Research on the Spatio-Temporal Evolution and Driving Forces of Green Spaces in the Central Urban Area of Zunyi City

Abstract

Green space, as a medium for carrying out urban functions and guiding urban development, is becoming a scarce resource along with the urbanization process and the intensification of environmental problems. In the face of the spatial mismatch between high demand and low supply, it is of great significance to clarify the evolution mechanism of green space to undertake national spatial planning, protect the natural strategic resources in the urban fringe area, and promote the sustainable development of the “three living spaces.” The study focuses on the Zunyi City Center, selecting the 20 years of rapid development following its establishment as a city as the study period. It explores the dynamic evolution of green space and the main driving forces during different periods using remote-sensing image data. The study shows that from 2003 to 2023, the total scale of green space has an obvious decreasing trend along with the expansion of the urban built-up area. A large amount of arable land is being converted to construction land, resulting in a sudden decrease in arable land area. In the past 10 years, the comprehensive land use dynamics have accelerated. Still, the spatial difference has gradually narrowed, indicating that the overall development intensity of Zunyi City’s central urban area has increased. There is a gradual spread of the trend to the hilly areas. The limiting effect of the mountainous natural environment on the city’s development has gradually diminished under the superposition of external factors, such as economic development, industrial technological upgrading, and policy orientation so the importance of the effective protection and rational utilization of urban green space has become more prominent.