The spatial organization law of territorial function-structure is the basic theoretical problem of human-earth system coupling research, as well as the basic theory of carrying out territorial spatial planning and shaping sustainable geographical pattern. Starting from the discussion of geography on the repetition, prediction, regulation and optimization of geographical processes, this paper explains that the spatial governance system is an important way for modern geography to regulate and optimize the sustainable geographical processes and patterns. The spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of the spatial structure of territorial function composed of ecological-life-production (also known as three living spaces) are adopted to express the spatial order law of territorial function - structure, and explain some spatial organization goals, e.g., the coordination between territorial function and natural geographical environment, the minimization of various functions and conflicts between different units in the same region, the effective transmission of territorial functions in different spatial scales, and the maximization of comprehensive benefits in a long time scale. On the one hand, from the perspective of sustainability, the concept of four attributes of natural elements -- resources, environment, ecology and disasters -- is proposed. Through the integration of the four attributes, the natural carrying capacity is constructed, and the function of the original value, remaining value and potential value of carrying capacity in spatial planning is analyzed, so as to form the basic method of analyzing spatial organization from bottom to top. On the other hand, starting from new spatial equilibrium, the basic method of top-down spatial organization analysis is formed based on the territorial functional suitability of carrying capacity, integrated position and spatial structure parameters. Furthermore, the basic and strategic values of the major function zoning formed by the two methods for spatial organization and planning are discussed, and a new idea of separation and interrelation of the zoning, strategy, system with planning of utilization is proposed. With the implementation of the strategy of major function zoning as the main line, the spatial scale-down conduction of major functions as the core scientific problem, and the key constraint parameters as the control indicators of spatial structure, this paper discusses the database and territorial function pedigree, functional and scale-dependent carrying capacity evaluation method and model, and the construction framework of "Three Zones and Three Lines" (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary), and demonstrates the way to implement the strategy of major function zoning in spatial planning. Finally, the paper puts forward some suggestions that geography should strengthen the construction of scientific and technological support system, e.g., the basic theory, method and technology of large and medium spatial scale (regional) territorial spatial planning.
"Standardizing the land use classification, integrating land use and urban land use classification systematically, and establishing the land use classification for spatial planning" is an important task for promoting spatial planning and unifying the basis of planning in China for the new era. This paper firstly studied the evolution of land use classification system at home and abroad, examined the problems in the current land use classification systems in China, and proposed a systematic integration of land use classification system scheme which could support the spatial planning and also meet the demand of different industrial sectors by inheriting the reasonable elements of the current land use classification systems and integrating land use classification systems in different sectors. In the past 90 years, the evolution process of land use classification systems at home and abroad can be roughly divided into three periods by taking 1960 and 1985 as the boundaries. Before 1960, these systems were usually conducted by scholars, the land categories were simple and only suitable for the on-site inspection in small-scale regional studies. Between 1960 and 1985, they were dominated by the government, there were more land categories organized hierarchically, and the data were collected by aerial remote sensing and plot investigation methods. From 1985 till now, the classifications of subjects show a trend of diversification, and there are different levels of complexity in classification levels and types formulated by the governments, international organizations and scholars in different fields. Besides, data acquisition is mainly achieved by remote sensing image interpretation and ground sample collection. The review shows that the existing demestic land use classification systems were incompatible in conductors, codes, names, types and structures, methods, data collection technique and the precision of the data. For example, the all-coverage systems have many defects in terms of systematicness and structures, while the region-coverage systems are lack of linkage with all-coverage systems, even within the same classification system there are some inhomogeneous categories such as "countryside homestead" and "public garden". The incompatibility among the current classification systems makes it inconvenient to share data and wastes a huge amount of resources. Therefore, we established a land use classification system for spatial planning, which was organized by three hierarchies: 7 categories at the top level, 27 categories in the middle and 79 categories in the bottom. Based on the current land use classification, the urban land use classification and the forest land classification system, we made much revision and adjustment on development land types, cultivated land types, garden plots types, forest land types, grassland types and water area types.
