Page 67 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Non-equilibrium territorial space use in PRD

of the positive mutual influence between population Hebei urban clusters, it plays a key role in driving China’s
growth and industry expansion (Liu & Tian, 2018). Land- economic development.
ecology studies examining the coupling coordination Recent studies on the Pearl River Delta urban
between urban development and resource-environmental agglomeration have identified a high intensity of land
carrying capacity have found a significant increase in land exploitation and a strong demand for construction land,
development intensity within the urban agglomeration with notable regional disparities in exploitation levels.
(Hu et al., 2021). However, more than half of the cities in Over the past two decades, the area of construction land
the region are on the brink of ecological-economic system in the Pearl River Delta has increased nearly fourfold. For
imbalance, with a negative correlation observed between instance, by 2013, Shenzhen’s land exploitation intensity had
land exploitation intensity and ecosystem service value approached 50%. Simultaneously, issues such as resource
(Chen & Wang, 2021; Wu et al., 2020). scarcity, environmental pollution, and ecological damage
Overall, given the rapid pace of urbanization and the have emerged, highlighting the need to enhance ecological
limited ecological carrying capacity, current research on resource management. In 2016, Guangdong province
the benefits of territorial space development predominantly issued the Implementing Opinions on Accelerating the
focuses on the binary input-output perspective. This Construction of Ecological Civilization, which emphasized
approach lacks an in-depth analysis of the coupling building an environmentally friendly society through
relationship between land economy and ecology. There is a green, low-carbon development and establishing an
pressing need for an objective evaluation of the economic ecological civilization system. The Pearl River Delta
benefits of territorial development in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration is expected to lead in building green,
urban agglomeration, as well as a more comprehensive ecological city clusters, with a focus on scientific spatial
assessment of the balance between land economy and planning and ecological restoration based on resource and
environmental sustainability. environmental carrying capacity. Furthermore, the Key
This article focuses on the nine cities of the Pearl River Task of New Urbanization in 2019 proposed using these
Delta urban agglomeration. It constructs a comprehensive principles to promote the healthy development of urban
index system at the urban scale, encompassing the territorial agglomerations, advocating for a spatial urbanization pattern
development scale, urban economic benefits, and land that coordinates the development of large, medium, and
supply capacity. Employing a coupling coordination degree small cities and towns. This article takes the Pearl River Delta
model and a land development imbalance index model, the urban agglomeration as the case study, exploring the balance
study explores the relationships between territorial space between economic efficiency and land development. The
development, urban economic benefits, and land supply insights gained are of practical significance for guiding future
capacity. It also evaluates the economic efficiency of land urban agglomeration development strategies in China.
use and the state of ecological balance. The findings provide 3. Method and data
a scientific basis for planning the Pearl River Delta urban
agglomeration, promoting ecological urban development, 3.1. Evaluation index system
and ensuring the rational utilization of land resources. This study integrates findings from previous research,

2. Study area emphasizing the need for a systematic, scientific, and
operable index system. Table 1 presents the evaluation
The Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration is located index system used to assess the economic benefits and
in the southern part of Guangdong province, China. It balance of land development. This system is structured
is one of the most market-oriented and dynamic urban around three major aspects: territorial space development,
agglomerations in the country, encompassing nine cities: urban economic benefits, and land supply capacity.
Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, The scale of territorial space development is primarily
Zhaoqing, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, and Huizhou. The total measured by indicators such as land development breadth,
area spans approximately 54,800 sqkm. Its proximity to population capacity index, and environmental pressure
Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of index. Urban economic benefits are assessed through the
China has bolstered its prominent role in China’s reform regional average gross domestic product (GDP). Land
and opening-up initiatives. Over the years, the Pearl River supply capacity is represented by the carrying capacities of
Delta has evolved through phases of rural industrialization, land and water resources, where “arable land per capita”
urban industrialization, and metropolitan planning, indicates the capacity of land resources, and “water
establishing itself as an important growth pole in China. resources available per unit of land area” indicates water
Alongside the Yangzi River Delta and Beijing–Tianjin– resource capacity.

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3720