Spatio-Temporal Evolution and Correlation Analysis of Urban Land Use Patterns and Air Quality in Pearl River Delta, China

Abstract

Urban air quality, which is related to the health of local residents of the Pearl River Delta Region, China, (PRD) has been a hot topic among the masses and academic circles. In addition to economic growth, China’s rapidly increasing urbanization rate has also brought great pressure on urban air quality, in the Region, where due to its huge economic size and population, urban air quality has become the focus of local residents. This study first analyzed the spatio-temporal trends and correlation of land use and PM2.5 average annual concentration, which represents air quality in the PRD from 2000 to 2018, and according to Moran index, PM2.5 concentration in this area has spatial correlation in the study time. Secondly, the spatial error model of the PRD was constructed by using spatial effect, spatial modeling theory and spatial model estimation. The spatial-temporal evolution and influencing factors of PM2.5 concentration were discussed in fixed overall effect. The results showed that the area of cultivated land in the PRD decreased and the area of artificial surface increased year by year, while the PM2.5 concentration increased first and then decreased. In addition, the area of cultivated land and forestland were negatively correlated, while the area of grassland and water body were positively correlated with PM2.5 concentration. The conclusion of this study has a certain theoretical reference for urban land use planning and air quality assurance.