In order to establish a sound and unified spatial planning system, the state has included "the marine classification standard for spatial planning" into the "Pilot Program of Provincial Space Planning" and listed it as one of the important tasks of the foundation of unified planning. On the basis of summarizing and analyzing the characteristics and existing problems of China's current marine classification system, and combined with the requirements of spatial planning and marine-related departments for the marine classification, this study proposed a basic marine classification system that not only satisfied service space planning but also met the needs of departmental industries by historical inheritance, type refinement and comprehensive integration. Based on the classification system, this paper explained and classified the meanings of different marine functional spaces and the composition of marine types. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) China's marine classification research started late, and the development process can be roughly divided into two periods: before and after 2001. Before 2001, the research was in its infancy, with academic inquiry as the mainstay and less achievements. Since 2001, the research has been driven by national needs and government actions. Aiming at different uses of various classification systems of marine utilization including marine space utilization, marine utilization way and marine function zoning have been established in succession. (2) Due to the differences in classification objectives, classification sequences, type composition, and type naming in China's current marine classification system, there is a lack of organic linkage among different classification systems, and the results and data are not comparable with each other, which not only restricts the integration and application of the results data, but also causes huge waste of manpower, material resources and financial resources. China's current marine classification system is still in the stage when multiple systems coexist, and has not yet formed a standardized and unified basic marine classification system. (3) This study established a marine classification system including 9 first-level types, 28 second-level types, and 43 third-level types for spatial planning by using a three-level classification sequence structure consisting of the functions of marine space, the way of marine utilization and attribute characteristics. The first-level and second-level types inherit the sequence structure and main content of the current marine space classification systems. The newly added three-level type absorbs and integrates the rational components of the marine classification system and standards for expropriation of marine space utilization fee, and focuses on the specific attribute characteristics of marine space utilization. (4) Based on the newly-developed marine classification system for spatial planning and aiming at spatial planning topics such as spatial planning, marine major function oriented planning, and marine function zoning, this study has carried out the classification of marine functional space by marine type, which indicates that the newly-developed marine classification system has the characteristics of "standardized and unified basic marine classification system".
As the scientific basis for constructing the basic strategic structures of territorial land space and implementing functional zoning, the "Double Evaluation" (i.e. resources and environmental carrying capacity and territorial development suitability evaluation) provides a series of important parameters for the downscaling of the major function zoning, the optimization of the spatial structure, and the intensity control of the land development. Based on territorial function theory, this paper explores the theoretical connotation of "Double Evaluation" from the evolution of human-land relationship, establishes the scientific logic of "Double Evaluation" to territorial function optimization, and points out that the major function regionalization scheme from "Double Evaluation" comprehensive integration that realizes the comprehensive benefit maximization is the optimal result of territorial function optimization. Taking Fujian province and Liupanshui city as two cases, we transform the rational demand of human production and living activities into the demand control parameters of land use. Combined with the superior planning and the government and expert system, we determine the critical target parameters, including the total control parameters, structural control parameters, spatial structure or strategic pattern control parameters, through the parameter decomposition and measurement of downscaling. By adjusting the indicators, parameters and thresholds, the gird cell territorial function optimization is continuously carried out, and the grid cell territorial function optimization regionalization schemes under different scenarios is obtained. Then continuous evaluation, check and optimization are carried out by the comparison with the planning of major function zones, land use status, neighboring areas, the construction needs of regional development and spatial strategy, as well as the relationship between land and sea. Given the influence of the uncertainty of available data, the adaptability of the data set to the theoretical model, the uncertainty of a usable analytical model and the scale effect, the uncertainty of the major function regionalization scheme and its solution are discussed to enhance the robustness of the optimization results as the scientific basis for territorial planning such as the "Three Zones and Three Lines" (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary).
Territorial space planning at the provincial level is a brand-new attempt of "multiple planning integration" fundamental regime. The core content is demarcating the "urban space, agriculture space, ecological space, urban development boundary, permanent basic farmland and ecological protection red line", to analyze natural and social background scientifically, which are the strict assignments of all kinds of space boundary, so as to strengthen national spatial control. The "ecological space and ecological protection red line" refered to "ecological space and ecological protection red line", which is the concrete embodiment of the "concept of ecology priority" in the construction of ecological civilization in the new era of China. The ecological protection red line is the core of ecological space, which has three characteristics: the strongly underlying constraints, the wide range of coverage and the high level of constraints. With full absorption of the "Technical Guideline for Demarcating the Red Line of Ecological Protection" promulgated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, this study, taking the whole land area of Fujian province as an example, carried out double assignments of ecological protection level and ecological protection priority, based on the thought of ecological carrying capacity and suitability; and then discussed and practiced the demarcation of ecological space and ecological protection red line under the framework of provincial spatial planning, so as to put forward "multiple planning integration" and to be a useful reference for the demarcation of territorial space planning in coastal and mountainous provinces. The results show that, the whole area of Fujian ecological space and ecological protection red line is about 95932.88 square kilometers, accounting for 78.76% of the province's land area. The ecological protection red line is about 25461.39 square kilometers, taking 20.90% of the province's land area. The "biodiversity maintenance red line" and "water source protection and water conservation red line ", which were subordinated to the ecological protection red line, accounting for 11.96% and 6.26% of the province's land area. The "biodiversity maintenance red line" and "water source protection and water conservation red line" were concentrated in Wuyi Mountains, Daiyun mountain, Zhejiang-Fujian mountainous region, southern Fujian mountainous region and southeastern coastal area, which are mainly consistent with Fujian ecological function zones.
