes. Coordinated mechanisms at the provincial level were proposed. This study could help with ecological conservation and restoration, and strategic planning making in integrated nature–human systems that cross administrative boundaries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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21 pages, 6039 KiB  
Article
Spatial–Temporal Analysis of Coupling Coordination Between New Urbanization and Ecological Environment in Ya’an, China
by Wei Wei, Lei Xiao, Xiao Zhang, Luyao Jin, Di Wang, Xin Long, Qiaoqiao Yang, Jinxiang Li and Ying Zhou
Land 2025, 14(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010065 - 1 Jan 2025
Viewed by 521
Abstract
Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, associated environmental problems, including low resource consumption, severe pollution emissions, and low environmental awareness, have become salient. The key to achieving sustainable development in Ya’an lies in accelerating the development of new urbanization while ensuring the preservation [...] Read more.
Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, associated environmental problems, including low resource consumption, severe pollution emissions, and low environmental awareness, have become salient. The key to achieving sustainable development in Ya’an lies in accelerating the development of new urbanization while ensuring the preservation of existing ecological advantages. Firstly, this study constructs evaluation index systems for new urbanization and the ecological environment using the Population–Economic–Spatial–Social (PESS) and Pressure–State–Response (PSR) models, respectively. Then, the entropy weight model is used to calculate weights for each secondary indicator of the new urbanization and ecological environment systems. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) and relative development degree (RDD) models are applied to analyze spatial and temporal changes in new urbanization and the ecological environment in Ya’an from 2011 to 2021. Finally, spatial autocorrelation and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models are combined to analyze the factors influencing coupling coordination degree differences among Ya’an’s districts and counties. The results indicate the following: (1) From 2011 to 2021, the CCD of Ya’an shifted from basically balanced to highly balanced, and RDD shifted from new urbanization lag to systematic balanced. (2) The CCD of Ya’an varies significantly among regions, and the spatial differentiation of the effects of different factors has different characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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22 pages, 5784 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Interactions of Urban Land Use Efficiency, Industrial Structure, and Carbon Emissions Intensity in Chinese Cities: A Panel Vector Autoregression (PVAR) Approach
by Guihong Yang, Xuxi Wang, Li Peng and Xinyue Zhang
Land 2025, 14(1), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010057 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 498
Abstract
Climatic and environmental issues have attracted considerable attention worldwide. Clarifying the interactions between urban land use efficiency (ULUE), industrial structure (IS), and carbon emissions intensity (CEI) is of considerable importance in promoting resource–economy–environment coordination. The temporal and spatial characteristics of ULUE, IS, and [...] Read more.
Climatic and environmental issues have attracted considerable attention worldwide. Clarifying the interactions between urban land use efficiency (ULUE), industrial structure (IS), and carbon emissions intensity (CEI) is of considerable importance in promoting resource–economy–environment coordination. The temporal and spatial characteristics of ULUE, IS, and CEI were analyzed based on panel data from 309 cities in China from 2006 to 2021. A PVAR model was established to analyze the long-term and short-term dynamic and causal relationships among the three variables. ULUE, IS, and CEI showed an upward trend, but significant spatial heterogeneity existed. The three variables had a long-term cointegration relationship. Overall, ULUE had a positive effect on IS, and IS had a promotional effect on ULUE. ULUE and IS had bidirectional inhibitory effects on CEI. This indicates that improving ULUE, upgrading IS, improving energy efficiency, and reducing CEI may be necessary measures to mitigate the environmental impact of human activities. These research results can provide theoretical and policy support for promoting the coordination of resources, the economy, and the environment, and for achieving the promotion of urban high-quality green and sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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23 pages, 3016 KiB  
Article
How to Achieve the Ecological Sustainability Goal of Ecologically Fragile Areas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A Multi-Scenario Simulation of Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomerations
by Zeyuan Gong, Wei Liu, Jing Guo, Yi Su, Yapei Gao, Wanru Bu, Jun Ren and Chengying Li
Land 2024, 13(11), 1730; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111730 - 22 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 700
Abstract
The future of the ecologically fragile areas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is a matter of concern. With the implementation of the Western Development Strategy, the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration (LXUA) has encountered conflicts and compromises between urban expansion, ecological protection, and farmland protection [...] Read more.
