The complex topography of the mountain cities leads to uneven distribution of land resources. Currently, available studies mainly focuse on land use and landscape patterns (LU and LP) in plains or plateaus. Thus, it is necessary to carry out an analysis of the drivers of changes in LU and LP in mountain cities. As the typical mountain city in China, Chongqing has changed significantly of land use in recent years. Here, we identified LU and LP changes from 2000 to 2020, and explored their drivers using GeoDetector in Yubei District, Chongqing. The following are the outcomes: (1) From 2000 to 2020, construction land, wetland and cropland had the greatest change in area, with 876.03%, -70.72% and -24.53%, respectively. The area of cropland transferred out was larger than the area transferred into it, while cropland still the largest among all land use types. (2) At the landscape level,construction landscape was at a low level. Grassland had the greatest degree of fragmentation, but showed a decreasing trend. The landscape’s complexity resulted from the conversion of various land uses. (3) The results of GeoDetector indicated that the interaction of population density and slope was the primary LU and LP changing factor. The results of the study provided a rational basis for the development of land use and landscape plans in the mountain cities.

Changes to land use carbon emissions (LUCEs) have become significant contributors to increasingly severe climate issues. Land use change is one of the crucial factors that affect carbon emissions. Alpine meadows regions are sensitive to climate change and human activities. However, current research on LUCEs mainly focuses on analyzing present land use status and spatial patterns. To reveal and forecast future LUCEs in the alpine region, the Upper Yellow River of Gannan (UYRG) was used as a case study. Based on the land use data from 1990 to 2020, we used the multi-scenario PLUS model to predict the land use types in 2030 and analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamic trends of LUCEs from 1990 to 2030. The results showed a strong correlation between the predicted and actual land use types, with a Kappa value of 0.93, indicating the applicability of the PLUS model in predicting land use in the UYRG. Over the study period, construction land expanded, while woodland and grassland diminished. Carbon emissions (CEs) increased by 516.4% from −200,541.43 Mg CO₂e in 1990 to 835,054.08 Mg CO₂e in 2020, with construction land being the main contributor. In the Natural Development scenario for 2030, construction land expanded most rapidly, resulting in the highest LUCEs. In the Ecological Protection scenario, woodland and grassland expanded, while construction land decreased, leading to an expansion in carbon sinks. In the Cropland Protection scenario, cropland expanded, with CEs falling between the other two scenarios. These findings lay a theoretical groundwork for formulating policies addressing LUCEs in alpine meadows, providing valuable insights for further studies.

Changes in land use types in alpine meadow areas have significant impacts on the ecological environment in alpine areas. Exploring land use change is crucial for land use management and optimization in alpine regions. Thus, it is necessary to analyze land use evolution and its drivers in alpine meadow regions from a production–living–ecology space (PLES) perspective by using remote sensing data. We first constructed the PLES evaluation system for Gannan. Then, we analyzed the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics and coupling degree of PLES in the study area. Finally, the driving factors affecting PLES were explored with geodetector. The conclusions of the study reveal that the distribution of productive and ecological spaces is large and concentrated, while the distribution of living spaces is more decentralized. The PLES was mainly concentrated in the area above 2500 m but below 4000 m and with a slope of 40° or less. During the study period, the area of production space showed a decreasing trend, while the areas of living and ecological space both showed increasing trends, primarily occurring at the expense of production space. DEM and GDP were the main factors affecting the distribution of PLES. The coupling level and the degree of coupling coordination were relatively stable in general, showing a pattern of “high in the east and low in the west”. The study provides technical support and a theoretical basis for the future planning of land space and ecological environment optimization in the alpine meadow regions.