Structural-Functional Suitability Assessment of Yangtze River Waterfront in the Yichang Section: A Three-Zone Spatial and POI-Based Approach

The Yangtze River Economic Belt is a crucial driver of China’s economy, and its shoreline is a strategic, finite resource vital for ecological security, flood control, navigation, and socioeconomic development. However, intensive development has resulted in functional conflicts and ecological degradation, underscoring the need for accurate identification and suitability assessment of shoreline functions. Conventional methods, which predominantly rely on land use data and remote sensing imagery, are often limited in their ability to capture dynamic changes in large river systems. This study introduces an integrated framework combining macro-level “Three-Zone Space” (urban, agricultural, ecological) theory with micro-level Point of Interest (POI) data to rapidly identify shoreline functions along the Yichang section of the Yangtze River. We further developed a multi-criteria evaluation system incorporating ecological, production, developmental, and risk constraints, utilizing a combined AHP-Entropy weight method to assess suitability. The results reveal a clear upstream-downstream gradient: ecological functions dominate upstream, while agricultural and urban functions increase downstream. POI data enabled refined classification into five functional types, revealing that ecological conservation shorelines are extensively distributed upstream, port and urban development shorelines concentrate in downstream nodal zones, and agricultural production shorelines are widespread yet exhibit a spatial mismatch with suitability scores. The comprehensive evaluation identified high-suitability units, primarily in downstream urban cores with superior development conditions and lower risks, whereas low-suitability units are constrained by high geological hazards and poor infrastructure. These findings provide a scientific basis for differentiated shoreline management strategies. The proposed framework offers a transferable approach for the sustainable planning of major river corridors, offering insights applicable to similar contexts.