Quantifying the Spatial Integration Patterns of Urban Agglomerations along an Inter-City Gradient

Yiliang Wan, Chuxiong Deng, Tao Wu, Rui Jin, Pengfei Chen and Rong Kou
Additional contact information
Yiliang Wan: College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
Chuxiong Deng: College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
Tao Wu: College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
Rui Jin: Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Pengfei Chen: School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
Rong Kou: School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 18, 1-21

Abstract: Understanding the integration process of urban agglomeration is essential for sustainable regional development and urban planning. However, few studies have analyzed the spatial integration patterns of metropolitan regions according to the impacts of landscape ecology along rail transit corridors. This study performed a comprehensive inter-city gradient analysis using landscape metrics and radar charts in order to determine the integration characteristics of an urban agglomeration. Specifically, we analyzed the evolution of spatial heterogeneity and functional landscapes along gradient transects in the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan (CZT) metropolitan region during the period of 1995–2015. Four landscape functional zones (urban center, urban area, urban–rural fringe, and green core) were identified based on a cluster analysis of landscape composition, connectivity, and fragmentation. The landscape metric NP/LPI (number of patches/largest patch index) was proposed to identify the urban–rural fringe, which revealed that the CZT region exhibited a more aggregated form, characterized by a single-core, continuous development, and the compression of green space. The integration of cities has resulted in continued compression and fragmentation of ecological space. Therefore, strategies for controlling urban expansion should be adopted for sustainable urban development. The proposed method can be used to quantify the integration characteristics of urban agglomerations, providing scientific support for urban landscape planning.

Keywords: urban agglomeration; spatial integration; rail transit corridor; landscape metrics; gradient analysis; landscape functional zone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/18/5000/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/18/5000/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:18:p:5000-:d:266790

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().