Spatiotemporal Evolution of the Water System's Structure and Its Relationship with Urban System Based on Fractal Dimension: A Case Study of the Huaihe River Basin, China.

Abstract

The formation and development of cities are inseparable from a certain scale of water resources. The information contained in the morphological structures of cities and water systems is often overlooked. Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution of water system structures (WSS) and urban system structures (USS) can reveal the "urban-water" relationship from a new perspective. The Huaihe River Basin (HRB) was selected as the case area, based on the theory of fractal dimensions, grid dimension and multifractal spectrum methods were used to depict the structural evolutionary characteristics of water systems and urban systems from different dimensions. Then, through a comparative analysis of fractal parameters and spectral lines, the characteristics and changing patterns of the "urban-water" relationship in the HRB from 1980 to 2019 were revealed. The results indicate the following: (1) The water system structure in the HRB is complex and exhibits distinct scale characteristics, showing improvement overall and at larger scales while continuously degrading at smaller scales. (2) Both the water system and urban system exhibit increasingly complex spatial development characteristics; however, the USS continues to optimize over time, while the WSS experiences degradation. (3) The development patterns of the water system and urban system are significant differences in the HRB. Urban development mainly relies on outward expansion, whereas the water system is primarily characterized by intensive enhancement. (4) Because of the rapid development of urban areas, water scarcity may occur in densely populated urban areas or larger cities in the future. The research results can serve as a scientific reference for urban planning and water resource management in the HRB.