Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration

The remote sensing monitoring of land use changes and future scenario simulation hold crucial significance for accurately characterizing urban expansion patterns, optimizing urban land use configurations, and thereby promoting coordinated regional development. Through the integration of multi-source...

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Main Authors: Zeduo Zou, Xiuyan Zhao, Shuyuan Liu, Chunshan Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2455
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author Zeduo Zou
Xiuyan Zhao
Shuyuan Liu
Chunshan Zhou
author_facet Zeduo Zou
Xiuyan Zhao
Shuyuan Liu
Chunshan Zhou
author_sort Zeduo Zou
collection DOAJ
description The remote sensing monitoring of land use changes and future scenario simulation hold crucial significance for accurately characterizing urban expansion patterns, optimizing urban land use configurations, and thereby promoting coordinated regional development. Through the integration of multi-source data, this study systematically analyzes the spatiotemporal trajectories and driving forces of land use changes in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD) from 1990 to 2020 and further simulates the spatial patterns of urban land use under diverse development scenarios from 2025 to 2035. The results indicate the following: (1) During 1990–2020, urban expansion in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration exhibited a “stepwise growth” pattern, with an annual expansion rate of 3.7%. Regional land use remained dominated by forest (accounting for over 50%), while construction land surged from 6.5% to 21.8% of total land cover. The gravity center trajectory shifted southeastward. Concurrently, cropland fragmentation has intensified, accompanied by deteriorating connectivity of ecological lands. (2) Urban expansion in the PRD arises from synergistic interactions between natural and socioeconomic drivers. The Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model revealed that natural constraints—elevation (regression coefficients ranging −0.35 to −0.05) and river network density (−0.47 to −0.15)—exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity. Socioeconomic drivers dominated by year-end paved road area (0.26–0.28) and foreign direct investment (0.03–0.11) emerged as core expansion catalysts. Geographic detector analysis demonstrated pronounced interaction effects: all factor pairs exhibited either two-factor enhancement or nonlinear enhancement effects, with interaction explanatory power surpassing individual factors. (3) Validation of the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model showed high reliability (Kappa coefficient = 0.9205, overall accuracy = 95.9%). Under the Natural Development Scenario, construction land would exceed the ecological security baseline, causing 408.60 km<sup>2</sup> of ecological space loss; Under the Ecological Protection Scenario, mandatory control boundaries could reduce cropland and forest loss by 3.04%, albeit with unused land development intensity rising to 24.09%; Under the Economic Development Scenario, cross-city contiguous development zones along the Pearl River Estuary would emerge, with land development intensity peaking in Guangzhou–Foshan and Shenzhen–Dongguan border areas. This study deciphers the spatiotemporal dynamics, driving mechanisms, and scenario outcomes of urban agglomeration expansion, providing critical insights for formulating regionally differentiated policies.
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spelling doaj-art-9d4b342039ee4e919bdbd090cd0bbf0b2025-08-20T03:32:18ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-07-011714245510.3390/rs17142455Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban AgglomerationZeduo Zou0Xiuyan Zhao1Shuyuan Liu2Chunshan Zhou3School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaSchool of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaSchool of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaSchool of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaThe remote sensing monitoring of land use changes and future scenario simulation hold crucial significance for accurately characterizing urban expansion patterns, optimizing urban land use configurations, and thereby promoting coordinated regional development. Through the integration of multi-source data, this study systematically analyzes the spatiotemporal trajectories and driving forces of land use changes in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD) from 1990 to 2020 and further simulates the spatial patterns of urban land use under diverse development scenarios from 2025 to 2035. The results indicate the following: (1) During 1990–2020, urban expansion in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration exhibited a “stepwise growth” pattern, with an annual expansion rate of 3.7%. Regional land use remained dominated by forest (accounting for over 50%), while construction land surged from 6.5% to 21.8% of total land cover. The gravity center trajectory shifted southeastward. Concurrently, cropland fragmentation has intensified, accompanied by deteriorating connectivity of ecological lands. (2) Urban expansion in the PRD arises from synergistic interactions between natural and socioeconomic drivers. The Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model revealed that natural constraints—elevation (regression coefficients ranging −0.35 to −0.05) and river network density (−0.47 to −0.15)—exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity. Socioeconomic drivers dominated by year-end paved road area (0.26–0.28) and foreign direct investment (0.03–0.11) emerged as core expansion catalysts. Geographic detector analysis demonstrated pronounced interaction effects: all factor pairs exhibited either two-factor enhancement or nonlinear enhancement effects, with interaction explanatory power surpassing individual factors. (3) Validation of the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model showed high reliability (Kappa coefficient = 0.9205, overall accuracy = 95.9%). Under the Natural Development Scenario, construction land would exceed the ecological security baseline, causing 408.60 km<sup>2</sup> of ecological space loss; Under the Ecological Protection Scenario, mandatory control boundaries could reduce cropland and forest loss by 3.04%, albeit with unused land development intensity rising to 24.09%; Under the Economic Development Scenario, cross-city contiguous development zones along the Pearl River Estuary would emerge, with land development intensity peaking in Guangzhou–Foshan and Shenzhen–Dongguan border areas. This study deciphers the spatiotemporal dynamics, driving mechanisms, and scenario outcomes of urban agglomeration expansion, providing critical insights for formulating regionally differentiated policies.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2455urban expansiondriving forcesPLUSspatiotemporal evolutionPearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD)
spellingShingle Zeduo Zou
Xiuyan Zhao
Shuyuan Liu
Chunshan Zhou
Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration
Remote Sensing
urban expansion
driving forces
PLUS
spatiotemporal evolution
Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD)
title Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration
title_full Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration
title_fullStr Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration
title_full_unstemmed Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration
title_short Driving Forces and Future Scenario Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Expansion in China: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration
title_sort driving forces and future scenario simulation of urban agglomeration expansion in china a case study of the pearl river delta urban agglomeration
topic urban expansion
driving forces
PLUS
spatiotemporal evolution
Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD)
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2455
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