Land use spatial conflicts and complexity:A case study of the urban agglomeration around Hangzhou Bay, China

Land use conflicts are important and a concern for urban managers, especially in a rapid urbanization areas. Managers need to understand land use conflicts better so that they could make optimal decisions on land use allocations and conflict management. However, land use conflicts are complicated. With the rapid urbanization process, the land spatial configuration of contradictory uses may cause spatial conflicts. The urban agglomeration around Hangzhou Bay(UAHB), China, is a typical rapid urbanization area, and also experienced a significant expansion of urban land and dramatic changes to the urban land use spatial configuration through urban growth and their geographic determinants. In this paper, a case study of spatial- temporal variance and complexity of land use conflict was conducted in the UAHB, as to provide theoretical basis and practical support for managing land use conflict.Based on four dimensions(space- time- scale- gradient) and the analysis of land use system complexity as well as vulnerability and dynamics, the comprehensive index of land use spatial conflicts has been conducted by constructing the comprehensive calculation model and using geographic information systems(GIS), remote sensing images(RS) of four years(1990, 2000,1990 and 2013), and spatial statistics and landscape metrics. The results show that:(1) land use conflicts grade presented an order of general conflicts moderate conflict slight conflict high conflict;(2) the spatial pattern of land use conflicts, characterized by clumps, block and banded space aggregation, showed obvious gradient evolution;(3) with the elapse of time, the spatial autocorrelation of land use conflicts have been waning gradually, and have obvious edge effect;(4) the random factors and structural factors are affecting land use conflicts. The paper concludes that(1) land use conflicts showed an evolvement rule, i.e., equilibrium→break the original balance→the spatial autocorrelation→trend in space→self-organizing(fractal);(2) the development of land use conflicts evolved from the multi-core to the single core model, which means the balanced development of the high degree of integration of urban and rural areas and urban agglomerations.