The future of the ecologically fragile areas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is a matter of concern. With the implementation of the Western Development Strategy, the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration (LXUA) has encountered conflicts and compromises between urban expansion, ecological protection, and farmland protection policies in the rapid development of the past 2 decades. These deeply affect the land use layout, making the ecological sustainable development of the ecologically fragile areas of the QTP a complex and urgent issue. Exploring the impact of different policy-led land use patterns on regional ecosystem services is of great significance for the sustainable development of ecologically fragile areas and the formulation of relevant policies. Following the logical main line of “history-present-future”, the Patch-level Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model, which explores potential factors of historical land use, and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model were used to construct three future scenarios for the modernization stage in 2031 dominated by different land use policies in this study. These scenarios include the Business-as-Usual Scenario (BS), the Cropland Protection Scenario (CP), and the Ecological Protection Scenario (EP). The study analyzed and predicted land use changes in the LXUA from 2001 to 2031 and assessed carbon storage, habitat quality at different time points, and water yield in 2021. The results indicated that land use changes from 2001 to 2021 reflect the impacts and conflicts among the Western Development Strategy, ecological protection policies, and cropland preservation policies. In 2031, construction land continues to increase under all three scenarios, expanding northwards around Lanzhou, consistent with the actual “northward expansion” trend of Lanzhou City. Changes in other land uses are in line with the directions guided by land use policy. By 2031, carbon storage and habitat quality decline under all scenarios, with the highest values observed in the EP scenario, the lowest carbon storage in the BS scenario, and the lowest habitat quality in the CP scenario. Regarding water yield, the LXUA primarily relies on alpine snowmelt, with construction land overlapping high evapotranspiration areas. Based on the assessment of ecosystem services, urban expansion, delineation of ecological red lines, and improvement of cropland quality in the LXUA were proposed. These findings and recommendations can provide a scientific basis for policy makers and planning managers in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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20 pages, 11250 KiB  
Article
Identifying Trade-Offs and Synergies of Production–Living–Ecological Functions and Their Drivers: The Case of Yangtze River Urban Agglomerations in China
by Liang Zheng, Yajing Wang, Hui Yang, Yuzhe Bi, Lei Xu and Ying Wang
Land 2024, 13(8), 1322; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081322 - 21 Aug 2024
Viewed by 784
Abstract
Urban agglomerations are products of urban development, and their regional spaces and functions are more diverse than other cities, which have very high spatial and functional complexity. It is important to clarify the relationships between production–living–ecological (PLE) functions in urban agglomerations to achieve [...] Read more.
Urban agglomerations are products of urban development, and their regional spaces and functions are more diverse than other cities, which have very high spatial and functional complexity. It is important to clarify the relationships between production–living–ecological (PLE) functions in urban agglomerations to achieve sustainable development. In this study, we took the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Urban Agglomerations (MRYRUA) as an example to construct an evaluation index system of regional PLE functions in urban agglomerations. Then, the Pearson correlation model and geographically weighted regression were applied to investigate the relationships between PLE functions and their driving forces. The results showed that the PLE functions in the MRYRUA increased from 2008 to 2018, with the level of the ecological function being higher than the production and living functions. The relationships among PLE functions were dominated by synergies in most cities, though trade-offs had become more evident in the last few years for the whole study area. Trade-offs and synergies among PLE functions were influenced by both natural and socioeconomic factors, with the latter having a stronger effect. Our findings provide a reference for understanding the spatial variations and trade-offs among PLE functions in MRYRUA as well as for balancing the development of PLE functions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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20 pages, 3068 KiB  
Article
Spatial Variations in Relationships between Urbanization and Carbon Emissions in Chinese Urban Agglomerations
by Weisong Li, Jiahui Wu, Liyan Yang, Wanxu Chen, Xinghua Cui and Mingyu Lin
Land 2024, 13(8), 1303; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081303 - 16 Aug 2024
Viewed by 946
Abstract
Urban agglomerations (UAs) are the main battlefield of urbanization and the most concentrated areas of carbon emissions (CEs). Nevertheless, limited studies have examined the impact of urbanization level (UL) on CEs in UAs in China. This study aimed to identify the spatial relationship [...] Read more.
