Simulation of Dynamic Urban Growth Boundary Combining Urban Vitality and Ecological Networks: A Case Study in Chengdu Metropolitan Area

The Chengdu Metropolitan Area, located on the eastern edge of the world’s highest plateau, has experienced a period of integrating urban and rural area development for decades. With rapid urbanization and population growth, the vulnerability and security of the ecological environment have become critical aspects to consider in sustainability. Moreover, the presence of different levels of vitality in the study area has a crucial impact on land-use change. Hence, we propose a growth boundary study based on the theory of urban vitality and ecological networks. We focus on identifying the inefficient urban land and urban development potential land, explore their expansion probabilities to conduct spatial simulations for the next 15 years, and combine the ecological network to form a reasonable spatial pattern. Results showed that the proposed model could simulate the urban growth state more accurately within a certain space scale and integrate different limits and influences to simulate different growth strategies under multiple planning periods. Thus, the proposed model can be an effective decision support tool for the government.