Assessing production–living–ecological spaces and its urban–rural gradients in Xiangyang City, China: insights from land-use function symbiosis

Abstract

Understanding the formation process and urban-rural landscape pattern of production-living-ecological spaces (PLES) is crucial for sustainable land-use management and adaptive city governance. However, previous studies have neglected the symbiotic relationships between land-use functions (LUFs) in identifying and optimizing PLES. To address this gap, this study proposes a technical framework for assessing PLES from a LUFs symbiosis perspective. A case study was conducted in Xiangyang City, China, to identify PLES and analyze its urban-rural differentiation using the symbiosis degree model and landscape pattern indices. Our ndings revealed that the symbiotic relationships between LUFs varied, and there were 25 combination types of PLES in Xiangyang City, with signi cantly varied area proportions and spatial distribution. The landscape types of PLES increased, and landscape fragmentation strengthened along with the gradient change from the outer urban area (OUA) to the rural area (RA). Furthermore, we proposed a PLES optimization strategy involving LUFs symbiosis and the urban-rural gradient. Our study enriches the dimensions of PLES assessment and supports better-coordinated management, planning, and protection of PLES.