Urban agglomerations (UAs) are the main battlefield of urbanization and the most concentrated areas of carbon emissions (CEs). Nevertheless, limited studies have examined the impact of urbanization level (UL) on CEs in UAs in China. This study aimed to identify the spatial relationship between UL and CEs in Chinese UAs and to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the differences in CEs caused by urbanization. The findings would provide scientific support for the China’s dual-carbon goals and the achievement of green and low-carbon urban development. Spatial variations in UL and CEs in 19 Chinese UAs were assessed in 2000, 2010, and 2020 using distribution dynamics and spatial regression models. The results indicated that the UL of UAs in China evidently increased over time, and UAs contributed approximately 80% of the national CEs. Significant spatial dependence was identified between urbanization factors and CEs. The regression results indicated that an increase in UL promoted the growth of CEs, and the form of the urban land had a significant and highly variable impact on CEs. Our findings provide a valuable case study for exploring relationships between UL and CEs in other UAs worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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27 pages, 10517 KiB  
Article
Towards Sustainability: Cultural-Ecological-Economic Systems Coupling in the Yellow River Basin Based on Service-Dominant Logic
by Zhicai Wu, Jianwu Qi, Jialiang Xie and Kai Zhang
Land 2024, 13(8), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081149 - 27 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1084
Abstract
The level of coordination between cultural, ecological, and economic systems directly affects the sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). However, researchers have neglected the importance of cultural elements in the social-ecological system and have paid insufficient attention to the interaction of [...] Read more.
The level of coordination between cultural, ecological, and economic systems directly affects the sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). However, researchers have neglected the importance of cultural elements in the social-ecological system and have paid insufficient attention to the interaction of cultural, ecological, and economic systems in the YRB. Therefore, a framework of coupled cultural-ecological-economic (CEE) systems was constructed based on service-dominant logic, and the spatiotemporal distribution, evolutionary trends, and factors influencing the coupled coordination of different systems in 76 major cities in the YRB were analyzed by using an entropy-weighted TOPSIS model, coupled coordination model, spatial Markov chain, and panel spatial Dubin model. The results were as follows: (1) the cultural, ecological, and economic systems of the YRB showed a growing trend, the economic system grew faster than the cultural system and the ecosystem, and the ecosystems dominated sustainable development in the YRB. (2) From 2011 to 2022, the type of coupled CEE system coordination in the YRB was mainly in a state of slight incongruity, with the different regions showing temporal consistency and synchronized growth, with the upstream area mainly in a state of moderate incongruity, the midstream area mainly in a state of slight incongruity, and the downstream area concentrating in general coordination. (3) The spatial coordination level of CEE system coupling in the YRB showed the characteristic of “gradually converging to coordination from upstream to downstream” and exhibited upstream low-value agglomeration and downstream high-value agglomeration. Meanwhile, there was a clear trend of spatial spillover in terms of balanced regional development, and 67.11% of the cities in the region and neighboring areas maintained stable development. (4) Tourism development (TD), foreign trade (FT), the human environment (HE), government control (GC), and other factors significantly positively impacted the sustainable development in the YRB. In the future, the focus should be on improving the transregional infrastructure and transportation service systems in the YRB, to enhance cooperation and exchanges between different regions. This research provides new insights and methods for the coordinated development of cultural, ecological, and economic systems at a watershed scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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22 pages, 6887 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Human Activity Expansion on Habitat Quality in the Yangtze River Basin
by Chenchen Bian, Liyan Yang, Xiaozhen Zhao, Xiaowei Yao and Lang Xiao
Land 2024, 13(7), 908; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070908 - 22 Jun 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1842
Abstract
Globally, natural habitats have suffered tremendous damage from human activities, a phenomenon that is increasingly evident in basin regions. The management of natural habitats in basin regions is dependent on understanding of the various impacts of human activities on these ecosystems. Despite the [...] Read more.
