Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China

The increasing impacts of human activities on sustainable development have promoted the use of spatial planning as an essential policy tool to governing human activities patterns. However, the effect of spatial planning on such patterns remains insufficiently unexplored. In this study, we used Point...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhichao He, Wei Zhai, Chunhong Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers of Architectural Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263525000019
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850193338001522688
author Zhichao He
Wei Zhai
Chunhong Zhao
author_facet Zhichao He
Wei Zhai
Chunhong Zhao
author_sort Zhichao He
collection DOAJ
description The increasing impacts of human activities on sustainable development have promoted the use of spatial planning as an essential policy tool to governing human activities patterns. However, the effect of spatial planning on such patterns remains insufficiently unexplored. In this study, we used Point of Interest (POI) data and spatial statistical methods to analyze the spatial patterns of human activities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Urban Agglomeration in China between 2018 and 2022, and then evaluated the conformance between these patterns with the planned spatial patterns outlined in the YRD Urban Agglomeration Development Plan. The results show that while the development plan is effective on promoting spatial integration of human activities, it has not fully achieved the intended patterns. Shanghai's prominence as a business center has strengthened over time, though its population and industrial centers have eroded. The Su-Xi-Chang metropolitan area illustrated a high level of spatial integration and has emerged as a key industrial function zone. However, many peripheral cities, including those in Anhui Province, northern Jiangsu Province, and southern Zhejiang Province, remain poorly integrated into the YRD Urban Agglomeration. To conclude, we recommend wider application of social sensing data on plan evaluation and highlight a diverse set of collaborative strategies to strengthen spatial integration between central and neighboring cities, as well as between metropolitan areas within the agglomeration.
format Article
id doaj-art-b4e6f6fb2c504b689bdc100212f712fb
institution OA Journals
issn 2095-2635
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
record_format Article
series Frontiers of Architectural Research
spelling doaj-art-b4e6f6fb2c504b689bdc100212f712fb2025-08-20T02:14:19ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Frontiers of Architectural Research2095-26352025-08-011441048106210.1016/j.foar.2024.12.004Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in ChinaZhichao He0Wei Zhai1Chunhong Zhao2Department of Urban Planning, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 351008, ChinaSchool of Architecture and Planning, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, United StatesSchool of Geology and Geomatics, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Corresponding author. School of Geology and Geomatics, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 300384, China.The increasing impacts of human activities on sustainable development have promoted the use of spatial planning as an essential policy tool to governing human activities patterns. However, the effect of spatial planning on such patterns remains insufficiently unexplored. In this study, we used Point of Interest (POI) data and spatial statistical methods to analyze the spatial patterns of human activities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Urban Agglomeration in China between 2018 and 2022, and then evaluated the conformance between these patterns with the planned spatial patterns outlined in the YRD Urban Agglomeration Development Plan. The results show that while the development plan is effective on promoting spatial integration of human activities, it has not fully achieved the intended patterns. Shanghai's prominence as a business center has strengthened over time, though its population and industrial centers have eroded. The Su-Xi-Chang metropolitan area illustrated a high level of spatial integration and has emerged as a key industrial function zone. However, many peripheral cities, including those in Anhui Province, northern Jiangsu Province, and southern Zhejiang Province, remain poorly integrated into the YRD Urban Agglomeration. To conclude, we recommend wider application of social sensing data on plan evaluation and highlight a diverse set of collaborative strategies to strengthen spatial integration between central and neighboring cities, as well as between metropolitan areas within the agglomeration.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263525000019POISocial sensingHuman activitiesSpatial patternYRD urban agglomerationPlan evaluation
spellingShingle Zhichao He
Wei Zhai
Chunhong Zhao
Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China
Frontiers of Architectural Research
POI
Social sensing
Human activities
Spatial pattern
YRD urban agglomeration
Plan evaluation
title Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China
title_full Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China
title_fullStr Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China
title_full_unstemmed Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China
title_short Using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning: A case study of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China
title_sort using social sensing to evaluate the effect of spatial planning a case study of yangtze river delta urban agglomeration in china
topic POI
Social sensing
Human activities
Spatial pattern
YRD urban agglomeration
Plan evaluation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263525000019
work_keys_str_mv AT zhichaohe usingsocialsensingtoevaluatetheeffectofspatialplanningacasestudyofyangtzeriverdeltaurbanagglomerationinchina
AT weizhai usingsocialsensingtoevaluatetheeffectofspatialplanningacasestudyofyangtzeriverdeltaurbanagglomerationinchina
AT chunhongzhao usingsocialsensingtoevaluatetheeffectofspatialplanningacasestudyofyangtzeriverdeltaurbanagglomerationinchina