Quantitative Research of Water Resources Constraint on Urbanization in Arid Area of Northwest China:Taking Wuwei and Zhangye Cities in Gansu Province as A Case
西北干旱区水资源约束城市化进程的定量辨识——以甘肃省武威、张掖市为例

During the great development of west China, it is necessary to accelerate the process of urbanization in the arid area of northwest China to construct a well-off society. The speed of urbanization is decided mainly by its driving forces and brake resistances. We analyzed and compared the changes of urbanization process, total water utilization, total economic output value, industrial structure, water utilization benefits and per capital water utilization in Wuwei and Zhangye cities, which are both typical oasis cities in the arid area of northwest China, and found that water resources had restricted the process of urbanization obviously. Water resources constraint is one of the most important factors which have slowed down the process of urbanization. By deducing and analysis of the logarithmic constraint model between urbanization level and total water utilization, we found that, according to the correlation coefficient of the fitted equations about urbanization and total water utilization, we can recognized the water resources constraint on urbanization in the arid area of northwest China. We applied the logarithmic constraint model in Wuwei and Zhangye cities, and obtained that the water resources constraint intensity on urbanization in Wuwei city is 0. 937, and that in Zhangye city is 0. 438. Wuwei city belongs to the very strong constraint type area and Zhangye city belongs to the less strong constraint type area.