Research of Urban Suitable Ecological Land Based on the Minimum Cumulative Resistance Model: A Case Study from Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

Rapid urbanization process is accelerating the dramatic transformation of urban land use, creating strong economic, social and environmental impacts in Hanoi (Vietnam). Improving the quality and optimizing the model of using ecological land in urban areas is very important to solving environmental issues and sustainable urban development. Using the Hanoi capital of Vietnam, an important and typical city in the Red River Delta, as in the case of the study, we applied the Minimum cumulative resistance model (MCRM) to calculate ecological land and constructed land meet the needs of socio-economic development and ecological protection. Results showed that the suitable ecological land area is about 2.090,298km2 (ecological land area 1.112,216km2, ecotones land area 978,082km2), which is 62% of the total urban area of Hanoi is mainly distributed in Bavi, Socson, Unghoa, Myduc, Chuongmy districts and Sontay town; and constructed land area is about 1.275,736km2, which accounts for 38% mainly distributed in the city center and urban areas. Study the ecological land space and construction land of Hanoi area and compare with the current land use status through simulation of MCRM model, we propose three types of land use. For urban ecological land, there must be measures to manage and protect the ecological environment and prohibit construction activities in the area. For ecotones land between urban construction land and ecological land, it is necessary to control and limit the construction to improve the quality of the ecological environment. For construction land, there must be a policy to promote construction along with reasonable and efficient land use development to improve urban living environment.