Landscape Optimization in a Highly Urbanized Tourism Destination: An Integrated Approach in Nanjing, China

Lingling Chen, Brijesh Thapa, Jinwon Kim and Lin Yi
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Lingling Chen: Department of Tourism Management, College of Humanities, Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanjing 210038, China
Brijesh Thapa: Department of Tourism, Recreation & Sport Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8208, USA
Jinwon Kim: Department of Tourism, Recreation & Sport Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8208, USA
Lin Yi: Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: Planning and developing urban tourism destinations must encompass landscape optimization to achieve healthy urban ecosystems, as well as for evolution sustainability. This study explored sustainable landscape planning by examining the optimization of landscape spatial distribution in an urban tourism destination–Nanjing, China—using an integrated approach that included remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS), and landscape metrics in the context of an urban tourism destination evolution model. Least-cost modeling in GIS was also used to optimize decision-making from an ecological perspective. The results indicated that landscapes were more homogenous, fragmented, and less connected. Except for the eastern area, the landscape evolution showed characteristics of both degeneration and growth. A complete greenway network including sources, greenways, and nodes were constructed, and an increase in natural landscapes was strongly recommended. The findings provide geographic insights for sustainable urban tourism planning and development via comprehensive methodological applications.

Keywords: tourism destination planning; landscape evolution; urbanization; integrated approach; greenways (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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