Urban–Agricultural–Ecological Interactions and Land Surface Temperature—A Spatiotemporal Study of the Middle Yangtze River Region

Zishun Zhang, Mashiyi Luo (), Wenzhu Tao, Haiyin Huang, Liming Bo () and Junnan Xia
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Zishun Zhang: School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, 8 Donghu South Road, Wuhan 430072, China
Mashiyi Luo: Hubei Spatial Planning Research Institute, Wuhan 430064, China
Wenzhu Tao: Hubei Spatial Planning Research Institute, Wuhan 430064, China
Haiyin Huang: Hubei Spatial Planning Research Institute, Wuhan 430064, China
Liming Bo: School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China
Junnan Xia: School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: The land use dynamics of urban, agricultural, and ecological spaces are critical factors influencing land surface temperature (LST); however, the existing methods for describing the spatial carriers of land surface temperature evolution face issues such as granularity effects and projection sensitivity, which hinder effective comparisons across different regions and categories, thus limiting the progress of current research. This study introduces a quadtree-based spatial framework to achieve unified measurements of scale and fragmentation across Urban–Agricultural–Ecological spaces, with an empirical analysis of the Middle Yangtze River Region. Results show that between 2000 and 2020, urban and agricultural spaces expanded while ecological spaces declined, with all three types becoming increasingly fragmented. Urban agglomeration and expansion significantly elevated LST; agricultural spaces exerted relatively limited effects; and ecological fragmentation generated localized cooling but weakened core regulatory functions, ultimately leading to warming within ecological spaces themselves. This study proposes a robust method for spatial identification and fragmentation quantification, revealing the dual role of scale and morphology in regulating regional thermal environments and underscoring the importance of balanced Urban–Agricultural–Ecological configurations for climate-adaptive land use planning.

Keywords: land surface temperature; urban-agricultural-ecological spaces; land use; quadtree; middle reaches of the Yangtze River (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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