How Can Macro-Scale Land-Use Policies Be Integrated with Local-Scale Urban Growth? Exploring Trade-Offs for Sustainable Urbanization in Xi’an, China

Haifen Lei, Jennifer Koch, Hui Shi () and Shelby Snapp
Additional contact information
Haifen Lei: School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
Jennifer Koch: Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
Hui Shi: School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
Shelby Snapp: Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: Rapid urbanization results in farmland loss, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity decrease, and greenhouse gas emissions. Land-use policies and planning as administrative means are used to guide sustainable urban development and to balance the location of urban expansion and agricultural activities. To better understand the future implications of a variety of land-use policies, we used a FUTURES model scenario analysis to analyze the potential future patterns of urban areas and the loss and fragmentation of farmland and natural resources at the local level for Xi’an. We tested representative indicators of sustainable urbanization according to Plan 2014–2020. We found that scenarios representing the integration of several policies showed both synergetic spatial patterns and conflicting outcomes. The simulated land-use patterns of urban growth resulting from the combination of policies, were the most likely to support progress toward a livable compact city and natural resources’ conservation. These findings underscore the importance of simulation modeling and scenario analyses to quantify and visualize the results from policies and planning to support sustainable urbanization. Specifically, they show the value in simulation modeling for integrating information across scales, i.e., combining macro-level land-use policies with local-level spatial heterogeneity in socio-ecological settings, for identifying actionable planning solutions. Hence, these research results provide scientific support for land-use policy revision and implementation in Xi’an, as well as a reference point for other urbanizing cities in China.

Keywords: land-use policies; urban growth; urban–rural transitions; Xi’an; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1678/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1678/ (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:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:10:p:1678-:d:928073

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

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