IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i22p14951-d971610.html

Analysis of Landscape Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Residential Areas on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: A Case Study of Tibet, China

Author

Listed:
  • Dingwei Niu

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Lucang Wang

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Fuwei Qiao

    (College of Economics, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Wei Li

    (College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

Abstract

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is the largest ecological barrier and one of the most vulnerable areas of the ecological environmental system. However, the increasing frequency of human activities in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau has led to strong interference. Residential areas are the main places in which human activities are carried out and, as such, can effectively reflect the intensity of activities. Based on this, this research takes the Tibet Autonomous Region as the study area and analyzes the distribution characteristics of Tibetan residential areas using Zipf’s law and various landscape indices, as well as discussing the influences of altitude, hydrology, ecological environment, and location on residential area distribution. The obtained results indicate the following: (1) The residential areas in Tibet basically conform to the rank–size principle. The residential areas in central and northwest Tibet are concentrated in size distribution, and the relatively large residential areas are prominent, while the residential areas in the eastern Hengduan mountain region are relatively balanced in size distribution. (2) The landscape index results demonstrate that the counties with an unbalanced distribution of residential areas are mainly concentrated in the northwest of Tibet, while the residential areas in the counties and regions where the administrative stations of each prefecture-level city (or region) are located tend to present a polarization phenomenon, with large patches. The area distribution of residential areas showed a “medium–high–low” pattern from southeast to northwest. The residential areas in eastern Tibet have a high degree of fragmentation and a low degree of aggregation, while the residential areas in northwest Tibet have a low degree of fragmentation and a relatively high degree of aggregation. (3) The residential areas in Tibet are most concentrated in the altitude range of 3000–5000 m above sea level and their water affinity and road–affinity are strong, with the distribution of residential areas within 500 m of roads and water networks accounting for more than one-quarter. The vegetation coverage in the residential areas is low, inconsistent with the surface vegetation coverage rate over the whole of Tibet.

