Abstract
A number of severe ecological problems, and the altered structure of urban spaces, are ascribed to rapid urbanisation. Hence, an analytical framework for urban spatial structure and functional optimisation is highly beneficial to balance the contradiction between developing urban areas and protecting their ecosystems. In this paper, the proposed analytical framework included three parts. We first delineated the ecological suitability zones (ESZs) of Beijing City by applying the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model. Subsequently, considering various socioeconomic and natural environmental factors, the Markov chain model and future land-use simulation (FLUS) model were utilised to predict the urban spatial structure of Beijing in 2031. Finally, taking the ESZ results as a constraint, three scenarios were designed to optimise the extent of city sprawl: the business as usual (BAU) scenario, ecological security (ES) scenario and ecological priority (EP) scenario. We found that the ESZs contained three zones: an ecological control zone (63%), a restricted development zone (22%), and a concentrated development zone (15%). After comparing the three scenarios, we discovered that the ES scenarios ensured the bottom line in terms of Beijing’s ecological security. Additionally, under the EP scenario, the urban spatial structure and function were further optimised. Our study can provide new ideas and technical support for the reasonable layout of urban spatial structure.
Highlights
Urban spatial structure refers to the spatial distribution of urban elements and the interaction and formation mechanism of these elements [1]
Rational zoning is dependent on ecological suitability evaluation using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model
The Markov-future land-use simulation (FLUS) model was proven effective in urban expansion research with a high FoM value upon comparing the simulated and actual landscape patterns in 2017
Summary
Urban spatial structure refers to the spatial distribution of urban elements and the interaction and formation mechanism of these elements [1]. From the perspective of threedimensional space, urban spatial structure can be divided into horizontal and vertical structures [2,3]. Horizontal structure is usually characterised by the composition and spatial pattern of land-use types [4,5], while vertical structure is characterised by building and vegetation heights [6,7]. Urban areas have production, living and ecological functions in any region [9,10,11]. The ecological function is foundational, providing support for human production and living. The coordinated development of urban spatial structure and function can promote sustainable urban development.
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