GIS-based study on land use guide regionalization: A case study in Langfang city of Hebei province

In the future, the pursuit of high-quality economic development and a focus on ecological environmental protection in China will inevitably result in significant conflicts between land use and ecological land use. Land use conflicts primarily occur in peri-urban areas characterized by prominent economic development and urban agglomeration. As a municipality situated in the Qin-Ba mountainous region, Ankang has been promoting ecological preservation for a span of two decades. The allocation of construction areas primarily focuses on the proximity of watersheds, while the northern and southern regions are predominantly characterized by mountainous and hilly terrain, thus exhibiting distinct regional attributes. Previous studies have mainly focused on analyzing the effects of land use on habitat quality during intense urbanization, with fewer studies focusing on integrating eco-regions with urbanization to assess changes in habitat quality. However, it is important to recognize that land pressure encompasses economic, ecological, and social aspects. Additionally, it aims to provide insights for the harmonious development of land use in eco-region-oriented cities. Using the SSPs-RCPs scenarios provided by the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), this paper employs a system analysis method, the emerging Patch-Generating Land Use Simulation model (PLUS) model, Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, and Land Use Conflict Measurement model to dynamically simulate the future habitat quality and spatial conflict patterns of land use in Ankang City. The study explores the spatial coupling effect of both factors under different scenarios. The results indicate the following: (1) The overall development trend reveals an intensification of land use conflicts and a decrease in habitat quality. The expansion rate of construction land is increasing and exhibiting aggregation, while agricultural land area is expanding, and forest land area is continuously decreasing. (2) Land use intensity exhibits a significant positive correlation with land conflict levels, while land conflict levels demonstrate a significant negative correlation with habitat quality. (3) Under different future shared socioeconomic path scenarios, land use intensity, and land conflict levels follow the order of SSP585 (high forcing scenario), SSP370 (medium to high forcing scenario), SSP245 (medium forcing scenario), and SSP126 (low forcing scenario), with intensity and conflict decreasing accordingly. These findings suggest that land use has had some impact on the ecological environment, with indications of habitat degradation. Even in Ankang, where ecological development is highly valued, the city will gradually face conflicts between ecological protection and economic development in future scenarios. The city already has the environment at heart, so it will be worse in cities where the priority is economic development. Therefore, it is crucial to allocate sufficient space for economic development while simultaneously prioritizing ecological protection. The results of the study can provide a reference for analyzing the trade-offs between land development and habitat protection in eco-mountainous cities and for eco-cities to avoid falling into the conflict dilemma of economic cities.

The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yangtze River Basin are major strategic initiatives of the central government. As a critical tributary of the upper Yangtze River， the Chishui River plays an essential role in maintaining regional ecological security. Investigating the spatiotemporal evolution of land use and predicting future scenarios in the Chishui River Basin is not only significant for local development planning but also offers valuable insights for ecological protection and efficient land use in the Yangtze River Basin and similar regions. This study uses the Chishui River Basin （Yunnan section） as a representative case to analyze land use changes and their driving factors while exploring future land use trends under different scenarios. The findings aim to provide scientific guidance for ensuring ecological security and rational land resource utilization. Based on Landsat satellite imagery from 1985 to 2020 and field survey data from 2022 to 2023， land use data were obtained using a supervised classification method and analyzed for spatiotemporal dynamics. Quantitative analysis of the driving factors of land use change was conducted using the PLUS model and the Geodetector model to reveal underlying mechanisms. The PLUS model was then used to predict the spatial distribution of land use in 2035 under different development scenarios. The results showed that： ① Between 1985 and 2020， the overall trend of land use changes in the basin included an initial increase followed by a decrease in cultivated land， a decrease and subsequent stabilization in grassland， an initial decrease followed by an increase in forest and shrubland， stability in water bodies， and a continuous increase in built-up land. ② The expansion of built-up land was primarily influenced by proximity to secondary roads and slope， with the distance to administrative centers being the most decisive factor. Moreover， interactive effects between factors demonstrated synergistic enhancement， with the interaction between natural environment and regional accessibility being the most significant. ③ Under the natural development scenario， cultivated land and forest areas decreased， while built-up land and water areas increased. Under the ecological protection scenario， ecological land areas increased overall， whereas under the farmland protection scenario， rapid growth in cultivated land significantly encroached on other land types. Future land use patterns under different scenarios showed notable variation. As a source area of the Yangtze River， future land use planning and development of the basin should prioritize ecological protection and sustainable development， emphasizing the synergy between environmental conservation and economic growth. The results of this study provide scientific references for land use planning and ecological protection policy-making in the Yangtze River Basin and other ecologically sensitive regions.

