Abstract
Three-dimensional landscape patterns are an effective means to study the relationship between landscape pattern evolution and eco-environmental effects. This paper selects six districts in Xi’an as the study area to examine the spatial distribution characteristics of the three-dimensional architectural landscape in the city’s main urban area using three-dimensional information on the buildings in 2020 with the support of GIS. In this study, two new architectural landscape indices—landscape height variable coefficient and building rugosity index—were employed in landscape pattern analysis, whilst a system of rigorous and comprehensive three-dimensional architectural landscape metrics was established using principal component analysis. A mathematical model of weighted change of landscape metrics based on the objective weighting method was applied to carry out scale analysis of the landscape patterns. Spatial statistical analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis were conducted to comprehensively study the differentiation of three-dimensional architectural landscape spatial patterns. The results show that the characteristic scale of the three-dimensional landscape pattern in Xi’an’s main urban area is around 8 km. Moreover, the three-dimensional landscape of the buildings in this area is spatially positively correlated, exhibiting a high degree of spatial autocorrelation whilst only showing small spatial differences. The layout of the architectural landscape pattern is disorderly and chaotic within the second ring, whilst the clustering of patch types occurs near the third ring. Moreover, the building density in the Beilin, Lianhu, and Xincheng districts is large, the building height types are rich, and the roughness of the underlying surface is high, such that these are key areas to be improved through urban renewal. The height, volume, density, morphological heterogeneity, and vertical roughness of the architectural landscape vary amongst functional areas within the study area. This paper is the first to apply the study of spatial heterogeneity of three-dimensional landscape patterns to Xi’an. It does so in order to provide a quantitative basis for urban landscape ecological design for urban renewal and the rational planning of built-up areas, which will promote the sustainable development of the city’s urban environment.
Highlights
In China’s rapid urbanization process, with economic development and population growth, cities are expanding rapidly, and the artificial landscape continues to expand
The purpose of this study was to construct a metric system for the 3-D architectural landscape pattern in the study area, establish a mathematical model for the weighted change in landscape metrics based on the objective weighting method, and reveal the characteristic scale of the 3-D architectural landscape pattern in the main urban area of Xi’an
The result of the Principal component analysis (PCA) model of the 3-D architectural landscape shows that the number of principal components was 3, which means that the analysis shows that there are three principal components that were the most effective
Summary
In China’s rapid urbanization process, with economic development and population growth, cities are expanding rapidly, and the artificial landscape continues to expand. The current urban spatial form and organizational structure are rapidly developing toward the vertical direction, and the urban architectural landscape is significantly higher than other landscapes, which has a significant impact on the pattern and functional characteristics of the urban landscape. The development of methods for quantifying landscape patterns helps to understand the interaction of patterns and processes and has significant implications for applying the concepts of landscape ecology to sustainable landscape planning [8, 9]. Landscape pattern metrics are commonly used quantitative methods for landscape pattern analysis [10] They can condense landscape pattern information, reflect its structural composition and spatial configuration characteristics and are a powerful tool for scientifically describing the relationship between landscape patterns and ecological processes [11]. This study analyzed the 3-D landscape pattern of the main urban area of Xi’an by constructing a 3-D urban landscape metrics system
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