Scale and Dynamic Characteristics of the Yangtze River Delta Urban System from a Land-Use Perspective

Zhipeng Shi, Weixin Luan (), Xue Luo, Qiaoqiao Lin and Zun Liu
Additional contact information
Zhipeng Shi: School of Maritime Economics and Management, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Weixin Luan: School of Maritime Economics and Management, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Xue Luo: School of Maritime Economics and Management, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Qiaoqiao Lin: School of Maritime Economics and Management, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Zun Liu: School of Maritime Economics and Management, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: An in-depth analysis of land use dynamics during the evolution of regional urban systems is crucial for understanding developmental trajectories and promoting coordinated urban growth. This study adopts a land-use perspective, examining the expansion of urban construction land while identifying its source areas. By integrating Zipf’s law and using urban construction land area as an indicator of urban scale, this research analyzes transformations within the urban system. The findings reveal the following: (1) The total area of urban construction land in the Yangtze River Delta has continued to expand over time, exhibiting an inverted U-shaped curve, with high concentration observed in riverine and coastal zones. (2) Cultivated land serves as the primary source for construction land, contributing on average 77.70% over the past 25 years, amounting to a conversion of 5664.51 square kilometers. Rural residential areas rank second, contributing an average of 11.90%. (3) The rank-size distribution of cities based on urban land area largely aligns with Zipf’s law, albeit with deviations at both ends. The Pareto index increased from 0.803 to 0.897, indicating a trend toward weaker dispersion and greater concentration in urban size distribution. In conclusion, future urban development should emphasize rational expansion grounded in sustainable practices, strengthen farmland protection to ensure food security, and effectively manage rural land transformation to promote efficient land use and ecological balance. These measures will support the balanced and coordinated development of large, medium, and small cities within the urban system.

Keywords: urban system; land use; farmland protection; rank-size rule (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/9/1728/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/9/1728/ (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:14:y:2025:i:9:p:1728-:d:1733045

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 ().