Research that connects the effects of urbanization on biodiversity and ecosystem services is lacking. Ants perform multifarious ecological functions that stabilize ecosystems and contribute to a number of ecosystem services. We studied responses of ant communities to urbanization in the Lake Tahoe basin by sampling sites along a gradient of urban land development. We sampled ant communities, measured vegetation characteristics, quantified human activities, and evaluated ant-community responses by grouping ants into service-providing units (SPUs), defined as a group of organisms and their populations that perform specific ecosystem services, to provide an understanding of urbanization impacts on biodiversity and their delivery of ecosystem services. Species richness and abundance peaked at intermediate levels of urban development, as did the richness of 3 types of ant SPUs (aerators, decomposers, and compilers). With increasing land development aerator and decomposer ants significantly declined in abundance, whereas compiler ants significantly increased in abundance. Competing models demonstrated that precipitation was frequently among the strongest influences on ant community structure; however, urban development and human activities also had a strong, negative influence on ants, appearing in most models with DeltaAIC(c) < 2 for species richness and abundance patterns of SPUs and generalists. Response diversity was observed within SPUs, which suggests that the corresponding ecosystem services were maintained until development reached 30-40%. Our data provide evidence that ecosystem functions, such as water infiltration and soil productivity, may be diminished at sites subject to greater levels of urbanization and that conserving ant communities and the ecosystem services they provide could be an important target in land-use planning and conservation efforts.

Drylands in northwest China have limited water resources, which negatively impacts economic development, ecological security, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, few studies have examined water supply and demand under multiple future spatial patterns of land use, particularly under sustainable development scenarios. Further research is therefore needed to determine how affect water output services under various land use patterns. We used the GMOP-PLUS (Gray Multi-objective Optimization-Patch-generating Land Use Simulation) and the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) models to investigate future land use programs and the current and future trends in water yield services supply and demand in the typical dryland region of Xinjiang, China. The GMOP-PLUS model was used to project the spatial patterns of land use/land cover (LULC) change in Xinjiang in 2025 and 2030 under programs of business-as-usual, rapid economic development, ecological land protection and sustainable development. We then used the InVEST model to project the spatiotemporal evolution of water yield services supply and demand under the four different scenarios. Our results show that Our results show that water production in Xinjiang decreases to 911.30 × 108 m3 in 2020–2030 under the business-as-usual scenario, with an expansion in arable land and a reduction in forested land being the main causes of this decrease. The decline in water production under the ecological land protection scenario is 913.88 × 108 m3. The retention effect of vegetation slows the decline in water production, but the ecological land protection scenario is not effective in controlling the reduction in arable land. The rapid economic development scenario produces a significant increase in water yield of 915.09 × 108 m3, mainly due to an increase in the area of impervious surfaces caused by the expansion of built-up land; however, the rapid economic development scenario leads to a decreasing trend in ecological land. The sustainable development scenario produces 914.15 × 108 m3 of water. The sustainable development scenario increases water production while balancing the development of Constructed and the protection of ecological land, and the arable land also shows a slow growth trend. Between 2025 and 2030, the water security index fluctuates between –0.0225 and –0.0400, with a continued future deficit in water supply and demand in Xinjiang and a high degree of spatial heterogeneity. Programs for advancing sustainable development narrow the supply–demand gap for services that produce water.

