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The sustainable development of human settlements in mountainous Southwest China hinges on the coordinated evolution of their production–living–ecological spaces (PLES). This study investigated the distribution evolution and coupling characteristics of the PLESs within the human settlements of Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Chongqing. Utilizing land use data from 1990 to 2020, GIS spatial analysis, a coupling coordination degree model, and the Geodetector method were employed to systematically investigate PLES’ spatial patterns, evolutionary characteristics, and underlying mechanisms. The results reveal the following: (1) The PLES structure underwent a distinct phased and heterogeneous distribution evolution, shaped by socioeconomic development and ecological conservation policies. (2) Primarily driven by the dual forces of economic and policy factors, the transformation between ecological and production spaces was predominant, followed by that between production and living spaces. (3) The coupling coordination degree (CCD) improved from extreme imbalance toward near coordination, exhibiting a zoned structure characterized by high levels in the central core and low levels in peripheral mountainous areas. (4) Socioeconomic factors generally have greater explanatory power than natural factors do in terms of driving PLES changes. The interaction effects between any two drivers are stronger than the individual effects, with economic growth and population agglomeration being the core restructuring forces and transportation accessibility a key catalyst. The distribution evolution of PLES and the coupling approach to PLES at the human settlements scale are deciphered, providing a scientific foundation for coordinating spatial conflicts, optimizing territorial spatial planning, and implementing differentiated governance strategies in ecologically sensitive mountainous regions.
Ren et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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