The impact of landscape heterogeneity on the dynamic urban growth simulation based on cellular automata model: the case of Wuhan metropolitan area, Central China

As the main urban system of human life, metropolitan area has complicated heterogeneity. However, the impact of landscape heterogeneity (LH) on urban growth needs to be further analyzed. This study proposed a LH approach and constructed a cellular automata (CA) simulation model of urban growth considering the LH. Taking Wuhan metropolitan area as study area, the impact of LH on urban growth was explored. The results showed that the simulation accuracy indices considering LH showed marked improvement using CA models, indicating that historical LH has a significant impact on the possibility of urban growth. Furthermore, the LH not only affects the urban growth, but also causes the urban growth to produce the redistribution of LH. Overall, the findings show that the transition rules of CA model integrating LH can better grasp the dynamic process on urban growth, and the results have important practical significance for urban growth planning and management.