Mining activities have contributed to the growth of the city, but also raised non-negligible eco-geological environmental issues that threaten ecological safety. Ecological security pattern (ESP), as an important grip on the ecological restoration and protection of national land space, helps to balance mining activities and ecological protection in coal resource-based cities. Taking Huaibei City as a study area, we applied the ESP research paradigm: an ecosystem “function-structure” conceptual framework was developed to identify ecological sources, the “coal mining subsidence—economic activities” framework was used to revise ecological resistance surface, and the circuit theory was used to extract ecological corridors. Then, key areas for ecological restoration and protection were identified, including ecological pinch points, barrier points, and fracture points. Finally, the pattern and strategies for ecological restoration and protection were proposed. Study results show that there were 51 ecological sources, covering an area of 152.75 km2; 111 ecological corridors were extracted with 6000 as truncation threshold; 17 pinch points, 75 barrier points, and 117 fracture points were identified. Ecological restoration and protection patterns of “one axis, two shields, four zones, eight belts and multiple corridors”, and strategies for key areas were proposed. The results of the study are important for the sustainable development of coal-resource-based cities.

Gui'an New Area, the largest state-level new area in western China, serves as a hub for economic growth and a demonstration area for ecological civilization in China. Its sustainable development heavily relies on ecological protection. In this study, we explored the impacts on the regional ecosystem by analyzing the land use change, carbon storage (CS) dynamics, and ecological safety network pattern of Gui'an New Area during the period from 2010 to 2060. The study utilizes the FLUS model to predict land use in 2030 and 2060, applies the InVEST model to assess CS, and combines the MSPA and MCR models to construct an ecological safety network. The results show that policies drive land use types and landscape spatial changes in Gui'an New Area. The land use types of Gui'an New Area shifted significantly from 2010 to 2060, especially the decrease of cropland and the growth of buildings, as well as the fluctuating changes around woodland, grassland, and water; the core area of the landscape also showed a decreasing trend in the area share between 2010 and 2060. Gui'an New Area's CS displayed an overall decline from 2014 to 2060, despite an initial increase until 2030; this trend showed significant spatial heterogeneity, with woodland and building areas undergoing the most substantial changes due to variations in ecological space area and carbon density. The analysis of the ecological safety network shows that the number and area of ecological source land in Gui'an New Area fluctuated and decreased between 2010 and 2060; the number of ecological corridors declined as a whole; the spatial distribution was uneven; and the ecological space in the eastern part of the area was compressed by the influence of economic development and the growth of population density, which limited the formation and development of the ecological corridors. The study emphasizes that regional CS and ecosystem services can be enhanced through rational planning and ecological restoration. It is recommended that ecological space protection and long-term management be strengthened to achieve a win-win situation between ecological protection and economic development in Gui'an New Area and to promote sustainable development.

The Ebinur Lake Basin is an ecologically sensitive area in an arid region. Investigating its land use and land cover (LULC) change and assessing and predicting its ecosystem service value (ESV) are of great importance for the stability of the basin's socioeconomic development and sustainable development of its ecological environment. Based on LULC data from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, we assessed the ESV of the Ebinur Lake Basin and coupled the grey multi-objective optimization model with the patch generation land use simulation model to predict ESV changes in 2035 under four scenarios: business-as-usual (BAU) development, rapid economic development (RED), ecological protection (ELP), and ecological–economic balance (EEB). The results show that from 1990 to 2020, the basin was dominated by grassland (51.23%) and unused land (27.6%), with a continuous decrease in unused land and an increase in cultivated land. In thirty years, the total ESV of the study area increased from 18.62 billion to 67.28 billion yuan, with regulation and support services being the dominant functions. By 2035, cultivated land increased while unused land decreased in all four scenarios compared with that in 2020. The total ESV in 2035 under the BAU, RED, ELP, and EEB scenarios was 68.83 billion, 64.47 billion, 67.99 billion, and 66.79 billion yuan, respectively. In the RED and EEB scenarios, ESV decreased by 2.81 billion and 0.49 billion yuan, respectively. In the BAU scenario, provisioning and regulation services increased by 6.05% and 2.93%, respectively. The ELP scenario, focusing on ecological and environmental protection, saw an increase in ESV for all services. This paper can assist policymakers in optimizing land use allocation and provide scientific support for the formulation of land use strategies and sustainable ecological and environmental development in the inland river basins of arid regions.

