Spatial Identification and Evolutionary Analysis of Production–Living–Ecological Space—Taking Lincang City as an Example

Abstract

Optimizing the “production–living–ecological” space (PLES) is critical for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in ecologically sensitive mountainous border regions. This study investigates the spatial patterns and dynamic evolution of PLES in Lincang City (2010–2020) to reveal the trade-offs between development and conservation. Methodologically, we proposed a coupling-coordination-based grid-level PLES identification framework. This framework integrates the coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) directly into the functional classification process at a 600 m grid scale—a resolution selected to balance the capture of spatial heterogeneity with the maintenance of functional integrity in complex terrains. Spatiotemporal dynamics were further quantified using transition matrices and a dimension-based landscape metric system. The results reveal that (a) ecological space and production–living–ecological space represent the predominant categories in the study area. During the study period, ecological space continued to decrease, while production–living space increased steadily, and other PLES categories showed only marginal variations. (b) Mutual transitions among PLES types primarily occurred among ecological space, production–ecological space, and production–living–ecological space. These transitions intensified markedly between 2015 and 2020 compared to the 2010–2015 period. (c) From 2010 to 2020, the landscape in Lincang evolved towards lower ecological risk yet higher fragmentation. High fragmentation values, often associated with grassland, cropland, and forested areas, were evenly distributed across northeastern and northwestern regions. Likewise, high landscape dominance and isolation appeared in these regions as well as in the southeast. Conversely, landscape disturbance remained relatively uniform throughout the city, with lower values detected in forested land.