Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Mechanism of Production–Living–Ecological Space from 1990 to 2020 in Hunan, Central China

Shanfeng Wu, Wenbo Mo, Runlei Zhang, Xuan Xiao, E Li, Xi Liu and Nan Yang ()
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Shanfeng Wu: College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China
Wenbo Mo: College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China
Runlei Zhang: College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China
Xuan Xiao: College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China
E Li: College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China
Xi Liu: College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China
Nan Yang: College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413002, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: China’s rapid economic growth has increased tensions between production, living, and ecological spaces (PLES), making sustainable land-use planning difficult. Therefore, PLES evolution and processes are a focus of current research. Remote sensing data with land-use transition matrices, centroid migration, standard deviation ellipses, spatial autocorrelation, and geographic detectors were used to study the dynamics of PLES in Hunan Province from 1990 to 2020, elucidate its mechanisms and main influencing factors, and provide a comprehensive understanding of its evolutionary characteristics. The main conclusions of our analysis are as follows: (1) Ecological space was the dominant land-use type, while production space increased, putting strain on natural areas. (2) Living space increased by 40.73% over three decades, mostly comprising manufacturing space, highlighting urban expansion. (3) Despite land-use changes, Loudi City’s PLES centroid remained central. (4) Standard deviation ellipses showed spatial shrinkage with directional stability, implying enhanced land usage within borders rather than outward growth. (5) The geographic detector analysis showed that the GDP, population density, slope, and elevation influenced these spatial changes. Economic prosperity drove urban expansion, but the slope and elevation limited development to accessible locations. These findings provide policymakers with essential information for balancing urbanization and ecological preservation and provide a case study for sustainable PLES design in rapidly developing regions.

Keywords: production–living–ecological space (PLES); land-use transition; spatiotemporal pattern; driving force; Hunan Province (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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