In this paper, a theoretical model is developed to analyze the interactions among residential development, land use regulations, and public financial impacts (public expenditure and property tax). A simultaneous equations system with self-selection and discrete dependent variables is estimated to determine the interactions for counties in the five western states (California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington). The results show that county governments are more likely to impose land use regulations when facing rapid land development, high public expenditure and property tax. The land use regulations, in turn, decrease land development, long-run public expenditure, and property tax at the cost of higher housing prices and property tax. During the period of 1982-1992, land use regulations reduced developed areas by 612,800 acres or 8.8 % of the developed area of five western states in 1992, but increased housing price by $5,741 per unit under stringent regulations and $1,319 per unit under low regulations. Because it costs money to develop and implement land use regulations, land use regulations increased public expenditure and property tax in the short run, during the period of 1982-1987. However, in the long-run (1982-1992), land use regulations actually reduce public expenditure and property taxes because the regulations reduce developed areas. The results also show that land use regulations, land development, public expenditure, and property tax all are significantly affected by population, geographic location, land quality, housing prices, and the risks and costs of development.

Urban planning and popular participation: A diagnosis of the effectiveness of participatory processes applied to the revision of São Paulo master plan

El tratamiento antihipertensivo en la población muy anciana: respuesta a una pregunta formulada hace más de 50 años

Multiangle land use-linked carbon balance examination in Nanjing City, China

Acid bogs, one of the rare plant communities, are on the brink of extinction in the southeastern United States. This study uncovers what issues are at stake in land use, land development, and regulations of two specific areas in south Louisiana that contain this type of wetland. This is an educational project oriented toward development of methods and information related to planning and design for the use of wetland sites while still protecting them. A hypothesis is presented that a combination of education with land use guidelines, helpful resources and regulatory incentives may help slow the eradication of bogs in the southern United States and increase the awareness of the importance of these small isolated wetlands. Although small in size, acid bogs function in important ways to help society and surrounding natural ecosystems. Land use practices and attitudes towards building on sensitive inland wetland sites were investigated to discover what role developers and homeowners play in their destruction. Case studies of several Louisiana home sites found homeowner awareness of the wetland, but not of its value and consequently little effort being put into acid bog preservation. Property rights issues, plus the complete lack of market value recognition for the benefits of small inland wetland sites, were found to be at the root of the conservation problem. Likewise, a survey of developers in south Louisiana uncovered a disinterest in plant community preservation. Results point towards attitudes that seem to be governed by short-term monetary gain from wetland land use. Outdated development practices (draining and filling) in sensitive sites contribute heavily to acid bog destruction. More importantly, wetlands are being destroyed due to a slow and confusing regulatory process as the regulations for them are being followed. Guidelines and helpful resources are presented in order to lower development costs and facilitate acid bog conservation on individual sites. Moreover, findings indicate that an area wide effort is needed due to the unique connections that acid bogs have with underground water systems. Not only can improved design opportunities and higher property values be enjoyed through acid bog conservation, but cleaner and more available water for communities can also be achieved by developing properties in such a way as to protect the unique acid bog habitat.