The importance of the water conservation functional region is one of the key classification indexes to define the ecological protection “red line”, i.e. the ecological protection area with the highest priority. After reviewing the classification indexes previously used for identifying the water conservation functional region and investigating their potential influences on applied areas, we propose a new method of the Red Line determination, taking the water conservation ability into account and discuss an improvement in the evaluation of the red line determination method, fulfilling the requirement of the national spatial planning, i.e. the “Three Zones and Three Lines” bottom-up determination (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary). The study area in this paper is Liupanshui, Guizhou, a typical karst landform region in China. After combing through the previously used indexes as well as the target areas for classifying the water conservation function, we compare results of the Red Line determined by three methods, which are the modeling method, the quantifying index method (NPP) (both methods were proposed in the “Guidelines for the Delimitation of the Ecological Protection Red Line” and published by the MEP of China respectively in 2015 and 2017) and an improved method we newly propose in this study. Our method introduces two factors. One is the “vegetation cover index”, used in recognizing non-ecological land and in increasing the weight of the positive effects of the water conservation function on the forest land. The other is the “elevation index”, for including qualified mountain top areas as alternatives of the red line. In Liupanshui, 34.25% of the cultivated land areas is selected as the candidates for the red line, using our newly proposed method. The percentage of the cultivated land is less than the ones obtained by the modeling method (46.62%) and NPP (38.54%). Further, our method identifies more candidates of forest land areas by the amount of 44.2%, while the modeling method reaches 25.31% only and NPP reaches 43.74%. In conclusion, using the vegetation cover index and the elevation index to classify the water conservation functional regions, the red line determined by our method has a better match with the real ecological condition of Liupanshui, compared to the results from the modeling method and NPP. Therefore, we advocate these two indexes to be included as additional indicators in the “Guidelines for the Delimitation of the Ecological Protection Red Line”, in order to increase the precision of the redline determination.
The assessment of suitability for urban land-use and delimitation of urban space (US) and urban development boundary (UDB) are among the key tasks and is a challenge for carrying out basic evaluation and drawing up the base map of planning in the 'Pilot Program of Province-level Spatial Planning' launched by the State Council in 2016. In line with the framework of spatial planning reform, i.e. to achieve effective governance over national land- use with the tool of "Three Zones and Three Lines" (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary), we first explored the conceptual ideas of US and UDB, and appropriate topological relationships and rules, upon which the principles and methodology for assessing suitability for urban land-use and delimitation of US and UDB were determined. Then, based upon the practice in Fujian province, we elaborated the procedures and the method. It was revealed that the proposed principles and methodologies are reasonable and feasible. One aspect that sets the work apart from previous practices is that, US and UDB were designated upon comprehensive assessment of the carrying capacity of resources and environments and the suitability of land for different functions. This improves the balance of urban development activities with resource and environments. In addition, the procedure for drawing up US and UDB incorporates the evaluation of urban development potentials and directions of each land parcel, and considers the objectives of spatial governance over the whole area, thus the randomness of US and UDB is well controlled. This practice is expected to provide useful reference for the improvement of the Chinese spatial planning system.
In order to promote "Three Zones and Three Lines" layout (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary) in the territory spatial planning system, it is important to develop the methods of population and settlements planning in both urban and rural areas. This paper aims to put forward a series of methods, which focus on not only the top-down planning but also the bottom-up planning. First, the total population and the urbanization level in the macro scale should be controlled. Using the classic estimation methods in the field of demography, including cohort-component method and the United Nations urbanization projection method, the population and urbanization level based on the administrative units can be figured out. Second, the population size should be adapted to local environment conditions. According to the method of demographic data spatialization, the urban and rural population by the grid format can be estimated. Furthermore, the overload population and the additional population can be calculated based on the population raster data and the layout of "Three Zones and Three Lines". Third, the elastic integration is necessary. The integration considers not only spatial-temporal changes of population and urbanization but also the requests of local governments and residents. The layouts of population and settlements in both urban and rural areas include the regional types of population development and the hierarchical structure of the city system. We further applied our method into the provincial-scale spatial planning in Fujian. We do hope that this paper could be beneficial for the related population and urban-rural spatial planning in other regions or other geographic scales.
