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Mapping the Functional Structure of Urban Agglomerations at the Block Level: A New Spatial Classification That Goes beyond Land Use

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  • Bin Ai

    (School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
    Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China)

  • Zhenlin Lai

    (School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China)

  • Shifa Ma

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510090, China)

Abstract

The functional structure of territorial space is an important factor for analyzing the interaction between humans and nature. However, the classification of remote sensing images struggles to distinguish between multiple functions provided by the same land use type. Therefore, we propose a framework to combine multi-source data for the recognition of dominant functions at the block level. Taking the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) as a case study, its block-level ‘production–living–ecology’ functions were interpreted. The whole GBA was first divided into different blocks and its total, average, and proportional functional intensities were then calculated. Each block was labeled as a functional type considering the attributes of human activity and social information. The results show that the combination of land use/cover data, point of interest identification, and open street maps can efficiently separate the multiple and mixed functions of the same land use types. There is a great difference in the dominant functions of the cities in the GBA, and the spatial heterogeneity of their mixed functions is closely related to the development of their land resources and socio-economy. This provides a new perspective for recognizing the spatial structure of territorial space and can give important data for regulating and optimizing landscape patterns during sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Bin Ai & Zhenlin Lai & Shifa Ma, 2024. "Mapping the Functional Structure of Urban Agglomerations at the Block Level: A New Spatial Classification That Goes beyond Land Use," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-19, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:8:p:1148-:d:1443739
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Weilin Wang & Yindi Zhao & Caihong Ma & Simeng Dong, 2025. "Identification and Analysis of Production–Living–Ecological Space Based on Multi-Source Geospatial Data: A Case Study of Xuzhou City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-24, January.

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