The form of many Canadian cities has dramatically evolved over the past six decades due to urban sprawl. Several patterns can characterize this evolution including unlimited horizontal expansion of the city, leapfrog, and low‐density residential development at the outskirts, and widespread strip commercial and power centre retail development. Hamilton, Ontario is an example of a Canadian city that has experienced suburbanization and sprawled development for several decades. However, the nature of this sprawled development is unclear and its impact on urban form is not entirely understood. In this article, several hypotheses pertaining to sprawled land development and urban form are postulated and tested. The tests rely on point source data of the developed land parcels in Hamilton during the period 1950–2003. A number of spatial statistics techniques, including kernel estimation and complete spatial randomness (CSR) K‐function tests, are employed to examine the emerging nature of urban form. We hypothesize that while the city has been sprawling, the ongoing land development process is leading urban form into multinucleation. To support this assumption, we further hypothesize the existence of an interdependent spatial relationship between residential and commercial land uses at the emerging nuclei. Accordingly, we examine the strength of co‐clustering among these land use activities over time. The findings indicate that while the city has been sprawling, several consequent urban nuclei with mixed land use activities have been emerging and become more visible in recent years. This is an indication that the city's form is progressively becoming multinuclear. Furthermore, the estimates for the 1990s indicate interdependence between the locational patterns of residential and commercial land development. Co‐clustering between these two types of land uses is bi‐directional and occurs at a time lag of three to seven years. These findings affirm the existence of interdependence between land use activities at the observed nuclei, which support the emergence of a multinucleation.

The study aims to determine the powers of local authorities in defining the legal regime of lands and to study problems in this area. Legal uncertainty in the relationship between territorial planning and urban planning zoning, the inconsistency of the three basic federal laws regarding the powers of urban and rural settlements to establish land use and development rules have been revealed. The impossibility of replacing urban planning zoning with a territorial one is argued. The research methods are the dialectical method of cognition, general methods of formal logic, certain general research methods (systems aspect, analysis of regulatory legal sources), and specific methods of law (formal-logical method of interpretation of law, comparative legal method). Based on the study, the following conclusions are made. (1) There is still legal uncertainty on the issue of zoning, which is contained in documents of different legal force – results of territorial planning and urban planning zoning: the site plan, which is equal in the status to a regulatory legal act and rules of land use and development. At the same time, the text of the site plan does not meet the requirements of legal technology in contrast to rules of land use and development. To eliminate internal contradictions in the legislation, it is proposed to fix the correlation of the site plan and the rules of land use and development in a codified urban planning law, and to establish requirements for the development of the site plan. (2) Urban planning and land codified laws do not distinguish between the powers of urban and rural settlements in the field of approving land use and development rules (Part 3 of Article 8 of the Town Planning Code of the Russian Federation, Paragraph 1 of Article 39.30 of the Land Code of the Russian Federation). Moreover, the approval of land use and development rules was removed from the rural settlement’s issues of local importance and transferred to the municipal areas (Part 4 of Article 14 of Law No. 131-FZ). Consequently, the different interpretation of the categorical elements of issues of local importance leads to an ambiguous understanding of municipal rights and obligations. The author considers it necessary to bring the norms regarding the powers of local self-government contained in the industry laws in line with the norms of Law No. 131-FZ. (3) In order to improve the state policy on the use of the land fund of Russia, it is planned to replace urban planning zoning with territorial zoning, which involves the removal from circulation of the principle of dividing land for its intended purpose. It has been established that territorial zoning performs only the functions of detailing and concretizing the legal regime of the corresponding land plot. In this regard, the principle of dividing land into categories for the intended purpose should be considered as the main principle of legal regulation of land relations arising from the provisions of Article 9 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Examines land availability and use in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as well as the trade-offs among competing uses, by introducing the land cover databases mobilized for this study before describing land use patterns, their determinants, and their evolution over time. The severe scarcity of land in the MENA region remains the critical issue emerging from the analysis. The demographic and climatic trends indicate increasing land demand, and yet land remains under growing stress from climate change. Increasing land scarcity leads to strategic trade-offs about the best use of land to meet competing economic, social, sustainability, and sovereignty objectives. Degradation and desertification, stemming from both climatic and anthropological factors—especially in Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, and Syria—have high economic costs. If climatic and population trends continue as predicted, agricultural land will become significantly scarcer in the MENA region, falling to a level that could lead to a major crisis if not addressed.