Accurate identification and trade-off analysis of multifunctional spaces of land in megacities: A case study of Guangzhou city, China

Land multifunctionality usually triggers conflicts over land-use spaces. To resolve this conflict, the concept of a production–living–ecological (PLE) space was introduced into regional land management and spatial planning. However, owing to the multifunctional demand for land in megacities, accurate identification of PLE spaces and the tradeoff relationship between them remain unclear. Using Guangzhou as an example, we constructed an assessment system from the perspective of land functional values to accurate identify PLE spaces from 2008 to 2023. The relationships, strengths, and influences of PLE tradeoffs or synergies were examined using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, root mean square error (RMSE), and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) models. The dominant functional type in Guangzhou was ecological space, followed by living space, and then production space. More than 90% of the land has double or triple land functions, highlighting the multifunctional characteristics of land use in Guangzhou. There was a synergistic relationship between the production and living functions (P–L). The highly synergistic area was centered in the urban core and gradually expanded to the northwest and southeast. There was a tradeoff relationship between the production function and ecological function (P–E), ecological function, and living function (E–L). Both had significant spatial heterogeneity in the spatial and temporal pattern distributions. Social and economic factors had a significant impact on the synergy intensity of the P–L function, whereas natural factors had a greater impact on the tradeoff intensity of the P–E function. The findings have provided empirical examples for optimizing land spatial patterns in urban or agglomerated areas and reconciling multifunctional land conflict relationships.