Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Urban Functional Areas Supported by Multi-Source Data: A Case Study of Beijing Municipality

Jiaxin Li, Minrui Zheng (), Haichao Jia and Xinqi Zheng
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Jiaxin Li: State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Disaster Risk Reduction, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Minrui Zheng: School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
Haichao Jia: School of Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Xinqi Zheng: School of Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-24

Abstract: Urban livability and sustainable development remain major global challenges, yet the interplay between urban planning layouts and actual human activities has not been sufficiently examined. This study investigates this relationship in Beijing by integrating multi-source spatiotemporal data, including point of interest (POI), Land Use Cover Change (LUCC), remote sensing data, and the railway network. Defining urban functional units as “street + railway network”, we analyze the spatial–temporal evolution within the 6th Ring Road over the past four decades and propose targeted strategies for the urban functional layout. The results reveal the following: (1) The evolution of Beijing’s urban functions can be divided into four stages (1980–1990, 1990–2005, 2005–2015, and 2015–2020), with continuous population growth (+142%) driving the over-concentration of functions in central districts. (2) Between 2010 and 2020, the POI densities of medical services (+133.6%) and transport services (+130.48%) increased most rapidly, subsequently stimulating the expansion of other urban functions. (3) High-density functional facilities and construction land (+179.10%) have expanded significantly within the 6th Ring Road, while green space (cropland, forestland and grassland) has decreased by 86.97%, resulting in a severe imbalance among land use types. To address these issues, we recommend the following: redistributing high-intensity functions to sub-centers such as Tongzhou and Xiongan New Area to alleviate population pressure, expanding high-capacity rail transit to reinforce 30–50 km commuting links between the core and periphery, and establishing ecological corridors to connect green wedges, thereby enhancing carbon sequestration and environmental quality. This integrated framework offers transferable insights for other megacities, providing guidance for sustainable functional planning that aligns human activity patterns with urban spatial structures.

Keywords: spatiotemporal evolution characteristics; Point of interest (POI); Land Use Cover Change (LUCC); remote sensing data; railway network (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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