Spatial Suitability Evaluation of an Arid City Based on the Perspective of Major Function Oriented Zoning: A Case Study of Urumqi City in Xinjiang, China

Dongli Chen, Degang Yang, Xinhuan Zhang, Yannan Zhao and Yufang Zhang
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Dongli Chen: Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Degang Yang: Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Xinhuan Zhang: Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Yannan Zhao: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Yufang Zhang: Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: The realization of regional sustainable development has been a popular research topic during the process of urbanization. To explore the coordination relationships between urban development and ecological security—taking Urumqi city, a representative arid city in Xinjiang, China, as a study area—this study has constructed a framework of spatial suitability evaluation based on the characteristics of a Mountain–Oasis–Desert System (MODS) in an arid area under the framework of major function oriented zoning (MFOZ). A spatial overlay analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) with a 5 m × 5 m grid or towns and streets as the basic unit was applied to comprehensively evaluate spatial suitability. The results showed that the study area was zoned into a forbidden development zone (as patches set in towns and streets), an ecological protection zone (nine towns or streets), a moderate development zone (16 towns or streets), and a key development zone (82 towns or streets), accounting for 30.35%, 32.50%, 23.79%, and 13.36%, respectively. The zoning results provided a basis to pointedly put forward the development and protection strategies of each administrative unit; and the research framework can be applied to other arid areas for the decision-making related to the urban space layout and environmental management.

Keywords: spatial analysis; relationships development and protection; urban sustainable development; ecological management; GIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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