Spatial Heterogeneity of the Natural, Socio-Economic Characteristics and Vitality Realization of Suburban Areas in China

Tao Lin (), Zhiwei Zeng, Hongkai Geng, Yiyi Huang, Jiayu Cai, Xiaotong Wang, Xin Cao and Yicheng Zheng
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Tao Lin: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Zhiwei Zeng: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Hongkai Geng: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Yiyi Huang: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Jiayu Cai: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Xiaotong Wang: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Xin Cao: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Yicheng Zheng: Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Suburban areas are the transitional zone between urban and rural areas, serving as key areas for addressing issues related to urban and regional sustainable development. In this study, 294 prefecture-level cities in China were selected as research objects. The spatial heterogeneity of social, economic, and natural characteristics, as well as the vitality realization of suburbs in China, was quantitatively analyzed at a national scale, and the impact of socio-economic and natural factors on the realization of suburban vitality was discussed. The results show that China has large suburban areas, with 431 km 2 of peri-urban, 1816 km 2 of mid-suburban, and 5384 km 2 of outer-suburban areas, respectively. However, the suburban areas in China exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity ( p < 0.001), with larger areas mainly located in the northeast and north. The vitality of the peri-suburban, mid-suburban, and outer-suburban areas exhibits spatial clustering ( p < 0.001), with corresponding global Moran’s I values of 0.292, 0.272, and 0.380, respectively. The suburban areas with high vitality are mainly clusters in the southeast coastal regions, and the farther a suburban area is from the built-up areas, the lower its vitality. Various socio-economic and natural factors have different impacts on suburban vitality. The key negative factors are the proportion of agricultural land and elevation, while the positive factors are the density of points of interest (POIs) and the proportion of built-up areas. Finally, we discuss the causes of spatial heterogeneity of suburban vitality in China and the pathways to enhance it. This study provides a scientific reference for the sustainable development of the urban–rural transition zones in other regions and countries in the world.

Keywords: suburban; spatial heterogeneity; vitality; sustainable development; China (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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