Study on the Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics of the “Production–Living–Ecology” Space in the Yellow River Basin and Its Driving Factors

In the 21st century, China’s economic development has made great achievements, and at the same time, it has brought about the problem of distribution of production–living–ecology space (PLES). As an important region of population activity and economic development in China, the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is rich in resources but fragile in ecology, and its ecological protection and high-quality development was elevated to a national strategy in 2021. It is crucial to examine the spatiotemporal evolution traits and driving forces of this PLES. Based on the classification system of PLES, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving factors of the PLES of 73 prefecture-level cities in the YRB from 2005 to 2020 were analyzed by using the land use transfer matrix, land use dynamic degree, and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model. The results show that the conversion rate of PLES in the YRB is gradually slowing down, and the frequency of spatial interconversion is in the form of “high-bottom-high”. The conversion types are mainly production space (PS) to living space (LS), PS to ecology space (ES) and ES to PS, and the comprehensive dynamic degree decreases significantly and then shows a slight upwards trend. The impact of each influencing factor on the evolution of PLES varies, and there are different heterogeneous characteristics in time and space. Based on the above analysis, this paper proposes policy recommendations for rational planning of the PLES in the YRB in four dimensions: government governance, social economy, population restriction and industrial structure.