Spatial Agglomeration Characteristics of Rural Settlements in Poor Mountainous Areas of Southwest China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Review report spatial agglomeration

 

This MS attempts to identify and describe the spatial agglomeration of Rural Settlements using various parameters. While I do see that the authors have undertaking a lot of works, I feel it is not very well written and not clear enough for readers what are the scientific questions and policy implication.  

The results do provide quantitative and comprehensive information of what is the Spatial Agglomeration Characteristics of Rural Settlements, but lack of adequate explanation of “why”.  It is even less on how to use the results to provide a basis for rural revitalization and space optimization as the authors claim.

The MS might fit better for other geography-oriented journals.  I do not see it is much related to sustainability issue.

 

A few specific comments and questions:

The literature review is only to put together as much as possible, but no clear purpose? The paragraph is indeed to long (for example, line 104- line 158). Why separate “foreign studies” of the line 76 to 104) and the domestic research (line 104-158). It is hard to follow what the literature tell us. I do not see how useful of the Figure 1 and Table 1. What difference between courtyard, villager group and village? What are spatial buffer or nuclear density? What are the information for from line 243-248? There is a Table 9, and 2 table 10 (their table titles are also same). I do not understand what difference.

 

 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

English grammar needs to be checked.

The paper would benefit from a simple clear explanation of why a consideration of Spatial Agglomeration Characteristics are significant.

It sets out technical processes and techniques for determining Spatial Agglomeration Characteristics but doesn't provide any link as to how or why we might be interested in, use or apply this knowledge.

Even for readers in this field some clearer indication of the relevance of this research to contemporary issues on settlement and agriculture would be useful.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.doc

Reviewer 3 Report

Spatial Agglomeration Characteristics of Rural Settlements in Poor Mountainous Areas of Southwest China

Revisions suggested are the following:

Line 32. The use of “urban agglomeration” in point (3) is difficult to understand.

Line 43. Introduction section is too long. Please consider to open a subsection from line 76 including previous studies.

Line 104. Domestic research: This is an enumerative description about previous Chinese rural studies. Try to underline some of the most important of them from the point of view of your research

Lines 166-170. These lines are important because contain the theoretical approach for your study. According with that is convenient to put it in a separate paragraph. Also add the content of lines 67-69.

Line 183. 3 streets? Explain this type of territorial organization

Line 194. Please include also rock typology and soil thickness associated to them.

Is the alternation of hard and soft rock responsible for the mountain/valley landform in the area?

Line 218. Research methods section: Include also as research methods the different spatial analysis made with ArcGis. Explain why the selected methodology is useful for your purposes

Line 243 to 248. These lines should be eliminated

Line 255. The use of “per capita" expression is confusing here

Line 258. I cannot see this information on table 2

Line 260. Figure 2. Please include in the map some topographic names Include also a side box with a wider regional map containing the position of the study area.

Lines 266-267. Incorrect capital letter

Lines 278,302,345,356,373,384,391. Incorrect section numbering

Line 302. You should explain more this spatial distribution and its relation with topography or other physical or human parameters to justify the analysis made in the following sections

Line 311. Figure 3 is undistinguishable

Line 327. Does this mean that they avoid construction in cultivated areas?

Lines 337 to 341. Lines 337 to 341apparently are contradictory, probably because the explanation is very synthetic

Line 398. Is this a sequence of the main factors affecting settlement distribution?

Line 402. Conclusion should go after discussion

Lines 436-439. No analysis about this statement has been made. Nevertheless,   is highly recommendable to open a section to explain something about it, with specific data and statistics.

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.doc