Evolution of land use functions and their trade-offs/synergies relationship in resource-based cities

The industrialization of resource-based cities exerts a profound influence on their land system. The land use functions (LUFS), are concealed representation of this land system, can highlight issues in human-land relations. To address these challenges, we have developed a bottom-up approach for constructing an LFUS evaluation system tailored to resource-based cities. This system assesses the evolution of the LUFS, its trade-offs, and synergies on a grid scale, with applications in the resource-depleted city of Xintai. The research findings indicate the following:(1) From 1985 to 2021, the LFUS, including production function (PF) and living functions (LF), showed a generally increasing trend. Ecological function (EF), however, fluctuated, initially decreasing, then increasing, and subsequently decreasing again. (2) During this period, the trade-off relationship between PF and LF strengthened from 1985 to 1996, weakened in 2011, and PF-EF showed a weak trade-off in 1985, transitioned to a synergy from 1996 to 2011, and reverted to a trade-off in 2021. (3) The relationships among LUFS elements showed mechanisms for the formation of trade-off and synergy relationships among LUFS. Conflicts between cultivated land and construction land primarily contributed to the trade-off between PF and LF. Meanwhile, conflicts between cultivated land and ecological land led to the trade-off between PF and EF, and conflicts between construction land and ecological land contributed to the trade-off between LF and EF. This study presents a bottom-up approach for constructing a LUFS evaluation indicator system for resource-based cities. This research provides valuable insights for land use decision-making, addressing the sustainability needs of transitioning resource-based cities.