Recently, the spatial planning of provinces, cities and counties promoted by the state is an exploration of the application of the theory of modern geographical function in the mesoscale. Compared with the mature regional functional planning and governance system in developed countries and the research needs for perfecting the theoretical system of regional functions, there are still weak links in the basic research, comprehensive functional zoning method and practice of modern regional functional theories in China. In the partition process, the industrial spatial allocation based on the division of "Three Zones and Three Lines" (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary) in the space is the necessary steps to further clarify the geographical functions and guide the geographical research to optimize the functional pattern. Focusing on perfecting the theoretical system of regional functions and serving the needs of national strategy, this paper gave quantitative and qualitative analyses of industrial spatial configuration of the logical structure, technical methods, and data systems. Based on the selection of dominant industries, and considering the external influence of neighboring regions on the development of industrial economy, a key industrial spatial identification index system was formed from the perspective of industrial association, industrial development foundation, development potential and policy support. The article also identifies the appropriate size of industrial park space for land use by building an appropriate scale identification system for industrial parks, which is composed of indicators such as industrial park level, industrial development direction, industrial scale, and spatial relations between industrial parks and various red lines and towns. This paper also summarizes the key industry space scope from micro enterprise data, and carries out the spatial superposition between the enterprise agglomeration space scope and the land space suitability and the urban space division results, so as to achieve the effective identification of provincial key industry space. The article, taking Fujian Province as an example, conducts a practical analysis, with a view to forming a set of technical methods for the development of industrial spatial configuration map.
Infrastructure is a human-built system based on the physical environment, thus the layout of infrastructure network represents the relationship of human-related spatial interactions between places. Infrastructure system is not only an important component for shaping regional spatial structure, but also a key element for regional development. Since infrastructure is significant for leading and optimizing the spatial order of regional development, thus it is also necessary for spatial planning. The paper analyzes existing planning systems for infrastructure construction, and then provides a theoretical framework for planning infrastructures and public service facilities in spatial planning. The existing planning systems mainly have the following problems. Firstly, the content of public service facilities planning has not been valued. Secondly, the departmental segmentation of the transportation management system leads to a prominent interest of departments in the special plan. Last but not least, the relationships between planning levels are unreasonable, and a single general map covering all types of infrastructures is lacking. Therefore, from the perspective of overall spatial layout, the paper proposes a theoretical framework for the integrated planning of infrastructure and public service facilities based on the general patterns of social and economic development. The theoretical framework includes the content that should be covered by the planning scheme, the technical roadmap for working out the project, as well as key planning points on different spatial scales at the provincial, municipal, and county levels. What's more, combined with the network layout of transportation facilities and the spatial pattern of traffic activities, a technical framework of hub and corridor identification is designed. Finally, with the case study of Fujian, the paper explores the research flowchart for infrastructure and public service facilities, emphasizes the relationship between special planning, Three Zones and Three Lines (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary) and spatial overall layout, aiming to provide experiences for spatial planning in other parts of China. In Fujian's spatial planning, we first design the special comprehensive map of public facilities and standardize some new legends. The comprehensive map of infrastructure system contains all elements such as energy facilities, water resource facilities, and information and communication facilities in addition to transport infrastructure.
Comprehensive map of ecology and environment, an important part of spatial planning, is a significant support to the implementation of the eco-environment control and the promotion of the coordinated development between eco-environment and social economy and carry out the blueprint all the time. This paper discussed the compilation points and technical methods of ecological and environmental comprehensive map. By taking Fujian province as an example, the strategic objective, spatial structure and key tasks of eco-environment were developed. In this case, the pattern construction program of ecological security, referred to simply as three barriers, six corridors, fourteen zones, and environmental management and control program with spatial differences were formulated. In addition, the key areas and major improvement projects in the ecological environment were implemented in space. Finally, the relationship between the comprehensive map of ecology and environment and the special planning of the eco-environment was discussed, and then the principles and methods of city or county belonging to lower level were discussed so as to innovate guidelines for eco-environment protection under spatial planning.
