Morphological and Structural Evolution of Peri-Urban Landscapes in Zhengzhou: Implications for Sustainable Peri-Urban Development

Abstract

The popularity of peri-urban landscapes (PULs) around the world has made them an important part of shaping urban landscapes and promoting sustainable urban development. This study aims to propose sustainable planning guidelines for PULs by analyzing the quantitative evolution of the type, morphology and structure of PULs in Zhengzhou. The methods employed in this study include the Land Cross Transfer Matrix, Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis, and Landscape Metrics. The results show that agricultural landscapes and artificial landscapes dominate in PULs, and there is an obvious trend of transformation from agricultural PULs to artificial PULs. PULs presents the characteristics mainly in the form of large patches of cores, belt-shaped corridors, and blocks. In terms of structure, PULs show a trenddominated by the fragmentation of natural and semi-natural landscapes. The patch shapes of PULs become more complex and their heterogeneity increases. Based on the evolution trends of PULs, guidelines for planning adapted to local conditions were proposed. This study not only provides a methodological framework for the quantitative evolution analysis of PULs, but also offers insights for the optimization and management of PULs in other regions.