Journal of Geographical Sciences >
Mechanism of interaction between urbanization and resource environment in Central Asia
Zhang Xinhuan (1978–), Associate Professor, specialized in sustainable development in arid regions.E-mail: zhangxh@ms.xjb.ac.cn |
Received date: 2020-03-22
Accepted date: 2020-08-03
Online published: 2021-01-25
Supported by
Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA20030101)
Copyright
Central Asia features an arid and semi-arid climate, and the region is undergoing urbanization in the context of a fragile eco-environment. The influence of specific historical events in this region also persists on this ongoing urbanization. This study examines the mechanism of interaction between urbanization and the resource environment in Central Asia. The following results were obtained. (1) In different periods—Russian colonization, the era of the Soviet Union, and Central Asian countries as independent—the interactions between urbanization and the resource environment varied. (2) Variations in land use within 50 km of major cities of the region reflect both the trend of urbanization and that of variations in the eco-environment. In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where urbanization has been slow, the supportive effect of the eco-environment for urbanization was clear. In Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, where freshwater resources are scarce, a close relationship was noted between urbanization and variations in the eco-environment. In Kazakhstan, fast urbanization has had a significant impact on the availability of water, grassland, and woodland in the relevant areas. (3) The efficiency of utilization of land and water resources is generally low. The compactness of the urban land of 47 major cities in Central Asia decreased from 0.44 in 1990 to 0.31 in 2015. Of them, 31 cities decreased in compactness, including all national capitals. Regardless of the level of urbanization, water consumption was high across the region. (4) The mechanisms of interaction between urbanization and the resource environment in Central Asia in the three stages were formulated to illustrate their specific temporal conductivity and spatial relevance.
Key words: urbanization; resource environment; relation; Central Asia
ZHANG Xinhuan , XU Wenqiang , XIANG Xinyi , ZHANG Zhiping , CUI Mingjie . Mechanism of interaction between urbanization and resource environment in Central Asia[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2020 , 30(11) : 1723 -1738 . DOI: 10.1007/s11442-020-1809-5
Table 1 Overview of the economic and social data for Central Asia (2017) |
Country | Population (103) | Population density (persons/km2) | Urbanization rate (%) | GDP (106 USD) | GDP per capita (USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kazakhstan | 18037.78 | 6.68 | 57.34 | 162887 | 9030 |
Uzbekistan | 32387.20 | 76.13 | 50.55 | 49677 | 1534 |
Tajikistan | 8921.34 | 64.28 | 26.98 | 7146 | 801 |
Turkmenistan | 5758.08 | 12.25 | 51.15 | 37926 | 6587 |
Kyrgyzstan | 6198.20 | 32.32 | 36.14 | 7565 | 1220 |
Data source: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/ |
Figure 1 Frame of interactions between urbanization and the resource environment based on process- effect-mechanism |
Figure 2 Trends of population urbanization in Central Asia (1960-2017) |
Figure 3 Land cover structure in the neighborhood of major cities in Central Asia (2015)Note: In 2019, the Kazakhstan capital Astana was renamed Nursultan. |
Figure 4 Land use variation index in 100-km circle of major cities in Central Asia (1990‒2015) |
Figure 5 Variations in urban land compactness in 47 major cities |
Figure 6 Relationship between urbanization rate and natural water intake in every state in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan |
Figure 7 Relationship between urbanization rate and structure of water consumption in every state in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan |
Figure 8 The spatial evolution of the relationship between urbanization and the resource environment in different periods in Central Asia (sketch map) |
Figure 9 Factors influencing the relationship between urbanization and the resource environment in different periods in Central Asia |
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