Spatio-temporal land use multi-objective optimization: A case study in Central China

Much effort has been applied to the study of land use multi-objective optimization. However, most of these studies have focused on the final land use scenarios in the projected year, without considering how to reach the final optimized land use scenario. To fill this gap, a spatio-temporal land use multi-objective optimization (STLU-MOO) model is innovatively proposed in this research to determine possible spatial land use solutions over time. The STLU-MOO is an extension of a genetic land use multi-objective optimization model (LU-MOO) in which the LU-MOO is generally carried out in different years, and the solutions at year T will affect the solutions at year T + 1. We used the Wuhan agglomeration (WHA) as our case study area. The STLU-MOO model was employed separately for the nine cities in the WHA, and social, economic, and environmental objectives have been considered. The success of the experiments in the case study demonstrated the value and novelty of our proposed STLU-MOO model. In addition, the results also indicated that the objectives considered in the case study were in conflict. According to the results, the optimal land use plan in 2050 can be traced back to 2040, 2030, and 2020, providing a series of Pareto solutions over the years which can provide spatio-temporal land use multi-objective optimization solutions to support the land use planning process.