Fractal Characterization of Settlement Patterns and Their Spatial Determinants in Coastal Zones
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Study Area
3. Materials and Method
3.1. Fractal Dimension
3.1.1. Fractal and Fractal Dimension
3.1.2. Box-Counting Dimension
3.2. GIS Analysis
3.3. Spatial Regression
4. Results and discussion
4.1. Fractal Dimension of Human Settlement Patterns
Study Area | N | DB | R2 | Crossover Point (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wenzhou | 1330 | 1.5205 | 0.9998 | 995.7264 |
Yongjia | 2152 | 1.5452 | 0.9975 | 1081.909 |
Pingyang | 2096 | 1.5426 | 0.9964 | 665.9738 |
Cangnan | 2709 | 1.5195 | 0.9945 | 535.1751 |
Wencheng | 1925 | 1.5277 | 0.9936 | 841.997 |
Taishun | 2433 | 1.6048 | 0.9986 | 950.6467 |
Ruian | 1805 | 1.5735 | 0.9991 | 940.769 |
Leqing | 1917 | 1.5408 | 0.9961 | 924.269 |
Taizhou | 3568 | 1.5808 | 0.9982 | 845.5723 |
Yuhuan | 905 | 1.3727 | 0.9938 | 526.7021 |
Sanmen | 1050 | 1.4837 | 0.9984 | 995.5408 |
Tiantai | 2217 | 1.5363 | 0.9958 | 897.9551 |
Xianju | 2243 | 1.6177 | 0.9989 | 1020.453 |
Wenling | 2689 | 1.5379 | 0.9957 | 433.6554 |
Linhai | 3371 | 1.5617 | 0.9968 | 925.4678 |
4.2. Spatial Determinants of Settlement Fractal Dimensions
Y | X | Model | R2 | Sig |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fractal dimension | elevation_mean | NSc | ||
elevation_std | Y b = 0.0007 × X + 1.42 (LAMBDA = −0.33) | 0.52 | ** | |
slope_mean | NSc | |||
slope_std | Y a = −0.95 × WY + 0.055 × X + 2.74 | 0.63 | ** | |
road_mean | NSc | |||
road_std | NSc | |||
river_mean | NSc | |||
river_std | NSc | |||
sand% | NSc | |||
loam% | Y a = 0.07 × WY + 0.22 × X + 1.44 | 0.56 | ** | |
clay-loam% | NSc | |||
clay% | NSc |
4.3. Management Implications
5. Conclusions
- Settlement patterns in the Wen-Tai region presented significant fractal characteristics and exhibited obvious spatial variations. The pattern of settlements, rather than the number of settlements, was more influential factor for the fractal dimension.
- Elevation, slope, and percentage of loam soils were the primary spatial determinants of settlement fractal dimensions. Especially, cities with greater relief amplitude and higher slope variability always exhibit more complex form, and cities with a higher percentage of loam soils have more complicated patterns.
- Proximity to road or river were insignificant indicators for the morphological characteristics of settlement patterns.
- Settlement fractal dimensions not only depended on slope and soil texture, but also on settlement fractal dimensions of neighboring cities.
Acknowledgements
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Zhang, Z.; Yang, X.; Xiao, R. Fractal Characterization of Settlement Patterns and Their Spatial Determinants in Coastal Zones. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2015, 4, 2728-2741. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4042728
Zhang Z, Yang X, Xiao R. Fractal Characterization of Settlement Patterns and Their Spatial Determinants in Coastal Zones. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2015; 4(4):2728-2741. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4042728
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhang, Zhonghao, Xiaoqin Yang, and Rui Xiao. 2015. "Fractal Characterization of Settlement Patterns and Their Spatial Determinants in Coastal Zones" ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 4, no. 4: 2728-2741. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4042728