The Natural Environment Suitability and the Suitability Degree of Human Settlements in Mid-Southern Liaoning Urban Agglomerations, China, in Relation to the Population Distribution

Human settlement is a necessary factor for human survival and development. The scientific assessments of the natural suitability and appropriateness of human settlements contribute to addressing the discord between ecological environments and economic development and fostering sustainable development in the relationship between humans and nature. Building upon established methods for assessing human settlement suitability, this study investigated the natural suitability of the living environment in the urban agglomeration of mid-southern Liaoning. Based on this exploration, the suitability of the degree of human settlements for the population distribution in the study area from 2000 to 2020 was calculated. The results revealed three important points. (1) Nearly one-fifth of the study area, the area around the offshoot of Changbai Mountain, is a critically suitable area. More than half of this area, generally the buffer zone connecting the Liaohe Plain and the offshoot of Changbai Mountain, is generally suitable for human settlements. The proportion of suitable areas is only 25.53%, mostly on the Liaohe Plain along the Liaodong Peninsula by the Yellow Sea. (2) The overall spatial distribution of human settlement exhibits a pattern that is moderate-low in the middle and high on both sides; and higher in the southern part and lower in the northern part. (3) The human settlement suitability degree is higher in the western regions and lower in the eastern regions, with Shenyang and Panjin in the west having the highest suitability, while Benxi in the east exhibits the lowest habitat suitability. From 2000 to 2020, except for Shenyang and Panjin where suitability remained constant, the suitability degree of other cities has improved. Among them, Dandong experienced the most significant increase in suitability.