IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v12y2025i1d10.1057_s41599-025-05759-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Fractal characteristics of coastal settlement land use patterns in Xiamen City

Author

Listed:
  • Xiaojian Yu

    (Minnan Normal University)

  • Yili Zhang

    (Minnan Normal University)

  • Hanyin Chen

    (Xiamen University)

  • Zhiqing Zhao

    (Harbin Institute of Technology
    Key Laboratory of Cold Region Urban and Rural Human Settlement Environment Science and Technology)

  • Benli Shi

    (Minnan Normal University)

Abstract

With the rapid development of the marine economy, land use in coastal urban areas has exhibited significant spatial complexity that increases with changes in population and economic‒industrial structures. To quantify urban complexity and its relationship with economic and demographic factors, this study analyses the fractal characteristics of coastal settlement patterns in Xiamen, China, and their correlations with GDP and population. The results show that the fractal dimension of settlement land-use patterns follows a nonlinear trend over time. Projections indicate that outside Xiamen Island, the fractal dimension will decline to a critical threshold of 1 by 2028, emphasizing the urgency of land-use conservation. Additionally, a negative correlation is observed between the fractal dimension and both the regional GDP and the resident population on and off Xiamen Island. Correlation analysis suggests that areas outside the island with higher fractal dimensions may have greater potential for GDP growth and population expansion compared to the island itself. This study provides insights into the fractal mechanisms of coastal settlements and supports the optimization of land-use control strategies. By quantifying small-scale and dynamic characteristics of fractal landscapes, this study provides decision-making support for spatial planning and resource allocation in coastal regions and represents a valuable contribution to urban geography.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaojian Yu & Yili Zhang & Hanyin Chen & Zhiqing Zhao & Benli Shi, 2025. "Fractal characteristics of coastal settlement land use patterns in Xiamen City," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05759-y
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05759-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-05759-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-025-05759-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vincent Verbavatz & Marc Barthelemy, 2020. "The growth equation of cities," Nature, Nature, vol. 587(7834), pages 397-401, November.
    2. Michael Batty & Richard Milton, 2021. "A new framework for very large-scale urban modelling," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(15), pages 3071-3094, November.
    3. Zhijun SONG & Linjun YU, 2019. "Multifractal features of spatial variation in construction land in Beijing (1985–2015)," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Chen, Yanguang, 2013. "A set of formulae on fractal dimension relations and its application to urban form," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 150-158.
    5. Agnès Patuano & M. Francisca Lima, 2021. "The fractal dimension of Islamic and Persian four-folding gardens," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, December.
    6. 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.
    7. Fatemeh Jahanmiri & Dawn Cassandra Parker, 2022. "An Overview of Fractal Geometry Applied to Urban Planning," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-23, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Tao Sun & Jie Chen & Jie Guo, 2025. "Multi-Source Data-Driven Identification and Spatial Optimization of Rural Settlements: Evidence from Sangxu, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-23, August.
    2. Akhlaq Husain & Suhas Gumma & Mohammad Sajid & Jaideep Reddy & Mohammad T. Alresheedi, 2024. "A novel fractal interpolation function algorithm for fractal dimension estimation and coastline geometry reconstruction: a case study of the coastline of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 97(4), pages 1-16, April.
    3. Mohammad (Behdad) Jamshidi & Arash Dehghaniyan Serej & Alireza Jamshidi & Omid Moztarzadeh, 2023. "The Meta-Metaverse: Ideation and Future Directions," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-31, July.
    4. Ibrahim Mutambik, 2025. "Foresight for Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery: A Delphi-Based Scenario Study for Smart Cities in 2030," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-30, July.
    5. Clémentine Cottineau & Michael Batty & Itzhak Benenson & Justin Delloye & Erez Hatna & Denise Pumain & Somwrita Sarkar & Cécile Tannier & RÅ«ta UbareviÄ ienÄ—, 2024. "The role of analytical models and their circulation in urban studies and policy," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(12), pages 2370-2398, September.
    6. Dorsa Alipour & Hussein Dia, 2023. "A Systematic Review of the Role of Land Use, Transport, and Energy-Environment Integration in Shaping Sustainable Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-29, April.
    7. repec:osf:socarx:sruq7_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Xiaojian Yu & Zhiqing Zhao, 2021. "Fractal Characteristic Evolution of Coastal Settlement Land Use: A Case of Xiamen, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Haosu Zhao & Bart Julien Dewancker & Feng Hua & Junping He & Weijun Gao, 2020. "Restrictions of Historical Tissues on Urban Growth, Self-Sustaining Agglomeration in Walled Cities of Chinese Origin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-29, July.
    10. Sandro M. Reia & P. Suresh C. Rao & Marc Barthelemy & Satish V. Ukkusuri, 2022. "Spatial structure of city population growth," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Chris Webster, 2024. "Tiebout, Coase and urban scaling," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 73(3), pages 1125-1147, October.
    12. Saeedimoghaddam, Mahmoud & Stepinski, T.F. & Dmowska, Anna, 2020. "Rényi’s spectra of urban form for different modalities of input data," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    13. Muchen Zheng & Wenli Huang & Gang Xu & Xi Li & Limin Jiao, 2023. "Spatial gradients of urban land density and nighttime light intensity in 30 global megacities," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Wanyue Suo & Jing Zhao, 2025. "Exploring the Streetscape Perceptions from the Perspective of Salient Landscape Element Combination: An Interpretable Machine Learning Approach for Optimizing Visual Quality of Streetscapes," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-30, July.
    15. Spooner, Fiona & Abrams, Jesse F. & Morrissey, Karyn & Shaddick, Gavin & Batty, Michael & Milton, Richard & Dennett, Adam & Lomax, Nik & Malleson, Nick & Nelissen, Natalie & Coleman, Alex & Nur, Jamil, 2021. "A dynamic microsimulation model for epidemics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    16. Elsa Arcaute & José J Ramasco, 2022. "Recent advances in urban system science: Models and data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(8), pages 1-16, August.
    17. Rui Zhang & Qingjian Zeng & Yanhang Lv & Huanjie Liu & Lixian Shi & Yukun Zhang, 2025. "A Study on Community Unit Scale Construction in China Under the Orientation of Green Production," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, January.
    18. Stepinski, Tomasz F. & Dmowska, Anna, 2020. "Complexity in patterns of racial segregation," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    19. Fatemeh Jahanmiri & Dawn Cassandra Parker, 2022. "An Overview of Fractal Geometry Applied to Urban Planning," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-23, March.
    20. Saeedimoghaddam, Mahmoud & Stepinski, T.F., 2021. "Multiplicative random cascade models of multifractal urban structures," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 569(C).
    21. Lei, Weiqian & Jiao, Limin & Xu, Zhibang & Zhu, Xinhua, 2024. "Evolution of urban land and population system coupling micro–dynamics and macro-stability: Trends and paths," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).

    More about this item

    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:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05759-y. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/palcomms/ .

    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.