Identifying the scope of the Lhasa Metropolitan Area based on a spatial field energy model

doi:10.1007/s11442-021-1845-9

Abstract

Abstract:

The cultivation and development of modern metropolitan areas with the aim of establishing new regional centers with competitive edge is a key objective for the new-type urbanization directions in China. The construction of the Lhasa Metropolitan Area is of great significance for the promotion of the South Asia Channel, the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, the Himalaya Economic Cooperation Zone, and for rapid development and long-term stability of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This paper examines the scope of the Lhasa Metropolitan Area including Chengguanqu (Chengguan District), Doilungdeqen, Dagze, Lhunzhub, Damxung, Nyemo, Quxu, Maizhokunggar, Samzhubze Qu (Samzhubze District), Gyangze, Rinbung, Bainang, Nedong, Gonggar, and Zhanang using a spatial field energy model that combines nodality and accessibility indices and considers multiple indicators including traffic flow between cities. By combining factors such as the natural background, population agglomeration, the social economy, infrastructure construction, and the urban spatial structure of the Lhasa Metropolitan Area, it is proposed to build a bow-and-arrow-shaped urban system with ‘one core, two centers, one axis, and two wings’ along the valleys and the transportation trunk lines of the area. The study advocates the construction of a pure land industrial system comprising a green cultural and tourism-oriented plateau.

Key words: Lhasa Metropolitan Area, spatial scope, spatial field energy model, development path

WANG Zhenbo, LI Jiaxin, LIANG Longwu. Identifying the scope of the Lhasa Metropolitan Area based on a spatial field energy model[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2021, 31(2): 245-264.

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Target layer	Primary indicator	Secondary indicators	Unit
Urban nodality index	Economic development status	GDP (X₁) Output value of primary and secondary industries (X₂) Total investment of fixed assets (X₃) Public revenue (X₄)	10,000 yuan 10,000 yuan 10,000 yuan 10,000 yuan
	Social development status	Number of employees in secondary and tertiary industries (X₅) Per capita GDP (X₆) Surplus of residents’ deposits (X₇) Number of mobile phone users (X₈) Number of beds in medical and health institutions (X₉) Number of students in secondary vocational education (X₁₀)	10,000 people Yuan 10,000 yuan Household People People
	Resource utilization status	Area of agricultural facilities (X₁₁) Total water supply (X₁₂) Penetration rate for gas supply (X₁₃)	10,000 ha 10,000 t %
	Ecological environment status	Annual good air quality rate (X₁₄) Discharge achievement rate for industrial wastewater (X₁₅)	% %

City	Economic development	Social development	Resource utilization	Ecological environment	Composite index
Lhasa	100.00	100.00	94.15	89.85	96.00
Qamdo	56.60	56.68	52.32	100.00	66.40
Shannan	53.76	53.08	62.08	64.79	58.43
Xigaze	60.61	65.52	68.20	63.22	64.39
Nagqu	47.36	50.73	54.22	40.00	48.08
Ngari	40.00	43.81	40.00	59.13	45.74
Nyingchi	51.41	54.58	60.36	71.10	59.36

City	Hourly circles
City	0-0.5	0.5-1	1-3	3-5	5-10	0-3
Lhasa	835.79	2,471.00	39,562.14	81,896.36	323,544.99	42,868.93
Qamdo	703.20	2,369.32	29,778.12	53,298.18	171,777.02	32,850.64
Shannan	622.77	2,686.78	26,545.55	67,624.68	272,086.19	29,855.10
Xigaze	1049.03	3,712.42	46,661.68	93,688.61	309,438.58	51,423.13
Nagqu	495.80	1,682.40	23,001.01	49,227.15	289,890.96	25,179.21
Ngari	585.85	1,809.42	22,352.47	43,770.81	162,549.89	24,747.74
Nyingchi	510.70	1,567.04	22,184.77	52,649.61	303,998.07	24,262.51

City	Lhasa	Qamdo	Shannan	Xigaze	Nagqu	Ngari	Nyingchi
Mean	1.56	0.62	0.76	0.69	0.38	0.27	0.60
Standard deviation	2.50	0.81	0.62	0.51	0.25	0.15	0.51