Spatial function regionalization and governance of coastal zone: A case study in Ningbo City

Reasonable development and utilization of spatial resources in the coastal zone not only affects the development quality of the marine economy but also impacts the utilization efficiency of spatial resources, playing an important role in regional sustainable development. Depending on the natural, economic, and societal characteristics of a region, research topics such as using relevant methods to divide the coastline, proper spatial development of the coast, protecting coastal zones, and achieving higher spatial resource distribution efficiency have recently become hot topics in geographic research. Most of the scholars construct the evaluation index system from the perspective of economic and ecological factors and undertake some exploration of the division methods. However, the selection of indicators for a coastal zone needs a different and more scientific approach. There is a need for emphasizing the overall strategy of land-ocean integration in developing spatial resources in a coastal zone. Taking the coastal zone in Ningbo as an example, this paper develops a new evaluation framework and spatial function regionalization method that is used to divide the coastline and coastal zone. Based on the perspective of overall strategy for the land and ocean, we evaluate the suitability of coastline development. We then propose the spatial function regionalization of the coastal zone. Finally, based on the status quo of spatial development in Ningbo, we divide the coastal zone into ecological space, production space and living space, and propose adjustment directions and control requirements for the different types of spatial layouts.