On the potential of urban three-dimensional space development: The case of Liuzhou, China

The New-type Urbanization Plan in China is facing planning, economic, and environmental constraints. A fast-growing urban population imposes distinct pressure on social and natural resources in most cities. As a result, the urban land use pattern in China has rapidly expanded from planar to stereoscopic. Although the pattern has effectively maximized the utilization of land resources, the “one-size-fits-all” solution is not applicable to all cities in China. The assessment of the suitability of a city is important before the application of the “three-dimensional” (3D) development approach, especially for cities with important natural endowment at stake. This study proposes a framework to assess the potential of a city for 3D space development in China. Our model considers land use suitability, economic feasibility, and landscape visibility in urban 3D space development decisions. We use Liuzhou City as a case study to demonstrate the empirical implementation of this framework. Our analysis shows that the model can assist urban planners to visualize urban morphology and to identify optimal development directions. By balancing planning, economic, and environmental needs, our model enables local governments to meet their development targets without sacrificing the environment. The proposed framework is a useful tool for local government to realize the New-type Urbanization Plan while ensuring that urban residents “see the mountains, view the rivers, and remember their past.”This study was supported by the Major Scheme of National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 09&ZD047) and the Special Research Fund Project for Public Welfare Industry of the Ministry of Land and Resources of China (Grant no. 201511003-2 and 201511010-04). We are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project #71231005) for the financial support and to the Liuzhou Bureau of Land and Resources and Housing Management for providing us with valuable data.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.10.01