The Impacts of Land Use Change on Residents’ Living Based on Urban Metabolism: A Case Study in Yangzhou City of Jiangsu Province, China

Zhanqi Wang, Ji Chai and Bingqing Li
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Zhanqi Wang: School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Ji Chai: School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Bingqing Li: School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: Land use change is one of the fundamental influence factors of human life and well-being. The land use change due to the unprecedented urbanization in China not only causes an increase of resource consumption and threatens food security, but also affects the people’s living standard which deserves our attention. This study aims to reveal the impacts of land use change on residents’ living standard in Yangzhou based on urban metabolism by sensitivity and regression analysis. Results showed that during the period from 1995 to 2014, the flux of emergy increased about 156.56% and the ratio of fuels & electricity emergy flow had increased from 2.86% to 9.20% due to energy demands getting larger, while the built-up land increased by 415.05 km 2 and the cultivated land reduced by 417.24 km 2 . Sensitivity analysis showed that the expansion of built-up land improved residents’ living standards and enriched their material life, while people’s lives were also increasingly dependent on energy consumption and sustainability was being reduced. The regression analysis indicated that people’s lifestyles were transforming to economical and intensive utilization of resources with the built-up area expansion. The results can provide feasible recommendations for land use planning and urban development from the aspect of human life and well-being.

Keywords: land use change; residents’ living; emergy; urban metabolism; Yangzhou (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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