The Urban–Rural Integration of Resources and Services Using Big Data: A Multifunctional Landscape Perspective

Yayun Wang, Baoshun Wang () and Qing Yang
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Yayun Wang: Collaborative Innovation Center for Emissions Trading System Co-Constructed by the Province and Ministry, Hubei University of Economics, Wuhan 430205, China
Baoshun Wang: School of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
Qing Yang: International Business School, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: Spatial mismatches between ecosystem services and human demands pose critical challenges for sustainable land use in ecologically fragile regions. Rapid urbanization intensifies land-use conflicts in ecologically fragile regions, threatening ecosystem services and habitat sustainability. This study addresses this challenge by quantifying spatial mismatches between landscape resource functions (LRFs: natural, traditional, and humanistic) and service demands (LSFs, e.g., catering and public facilities) in Xinxian County, in China’s Dabie Mountains, using multi-source data (DEM, POI big data, and remote sensing) and spatial analysis (nearest neighbor indices, kernel density, and multi-ring buffers). The results reveal that concentrated natural LRFs in high-elevation single-core clusters exhibit low dispersion, thus increasing vulnerability to land conversion, while agglomerated LSFs in urban cores exacerbate ecosystem service inequalities. Crucially, service deficits beyond 3 km buffers and the fragmentation of traditional agricultural zones indicate potential erosion of regulating services, as inferred from spatial mismatches (e.g., soil retention and water regulation), and cultural resilience. These spatial mismatches act as proxies for habitat risks, in which humanistic landscape expansion competes with ecological corridors, amplifying fragmentation. To mitigate risks, we propose (1) enhancing connectivity for natural resource corridors to stabilize regulating services, (2) reallocating LSFs to peri-urban buffers to reduce pressure on critical habitats, and (3) integrating ecosystem service trade-offs into landscape planning. This framework provides an actionable pathway for balancing development and habitat conservation in mountainous regions undergoing land-use transitions.

Keywords: human activities; natural resources; landscape multifunctionality; spatial mismatch; land-use optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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