Dynamics of Territorial Spatial Pattern and Landscape Impact under Different Economic Gradients: A Case Study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) Region, China

Abstract

This study analyzes territorial spatial pattern changes and landscape pattern changes under different economic development gradients in 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region of China. Then it discusses the relationship between territorial area and landscape patterns. The results indicate that: (1) area changes for middle- and low-development regions are characterized by “continuous shrinkage of agricultural space, continuous expansion of urban space, and a decrease followed by an increase of ecological space”; (2) the higher the level of regional economic development, the more severe the spatial change of national territory; (3) the common trend of structural transformation is the obvious flow of agricultural production space into rural living space and urban space—the difference is that the outflow of ecological space in low-development regions is more than the inflow, while the opposite holds true in medium- and high-development regions; and (4) the fragmentation degree of middle- and low-development regions is increasing, while that of high-development regions is decreasing. With the increase in regional economic development, the degree of spread and diversity decreases and increases, respectively. The correlation between territorial spatial pattern and landscape metrics shows distinct regional differences.