Coexistence of Built Areas and Natural Protected Areas Within Metropolitan Regions in China

Lin Yuan (), Siqi Wang () and Jingxuan Hou
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Lin Yuan: School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Siqi Wang: School of Architecture, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
Jingxuan Hou: Research Center of Territorial Spatial Planning, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100034, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: Compared with research on the rapid development of Chinese metropolitan regions, systematic studies on nature conservation in metropolitan regions are lacking. We still lack a deep understanding of the spatial relationship between natural protected areas and built-up areas in Chinese metropolitan regions. In this study, we selected four time points, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2019, to analyze the evolution of the spatial patterns of natural protected areas and built-up areas in metropolitan regions with a population exceeding one million in China, and to analyze their coexistence status. A comprehensive indicator “Index of coexistence degree” (ICD) was established to evaluate the spatial coexistence relationship between natural protected areas and built-up areas, objectively quantifying this coexistence phenomenon. The study found that over the past 30 years, the coexistence of natural protected areas and built-up areas in China’s metropolitan regions has increased significantly: The number of natural protected areas in metropolitan regions has increased by 36 times, the area has increased by 12 times, the nearest distance between natural protected areas and built-up areas has decreased from 15 km to 0.7 km; The ICD value has increased from 0.012 in 1990 to 0.037 in 2019, and the number of cities with high ICD values increased from 1 to 32. Metropolitan regions in China should emphasize the development of natural protected areas in future, spatial pattern for better coexistence with nature is important for biodiversity and human well-being.

Keywords: metropolitan regions; natural protected areas; coexistence; nature conservation (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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