Globally, natural habitats have suffered tremendous damage from human activities, a phenomenon that is increasingly evident in basin regions. The management of natural habitats in basin regions is dependent on understanding of the various impacts of human activities on these ecosystems. Despite the various studies that have been conducted on the effects of human activities on habitats in basin regions, there is still a lot of doubt regarding the impact of these activities on the quality of basin ecosystems. To fill this gap, this study employs a series of spatial analysis methods and logistic regression modeling to delve into the spatial and temporal patterns of human activities and habitat quality in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) as well as the differences in the impacts of human activities on habitat quality in the sub-basins of the YRB. The findings indicate a 0.408% decline in the overall environmental quality of the YRB area from 2000 to 2020, accompanied by a 15.396% surge in human activities. Notably, the southeastern Qilian Mountains and the mountainous regions in the northwestern sector of the Sichuan Basin emerge as pivotal areas for habitat quality restoration. Conversely, the southwestern Qilian Mountains and the urban clusters in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) face significant habitat quality deterioration. Spatial regression analyses reveal a noteworthy trend: the burgeoning human activities in the Yangtze River region pose a substantial threat to habitat recovery efforts. Further differential analyses focusing on the upper, middle, and lower basin segments underscore that human activities exert the most pronounced impact on habitat quality within the lower basin region, while the upper basin experiences the least influence. The implications of this study are manifold. It furnishes valuable policy insights for the comprehensive management and targeted preservation of habitats across the YRB. By delineating areas of habitat restoration and degradation and highlighting the differential impacts of human activities across basin segments, this research lays a solid foundation for informed decision making in habitat conservation and ecosystem management within the YRB. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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25 pages, 16512 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Effects of Mining on Ecosystem Services in Panzhihua City: A Multi-Scenario Analysis
by Xuanmiao Peng, Xiaoai Dai, Ryan Shi, Yujian Zheng, Xinyue Liu, Yuhe Xiao, Weile Li, Yang Zhang, Jue Wang and Huan Huang
Land 2024, 13(6), 819; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060819 - 7 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1443
Abstract
Ecosystem services are fundamental for the sustainable management of urban environments, particularly in mining cities confronting unique socio-environmental complexities. This study explores the intricate interactions among ecosystem services in a representative mining city, focusing on the impact of mining activities. A novel approach [...] Read more.
Ecosystem services are fundamental for the sustainable management of urban environments, particularly in mining cities confronting unique socio-environmental complexities. This study explores the intricate interactions among ecosystem services in a representative mining city, focusing on the impact of mining activities. A novel approach is employed to introduce a comprehensive framework for scenario-based analysis of ecosystem services. Land use and ecosystem service values for 2050 were predicted under the following three scenarios: natural development, ecological protection, and farmland protection. Through the evaluation of four key ecosystem services, namely water yield, habitat quality, carbon storage, and soil conservation, ecosystem service bundles were identified, and the trade-offs and synergies among these bundles were explored. Moreover, ecosystem service bundles in the mining areas were analyzed compared to the region at large, underscoring how the mining of various mineral types distinctly influenced ecosystem services. The results showed a persistent decline in total ecosystem service values of the whole region during 2000–2020 due to the diminishing forest cover and the enlargement of farmland and impervious surfaces. Mining areas exhibited significant impacts, with the soil erosion bundle predominating. However, the soil erosion bundle significantly reduced in the granite, copper, and nickel mining areas. By 2050, total ecosystem service values are projected to slowly rise, except under the farmland protection scenario. The entire region is expected to be mostly occupied by the ecological vulnerability bundle. But the ecosystem vulnerability bundle of mining areas is projected to decrease, especially under the ecological protection scenario, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts. These changes will enhance the synergies between soil conservation and other ecosystem services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urbanization and Ecological Sustainability)
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