An orderly and efficient spatial planning system is an important part of the modern governance system and governance capacity. At present, the problems of different spatial planning fights in China and the non-convergence of planning at the upper and lower levels are prominent. The spatial planning of convergence and integration with each other is still in the stage of reform and pilot. This paper reviews the stage process of the development of China's spatial planning system. According to the spatial hierarchy and planning type, this paper proposes a spatial planning system with Chinese characteristics that suit China's land area and regional unit conditions. Combined with the pilot cases of spatial planning in Fujian and Guizhou provinces, five types of convergence in the spatial planning system are summarized, including the connection of the "Three Zones and Three Lines" Base Map and the General Layout of the Spatial Planning, the connection of the "Three Zones and Three Lines" Base Map and the Overall Layout of the Special Planning, the connection of the General Layout of the Spatial Planning and the Overall Layout of the Special Planning, the connection of the Overall Layout of the Special Planning and the Special Planning made by various professional departments of the government, and the coordination between the upper and lower levels of spatial planning. Finally, this paper points out the difficulties to be overcome and efforts that should be made in the future to further improve and perfect the spatial planning system from four aspects, i.e., the data base, subject system, personnel training and planning process.
Spatial governance is a scientific planning and management arrangement for various human development and protection activities on territorial space, and it is an important policy tool for the macro-control and micro-fine management of land resources. This study explores the framework of spatial governance system from the perspective of territorial function and resource environmental carrying capacity. Meanwhile, by taking Fujian province and Liupanshui city of Guizhou province as examples, the technical methods of spatial governances for the collaborative delineation of "Three Zones and Three Lines" (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary) and territorial development intensity calculation is analyzed. Finally, the multi-scale and multi-time spatial governances approaches for functional control and threshold control is proposed: (1) The function control approach is based on the major function zoning and the "Three Zones and Three Lines" governance map, according to four types of major function orientation, three types of territorial spaces (including ecology, agriculture and urban space), six types of zoning (including red lines for ecological protection and general ecological area, permanent basic farmland and general agricultural area, urban development boundary and urban reserved area) and "N" types of construction and non-construction land use. (2) Based on the territorial development intensity (TDI), the threshold control approach is implementing the "total quantity & target" and "processes & increasing range" dual control, and upper and lower limits dual control. Through the comprehensive approaches of spatial governances, it is expected to achieve a balanced and coordinated "production-life-ecology" structure within and across all types of territorial space, and shape a high-quality and sustainable regional development and protection pattern.
In the context of advancing the construction of ecological civilization in an all-round way, it is urgent to establish a territorial development and protection system supported by the spatial planning system suitable for China's national conditions. Aiming to solve the problems of uncoordinated plans and ununified land classification, based on the major function-oriented zoning in China, the spatial planning system must be established, which should be an important task to establish the spatial governance system in the new era. Based on the analysis of various types of spatial planning conflict, the principal causes of conflict were analyzed. Combined with the compilation of territorial spatial planning in the new period, some suggestions are put forward, such as promulgating the compilation methods and technical regulations of territorial spatial planning as soon as possible, readjusting the timing arrangement of the compilation of territorial spatial planning in China, and strengthening the construction of planning technical team.
Starting from the discourse structure, this paper studies the mechanism of the planning institutional factor on territorial spatial planning, and proposes suggestions to optimize the discourse structure. The conclusions are as follows: First, because the stakeholders do not change in the short term, the real impact on territorial spatial planning is the discourse structure of different stakeholders. With the reform of China's planning system, the discourse structure of different levels of government in subdivided fields has been the key to the formation of an orderly territorial spatial planning system. Second, the conflicts of different levels of planning are mainly manifested in two aspects of scale and space. Compared with the ideal plan of "Three Zones and Three Lines" (Three Zones represent ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space; Three Lines represent ecological conservation redline, permanent capital farmland, and urban development boundary), the construction land area of urban planning is 27.9% larger, and the protection area is 9.3% smaller. The reason for the conflict is the lack of the control mechanism of the superior planning for the lower level planning and the connection mechanism between the lower level planning and the higher level planning. Third, through the decomposition conduction and the collective transmission mechanism, different levels of government discourse structure system in the subdivision domain are constructed, and the hierarchical conduction and hierarchical management of different levels of territorial spatial planning are realized.