Suggested Citation

  • Dingwei Niu & Lucang Wang & Fuwei Qiao & Wei Li, 2022. "Analysis of Landscape Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Residential Areas on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: A Case Study of Tibet, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-20, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:22:p:14951-:d:971610
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/22/14951/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/22/14951/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wei Tang & Tiancai Zhou & Jian Sun & Yurui Li & Weipeng Li, 2017. "Accelerated Urban Expansion in Lhasa City and the Implications for Sustainable Development in a Plateau City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Hejie Wei & Yingying Gao & Qing Han & Ling Li & Xiaobin Dong & Mengxue Liu & Qingxiang Meng, 2022. "Quality Evaluation and Obstacle Identification of Human Settlements in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Based on Multi-Source Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-21, September.
    3. Boya Gong & Baisha Weng & Denghua Yan & Tianling Qin & Hao Wang & Wuxia Bi, 2018. "Variation of Hydrothermal Conditions under Climate Change in Naqu Prefecture, Tibet Plateau, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, October.
    4. Arshad, Sidra & Hu, Shougeng & Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2018. "Zipf’s law and city size distribution: A survey of the literature and future research agenda," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 492(C), pages 75-92.
    5. Robin Grier, 1997. "The Effect of Religion on Economic Development: A Cross National Study of 63 Former Colonies," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 47-62, February.
    6. Yongkang Zhou & Xiaoyao Zhang & Hu Yu & Qingqing Liu & Linlin Xu, 2021. "Land Use-Driven Changes in Ecosystem Service Values and Simulation of Future Scenarios: A Case Study of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-19, April.
    7. Boyang Gao & Zhenpei Hu, 2022. "What Affects the Level of Rural Human Settlement? A Case Study of Tibet, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-16, August.
    8. Liu Jin & Zongqi Wang & Xiaohong Chen, 2022. "Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages on the Tibetan Plateau in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-19, October.
    9. Jiaojiao Bian & Wanxu Chen & Jie Zeng, 2022. "Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-18, April.
    10. Lixing Chen & Yingzi Zhang & Zhengzheng Luo & Fei Yao, 2022. "Optimization Design of the Landscape Elements in the Lhasa Residential Area Driven by an Orthogonal Experiment and a Numerical Simulation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-18, May.
    11. Yanpeng Ding & Bin Shi & Guijin Su & Qianqian Li & Jing Meng & Yongjian Jiang & Yi Qin & Lingwen Dai & Shuai Song, 2021. "Assessing Suitability of Human Settlements in High-Altitude Area Using a Comprehensive Index Method: A Case Study of Tibet, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, February.
    12. Guiso, Luigi & Sapienza, Paola & Zingales, Luigi, 2003. "People's opium? Religion and economic attitudes," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 225-282, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shouhang Zhao & Yuqi Li & Ziqian Nie & Yunyuan Li, 2025. "Supply–Demand Assessment of Cultural Ecosystem Services in Urban Parks of Plateau River Valley City: A Case Study of Lhasa," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-28, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qikang Zhong & Liang Xie & Jiade Wu, 2025. "Reimagining heritage villages’ sustainability: machine learning-driven human settlement suitability in Hunan," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Chaudhary, Latika & Rubin, Jared, 2016. "Religious identity and the provision of public goods: Evidence from the Indian Princely States," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 461-483.
    3. Jun Zhang & Runni Zhang & Qilun Li & Xue Zhang & Xiong He, 2023. "Spatial Sifferentiation and Differentiated Development Paths of Traditional Villages in Yunnan Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Yihe Huang & Shouyun Shen & Wenmin Hu & Yurou Li & Guo Li, 2022. "Construction of Cultural Heritage Tourism Corridor for the Dissemination of Historical Culture: A Case Study of Typical Mountainous Multi-Ethnic Area in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    5. Rietveld, C.A. & van Burg, E., 2013. "Religious beliefs and entrepreneurship among Dutch protestants," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2013-015-STR, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    6. Yunxing Zhang & Meiyu Yang & Ziyang Li & Weizhen Li & Chenchen Lu & Zhigang Li & Haidong Li & Feifei Zhai, 2023. "Study on the Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors in the Reuse of National Industrial Heritage Sites in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Xiaogang Feng & Moqing Hu & Sekhar Somenahalli & Wenbin Zhang & Kunyan Liu & Meng Li & Zaihui Zhou & Fengxia Li, 2025. "Study on the Spatial Morphology of Ando Tibetan Traditional Villages in China: A Case of Traditional Villages in Huangnan Prefecture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-20, February.
    8. Guerzoni, Marco & Jordan, Alexander, 2016. "“Cursed is the ground because of you”: Religion, Ethnicity, and the Adoption of Fertilizers in Rural Ethiopia," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201605, University of Turin.
    9. Jiaqi Zhang & Rongrong Zhang & Jiaqi Fan & Xiaoke Guan & Hui Liang, 2025. "Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Urban and Rural Settlements in Tanzania (1975–2020): Drivers, Patterns, and Regional Disparities," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, June.
    10. Baele, L. & Farooq, M. & Ongena, S., 2012. "Of Religion and Redemption : Evidence from Default on Islamic Loans (Replaces CentER DP 2010-136)," Other publications TiSEM 44a4a19c-3959-4e99-b96b-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    11. Iftekhar Hasan & Felix Noth & Konstantin Kiesel, 2025. "‘And forgive us our debts’: Christian moralities and over‐indebtedness," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 48(3), pages 1013-1031, September.
    12. Qiao Wang & Wenwen Liu & Liang Mao, 2023. "Spatial Evolution of Traditional Village Dwellings in Heilongjiang Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    13. Wei Wang & Qianfei Shi & Guoyu Wang, 2024. "Analysis of Performance and Genetic Characteristics of Cultural Landscapes in Traditional Villages along the Jinzhong Section of the Wanli Tea Road from a Landscape Gene Information Chain Perspective: A Case Study of Xiamen Village," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-25, September.
    14. Yipeng Ge & Yang Liu & Yueshan Ma & Zihan Qin & Qizheng Gan & Nan Li, 2024. "A Study on the Spatial, Structural, and Cultural Differentiation of Traditional Villages in Western Henan Using Geographic Detectors and ArcGIS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-28, November.
    15. Wang, Qunyong & Lin, Xinyu, 2014. "Does religious beliefs affect economic growth? Evidence from provincial-level panel data in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 277-287.
    16. Menghan Zhang & Yue Yu & Meizi Liu & Jingyi Liu, 2024. "Opportunities for China’s Agricultural Heritage Systems under the “Digital Nomadism” Trend—A Stakeholder-Weighted Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-21, March.
    17. Hai Xiao & Congli Xue & Jiahao Yu & Chuwei Yu & Guoqiang Peng, 2023. "Spatial Morphological Characteristics of Ethnic Villages in the Dadu River Basin, a Sino-Tibetan Area of Sichuan, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-16, August.
    18. Zhenghui Xu & Guohang Tian & Kailu Wei & Yuhong Ma & Shumei Zhang & Yumei Huang & Xiaojun Yao, 2022. "The Influence of Environment on the Distribution Characteristics of Historical Buildings in the Songshan Region," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-23, November.
    19. Mertzanis, Charilaos & Pavlopoulos, Athanasios & Vetsikas, Apostolos & Reppas, Dimitrios & Hamill, Philip A., 2023. "Religion and the financing of corporate investment around the world," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    20. Bin Shi & Hongtao Liu & Lu Huang & Yang Zhang & Zhangyong Xiang, 2023. "Increasing Vulnerability of Village Heritage: Evidence from 123 Villages in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-29, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:22:p:14951-:d:971610. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.