Spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of coordinated development of urbanization and ecological environment in eastern Russia

Abstract

Under the background of “the Belt and Road” and “the economic corridor of China, Mongolia and Russia” initiatives, it is of great significance to study the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the coordinated development between the urbanization and ecological environment in eastern Russia (the Siberian Federal District and the Far East Federal District). This paper studied the urbanization development level, eco-environment development level, and their coupling coordinated development degree during 2005-2018 in the eastern Russia from the perspectives of the 3D global trend and 2D plane analysis. First, combining with the Population-Economic-Sociology and Pressure-State-Response models, the paper constructed the index systems to evaluate the urbanization development level and eco-environment development level in eastern Russia. Second, based on the comprehensive weighting method of entropy weight and variation coefficient, this paper calculated the urbanization development level and eco-environment development level in eastern Russia. Third, the paper used the coupling coordination model to measure the coupling coordinated development degree of the urbanization development level and eco-environment development level in eastern Russia. Finally, the spatial differentiation of the urbanization development level, the eco-environment development level and their coupling coordinated development degree was performed respectively by the 3D global trend and 2D plane analysis using ArcGIS. The results are as following. First, the comprehensive urbanization development level of eastern Russia has increased from 2005 to 2018, and the urbanization level of the economic aspect is the main factor that affects the urbanization development of eastern Russia. The comprehensive eco-environment development level of eastern Russia has decreased from 2005 to 2018, and the eco-environment pressure is the main factor that affects the eco-environment development of eastern Russia. The coupling coordination degree of the urbanization development and eco-environment development has increased from 2005 to 2018, but it is still in the uncoordinated stage. Second, from 2005 to 2018, the urbanization development level of the Siberian Federal District is higher than that of the Far East Federal District. The eco-environment development level of the Siberian Federal District is balanced to that of the Far East Federal District. The coupling coordination degree of the urbanization development and eco-environment development in the Siberian Federal District is higher than that in the Far East Federal District. Among the Siberian Federal District and the Far East Federal District, most of the federal subjects belong to the uncoordinated stage of the urbanization development and the eco-environment development. Third, the urbanization development level, the eco-environment development level, and their coupling coordinated development level are all spatially imbalanced in the eastern Russia, which show the “High West, Low East” and “High Center, Low North and South” spatial pattern from the perspectives of the 3D global trend and 2D plane analysis. The areas with high levels are concentrated in the Novosibirsk Region, Altay Territory, Kemerovo Region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, and Irkutsk Region. The areas with low ones are mostly in the Republic of Altay and Chukotka Autonomous Area. Finally, we suggest policies and strategies that can boost the growth and development of the urbanization and the eco-environment in the Sino-Russian border areas, such as: promoting the division and cooperation of industries, implementing the division and cooperation of energy projects, developing diversified tourism resources and products, accelerating the transformation of infrastructure, promoting the construction of the economic cooperation zone, and strengthening the protection and management of ecological environment, etc.