Study On The Sustainable Land Use In The Process Of Urbanization

Based on the concept of sustainable development of land resources and the view of urban spatial structure, this paper studies the sustainable land use of Anyang, in conjunction with several disciplines including urban planning, ecology, land, etc. Taking Anyang as an example, the paper focuses on the intensive utilization of land in Anyang and eco-footprint analysis, proposing suggestions on means of use and protection for the sustainable use of land in the urbanizing Anyang. In details, this paper studies the following aspects:(1) Comprehensive analysis of mechanism and connections between sustainable urban land utilization, urbanization and urban economic development; analysis of urban spatial structure, urban eco-environment, intensive use of urban land, government intervention as well as related theories; comparison of pattern of metropolis development between China and foreign countries in the process of urbanization. Detailed analysis of prominent conflicts in the sustainable use of urban land in the process urbanization, i.e., rural-urban dual structure, scarcity of livable land, extensive land utilization, low function of urban eco-environment.(2) From the perspective of sustainable urban land utilization, through application of urban planning theories and analysis of urban spatial structure, the paper proposes a concept of'compact eco-city', which determines urban structure by analyzing the urban traffic patterns; determines means of land use by analyzing urban structure; and guarantees the purpose of sustainable urban land utilization by analyzing means of land use.(3) Results showed low level of urban land intensive utilization in urban area of Anyang, which takes the value of 168.24m2 per capita (above the upper bound of China). While among the vast majority of six of the counties / county-level cities, it shows extensive land use of village construction area (per capita) which is also higher than national standards (150 m2 per capita). It shows relatively high level of intensive use (scored 95.3 PTS) for the relatively developed urban area of Anyang; medial level (46.6 PTS) for Linzhou (county-level city); and lowest level for the remaining four counties (overall evaluation scores less than 40 PTS). Therefore, according to overall rating of urban area, it is suggested Anyang has great potential of intensive urban land utilization. (4) Eco-footprint study of Anyang shows that the eco-footprint per capita has increased from 0.9749 ha per capita in 1995 to 1.8037 ha per capita in 2004. As for the structure of ecological carrying capacity per capita, of all the eco-footprints, arable land has been accounted for the largest proportion, followed by fossil fuels, pasture, water, construction sites and woodlands. For 1995-2005, Anyang has been in a condition of ecological deficit and also a trend of deteriorating from 0.4944 ha per capita in 1995 to the 0.4664 ha per capita in 2005. Among the components of the ecological deficit, farmland, pasture and water are all in a state of ecological deficit, with a trend of increasing, while construction sites and woodland in a state of ecology surplus. During the period of 1995-2005 the eco-footprint of Anyang has dropped by 0.8487 (in ten thousand Yuan GDP) which proves an increase in the efficiency of resource utilization. Calculation of Diversity Index of the ecosystem showed little change of degree of diversity of eco-footprint during 1995-2005. Considering the increasing level of regional development of Anyang under the current condition of serious ecological deficit, it is suggested eco-footprint be reduced and diversity of eco-footprint be increased in order to enhance the development of regional ecological and economic system, and also the sustainable use of urban land.(5) The paper gives a detailed analysis of the operating system of urban land, including the institutions, planning, key elements such as land prices, discussing their roles to urban land utilization and existing problems. The paper also suggests several measures including reform of government intervention mechanism, enhancement of the operation mechanism of land market, enhancement of land protection system of sustainable urban land utilization.(6) Through the analysis of main factors of sustainable land utilization in the process of urbanization, the paper clarifies the "SAR economy" in China as the dominant impediment to the sustainable use of urban land and regards "single city" oriented urbanization as the main obstruct to healthy urbanization in China. The paper suggests the pattern of urban agglomeration in the joint areas of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and He'nan Provinces to create general pattern of integration for regional economic and social development. Finally the paper gives advice on laws and other policy recommendations to guarantee sustainable urban land utilization in Anyang through the market and government regulation.