Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China

Accurately identifying the boundary of urban clusters is a crucial aspect of studying the development of urban agglomerations. This process is essential for comprehending and optimizing smart and compact urban development. Existing studies often rely on a single category of data, which can result in...

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Main Authors: Gaoyuan Wang, Yixuan Wang, Yangli Li, Tian Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1058
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author Gaoyuan Wang
Yixuan Wang
Yangli Li
Tian Chen
author_facet Gaoyuan Wang
Yixuan Wang
Yangli Li
Tian Chen
author_sort Gaoyuan Wang
collection DOAJ
description Accurately identifying the boundary of urban clusters is a crucial aspect of studying the development of urban agglomerations. This process is essential for comprehending and optimizing smart and compact urban development. Existing studies often rely on a single category of data, which can result in coarse identification boundaries, insufficient detail accuracy, and slight discrepancies between the coverage and the actual conditions. To accurately identify the extent of urban clusters, this study proposes and compares the results of three methods for identifying dense urban areas of three major agglomerations in China: Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The study then integrates the results of these methods to obtain a more effective identification approach. The social economic method involved extracting a density threshold based on the fused nuclear density of socio-economic vitality data, including population, GDP, and POI, while the remote sensing method evaluated feature indices based on remote sensing images, including the density index, continuity index, gradient index, and development index. The traffic network method utilizes land transportation networks and travelling speeds to identify the minimum cost path and delineate the boundary by 20–30 min isochronous circles. The results obtained from the three methods were combined, and hotspots were identified using GIS overlay analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis. This method integrates the multi-layered information from the previous three methods, which more comprehensively reflects the characteristics and morphology of urban clusters. Finally, the accuracy of each identification result is verified and compared. The results reveal that the average overall accuracy (OA) of the three areas delineated by the first three methods are 57.49%, 30.88%, and 33.74%, respectively. Furthermore, the average Kappa coefficients of these areas are 0.4795, 0.2609, and 0.2770, respectively. After performing data fusion, the resulting average overall accuracy (OA) was 85.34%, and the average Kappa coefficient was 0.7394. These findings suggest that the data fusion method can effectively delineate dense urban areas with greater accuracy than the previous three methods. Additionally, this method can accurately reflect the scope of urban clusters by depicting their overall boundary contour and the distribution of internal details in a more scientific manner. The study proposes a feasible method and path for the identification of urban clusters. It can serve as a starting point for formulating spatial planning policies for urban agglomerations, aiding in precise and scientific control of boundary growth. This can promote the rational allocation of resources and optimization of spatial structure by providing a reliable reference for the optimization of urban agglomeration space and the development of regional spatial policies.
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spelling doaj.art-809e3b1fe01f481e8d95f423048a52e22023-11-18T02:07:22ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2023-05-01125105810.3390/land12051058Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in ChinaGaoyuan Wang0Yixuan Wang1Yangli Li2Tian Chen3School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaAccurately identifying the boundary of urban clusters is a crucial aspect of studying the development of urban agglomerations. This process is essential for comprehending and optimizing smart and compact urban development. Existing studies often rely on a single category of data, which can result in coarse identification boundaries, insufficient detail accuracy, and slight discrepancies between the coverage and the actual conditions. To accurately identify the extent of urban clusters, this study proposes and compares the results of three methods for identifying dense urban areas of three major agglomerations in China: Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The study then integrates the results of these methods to obtain a more effective identification approach. The social economic method involved extracting a density threshold based on the fused nuclear density of socio-economic vitality data, including population, GDP, and POI, while the remote sensing method evaluated feature indices based on remote sensing images, including the density index, continuity index, gradient index, and development index. The traffic network method utilizes land transportation networks and travelling speeds to identify the minimum cost path and delineate the boundary by 20–30 min isochronous circles. The results obtained from the three methods were combined, and hotspots were identified using GIS overlay analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis. This method integrates the multi-layered information from the previous three methods, which more comprehensively reflects the characteristics and morphology of urban clusters. Finally, the accuracy of each identification result is verified and compared. The results reveal that the average overall accuracy (OA) of the three areas delineated by the first three methods are 57.49%, 30.88%, and 33.74%, respectively. Furthermore, the average Kappa coefficients of these areas are 0.4795, 0.2609, and 0.2770, respectively. After performing data fusion, the resulting average overall accuracy (OA) was 85.34%, and the average Kappa coefficient was 0.7394. These findings suggest that the data fusion method can effectively delineate dense urban areas with greater accuracy than the previous three methods. Additionally, this method can accurately reflect the scope of urban clusters by depicting their overall boundary contour and the distribution of internal details in a more scientific manner. The study proposes a feasible method and path for the identification of urban clusters. It can serve as a starting point for formulating spatial planning policies for urban agglomerations, aiding in precise and scientific control of boundary growth. This can promote the rational allocation of resources and optimization of spatial structure by providing a reliable reference for the optimization of urban agglomeration space and the development of regional spatial policies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1058urban clusterboundary identificationmultisource datathree major urban agglomerations in China
spellingShingle Gaoyuan Wang
Yixuan Wang
Yangli Li
Tian Chen
Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China
Land
urban cluster
boundary identification
multisource data
three major urban agglomerations in China
title Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China
title_full Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China
title_fullStr Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China
title_full_unstemmed Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China
title_short Identification of Urban Clusters Based on Multisource Data—An Example of Three Major Urban Agglomerations in China
title_sort identification of urban clusters based on multisource data an example of three major urban agglomerations in china
topic urban cluster
boundary identification
multisource data
three major urban agglomerations in China
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1058
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AT yanglili identificationofurbanclustersbasedonmultisourcedataanexampleofthreemajorurbanagglomerationsinchina
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