The Transmission Effect and Influencing Factors of Land Pressure in the Yangtze River Delta Region from 1995–2020

Abstract

Human societal growth has greatly pressured available land resources. The key to reducing land pressure and fostering regional synergistic development is revealing the transmission effect of land pressure. We used a modified gravity model to construct a spatial correlation network (SCN) of the land pressure in the Yangtze River Delta region (YRDR) for the years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020. To examine how the land pressure is transmitted throughout the cities in the YRDR, we used a social network analysis to examine the overall network structure, individual network characteristics and spatial clustering characteristics. Finally, the center of gravity-GTWR model that coupled the inter-city interactions and the temporal non-smoothness further revealed the spatiotemporal evolution and the different patterns of the influencing factors. The results revealed that (1) the spatial correlation structure of the land pressure in the YRDR was relatively stable. Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Changzhou played a significant role as linkages. (2) The YRDR was beyond the geographical limit for the land pressure transmission effect and each block had a considerable and mostly steady transmission impact. (3) The center of gravity-GTWR model that coupled the inter-city interactions and the temporal non-stationarity was a viable method for analyzing the factors that influence the land pressure. (4) There were significant regional and temporal variations in the factors influencing land pressure. The influencing factors differed in intensity and direction from city to city. Our results can provide a new perspective on relieving land pressure from the perspective of urban agglomerations and help accomplish the sustainable development of regional land resources.

Land pressure evaluation in the Yangtze River Delta region: A perspective from production‐living‐ecology

“…How to cite this article: Yu, Z., Chen, L., Zhang, T., Li, L., Yuan, L., Teng, G., Xiao, J., Shi, S., & Chen, L. (2023)…”

“…The region is also economically developed, densely populated, and relatively concentrated in urban clusters (Pei et al, 2021; Yu et al, 2022). Scholars have mainly focused on issues such as land‐intensive use (Luo et al, 2022), urban expansion (Luo & Lau, 2019), ecological efficiency (Li et al, 2022), ecological security (Ma et al, 2021), eco‐environment pressure (Lin, Jiang, et al, 2020; Lin, Lin, et al, 2020; Lin, Lu, et al, 2020) in the YRDR, lacking research on land pressure (Yu et al, 2023). Over‐exploitation has resulted in a sharp decline in the region's primary agricultural land and green ecological space, as well as a steadily worsening ecological environment.…”