Interaction of population density and slope will exacerbate spatiotemporal changes in land use and landscape patterns in mountain city.

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.