Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime Lights
Nighttime light images are valuable indicators of regional economic development, and nighttime light data are now widely used in town monitoring and evaluation studies. Using the nighttime light data acquired through Luojia1-01 and the geographic information system spatial analysis method, this stud...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/1/85 |
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| author | Yuqing Zhang Kun Shang Zhipeng Shi Hui Wang Xueming Li |
| author_facet | Yuqing Zhang Kun Shang Zhipeng Shi Hui Wang Xueming Li |
| author_sort | Yuqing Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nighttime light images are valuable indicators of regional economic development, and nighttime light data are now widely used in town monitoring and evaluation studies. Using the nighttime light data acquired through Luojia1-01 and the geographic information system spatial analysis method, this study analyzed the spatial vitality pattern of 402 characteristic towns in six geographic divisions of China. The average <i>DN</i> (Digital Number) value of Guzhen, having the highest vitality level, was 0.05665221, whereas that of Xin’an, having the lowest vitality level, was 0.00000186. A total of 89.5% of towns have a low level of vitality. The regional differences were significant; high vitality towns are concentrated in economically developed coastal areas, mainly in two large regions of east China and south central. The average lighting densities of the towns in east China and south central were 0.004838 and 0.003190, respectively. The lighting density of the towns in west central was low, and the vitality intensity was generally low. A spatially significant positive correlation of small-town vitality was observed, and “high–high” agglomeration was primarily distributed in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Fujian coastal areas in east and south China. The towns with high vitality intensity had similarities in their geographical location, convenient transportation conditions, and profound historical heritage or cultural accumulation along with many industrial enterprises. This research empirically demonstrates the feasibility of using the 130-m-high resolution of the nighttime lighting data of Luojia1-01 to evaluate the vitality at the town scale, and the vitality evaluation focuses on the spatial attributes of the town, which is meaningful to guide the development of the town in each region given the vast area of China and the large differences in the development of different regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:08:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-40787729c56d40fa9ad07bb625d0f79f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:08:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-40787729c56d40fa9ad07bb625d0f79f2023-11-23T14:22:22ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2022-01-011118510.3390/land11010085Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime LightsYuqing Zhang0Kun Shang1Zhipeng Shi2Hui Wang3Xueming Li4School of Geography, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, ChinaSchool of Geography, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, ChinaSchool of Geography, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, ChinaSchool of Geography, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, ChinaSchool of Geography, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, ChinaNighttime light images are valuable indicators of regional economic development, and nighttime light data are now widely used in town monitoring and evaluation studies. Using the nighttime light data acquired through Luojia1-01 and the geographic information system spatial analysis method, this study analyzed the spatial vitality pattern of 402 characteristic towns in six geographic divisions of China. The average <i>DN</i> (Digital Number) value of Guzhen, having the highest vitality level, was 0.05665221, whereas that of Xin’an, having the lowest vitality level, was 0.00000186. A total of 89.5% of towns have a low level of vitality. The regional differences were significant; high vitality towns are concentrated in economically developed coastal areas, mainly in two large regions of east China and south central. The average lighting densities of the towns in east China and south central were 0.004838 and 0.003190, respectively. The lighting density of the towns in west central was low, and the vitality intensity was generally low. A spatially significant positive correlation of small-town vitality was observed, and “high–high” agglomeration was primarily distributed in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Fujian coastal areas in east and south China. The towns with high vitality intensity had similarities in their geographical location, convenient transportation conditions, and profound historical heritage or cultural accumulation along with many industrial enterprises. This research empirically demonstrates the feasibility of using the 130-m-high resolution of the nighttime lighting data of Luojia1-01 to evaluate the vitality at the town scale, and the vitality evaluation focuses on the spatial attributes of the town, which is meaningful to guide the development of the town in each region given the vast area of China and the large differences in the development of different regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/1/85vitalityChinese characteristic townLuojia1-01 nighttime light dataremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Yuqing Zhang Kun Shang Zhipeng Shi Hui Wang Xueming Li Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime Lights Land vitality Chinese characteristic town Luojia1-01 nighttime light data remote sensing |
| title | Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime Lights |
| title_full | Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime Lights |
| title_fullStr | Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime Lights |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime Lights |
| title_short | Spatial Pattern of the Vitality of Chinese Characteristic Towns: A Perspective from Nighttime Lights |
| title_sort | spatial pattern of the vitality of chinese characteristic towns a perspective from nighttime lights |
| topic | vitality Chinese characteristic town Luojia1-01 nighttime light data remote sensing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/1/85 |
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