[Spatial differentiation characteristics and influencing factors of urban and rural settlements in Tibet, China].

Abstract

Located in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibet has very limited space sui-table for human living. The spatial distribution of settlements in Tibet is restricted by multiple factors. To reveal the spatial distribution characteristics and explore the main influencing factors of settlements in Tibet, we extracted patch data from the high-resolution images of urban and rural settlements in Tibet based on visual interpretation. Methods such as the kernel density analysis, space hotspot detection, Geodetector and others were applied to analyze the spatial differentiation characteristics and influencing factors, with the aim to provide reference for future settlements selection and formulation of relevant policies on regional economic development in the plateau region. The results showed that urban and rural settlements in Tibet had a clustering pattern, with different overall density distribution. Lhasa was a high-density core, and Ngari Prefecture, Qamdo, and Nyingchi were the "core-edge" structures with low-density edges. The settlement density of Lhasa was as high as 220 ind·km-2, while that of Ngari Prefecture, Qamdo and Nyingchi was only 5.7 ind·km-2. The gap between the two regions was more than 43 times. The clustering of high and low value clusters in urban and rural settlements was remarkable. The number of high-value of large plaques was rare, and the number of low-values of small plaques was dominant. The area of high-value cluster accounted for only 3.7%, concentrated in Lhasa and Lhoka. The proportion of low value cluster area reached 67.2%, mainly distributed in Ngari Prefecture and Nagqu on the Qiangtang Plateau. There were six types of urban and rural settlements in Tibet, which formed two circle structures in the "One River and Two Streams" basin and the "Three Rivers" basin. From the inside to the outside, the large plaque-dominated type, medium-density and cluster-like type, high-density and point-scattered type, low-density and point-scattered type and high-altitude and uninhabited type was successively distributed. Lhasa was dominated by medium-density and cluster-like type, accounting for 31%. Lhoka was dominated by low-density and point-scattered type, accounting for 38%. Qamdo was mainly low-density and point-scattered type, accounting for 51%. The Ngari Prefecture, Nagqu and Shigatse were dominated by high-altitude and uninhabited type, and the proportion of the Ngari Prefecture was as high as 64%. The effects of different factors on the spatial distribution of urban and rural settlements in Tibet were distinctly different. The population and GDP were highly decisive for the distribution of urban and rural settlements. In addition, urban settlements showed strong road orientation, while rural settlements were more characterized by river orientation.