Urban-rural spatial transformation process and influences from the perspective of land use: A case study of the Pearl River Delta Region

The process of rapid urbanization results in the flow and agglomeration of regional production factors, which leads to the transformation of the urban-rural territorial system and changes the spatial patterns of urban and rural areas. On the basis of the dynamic changes about urban and rural construction land, this research focuses on the processes, influencing factors, and driving mechanisms motivating the urban-rural transformation in the Pearl River Delta Region. Vector data of urban construction land use in 1990, 2000, 2005, and 2017, natural elements, socioeconomic data, geostatistical analysis method, and logistic regression model were all utilized to identify the characteristics of the processes and influencing factors. The driving mechanisms of spatial evolution in urban-rural transformation from regional growth, market development, and government controls were also explained according to analytics. The results reveal the following: (1) The spatial agglomeration of urban-rural transformation was highlighted, and a stable “A” regional spatial structure was formed around Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, and Dongguan. (2) The urban-rural transformation changed from a high-intensity expansion mode in the core region to a low-intensity expansion mode in the core periphery region. (3) The urban-rural transformation in the east coast of the Pearl River Delta was better than that in the west coast, and the transformation pace of the Pearl River estuary was faster than that of the periphery region. (4) The urban-rural transformation was affected by natural conditions and socioeconomic development, of which traffic location was the most significant factor. (5) The urban-rural spatial variation originated from the combined effects of regional growth forces, market driving forces, and government control forces. •We show urban-rural transformations of the Pearl River Delta Region from 1990 to 2017.•Quantitative identification and qualitative analysis show spatial transformations.•Transformation was influenced by external development conditions and internal resources.•Urban-rural development transformation changed from rapid to slow growth.•Spatial configuration of transformation was intense in Guangfo and Shenzhen.