Navigating Research Frontiers in China’s Rural Planning: A Bibliometric Analysis of Sustainable Development

Abstract

Since the onset of global industrialization, rural planning has evolved significantly in developed countries, establishing a comprehensive framework for sustainable development. However, China’s rural areas, rooted in longstanding agrarian traditions, face distinct challenges amid rapid urbanization and globalization, including land degradation, ecological degradation, and rural depopulation. This study examines the progression of rural planning in China, with a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11): “Sustainable Cities and Communities”. Employing a bibliometric approach, we analyzed the literature from the Web of Science database, concentrating on influential publications, collaborative patterns among research institutions, and emerging research themes. Findings reveal that Chinese rural planning research has expanded rapidly since 2004, characterized by interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations. High-impact studies emphasize the transformation of rural settlements, land utilization, and urban–rural dynamics, reflecting an ongoing shift toward sustainable rural revitalization. Co-citation analysis identifies emerging themes such as resilience in rural development, land consolidation, and rural governance under environmental constraints. This study offers theoretical and empirical insights critical to advancing rural planning practices in China, proposing a framework for integrating sustainability into policy and guiding future research to optimize spatial layouts, preserve ecological resources, and support rural transformation aligned with China’s socioeconomic objectives.

1. Introduction

Since the beginning of the global industrial revolution, rural regions of developed nations have witnessed a major evolution spanning more than two centuries [1,2]. Notwithstanding the notable adversities and trials along the way, and considering their respective national circumstances, advanced countries devised strategic plans to strengthen rural planning and development [3,4] and successfully established a comprehensive framework for fostering sustainable rural development, ushering in a new era of rural progress [5,6]. As an esteemed discipline, rural planning epitomizes the unwavering pursuit of idyllic living environments in the countryside. Originating from traditional architectural principles, such as the eighteenth-century English conception of the “garden suburb” [7], the fundamental essence lay in the seamless integration of land, landscape, and architecture to forge an environment that harmoniously blends physical spaces with artistic expressions. From advancements in American rural design [8] to Robert Owen’s insightful socialist rural venture, famously known as the “Harmony Village” [9], and from the economic geography contributions of Thünen’s rings [10] to Robert Gilman’s visionary concept of “ecovillages” [11] and Japan’s laudable “One Village, One Product” movement [12], the paradigms that underpin rural planning have actively evolved, highlighting the ongoing amalgamation and evolution of international rural planning theories.

As a forward-thinking mission and strategic arrangement, village planning plays a pivotal role in spearheading agricultural and rural development, allocating resources, and ensuring the scientific and sustainable modernization of agriculture and rural areas [13]. As we advance into the early twenty-first century, marked by deepening globalization and urbanization trends, sustainable development has emerged as a pivotal challenge for the global community. Both the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goals established in 2000 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promulgated in 2015 profoundly underscore the urgency of sustainable development [14]. Accordingly, scholars worldwide have capably implemented interdisciplinary research methodologies to explore the intricate relations among ecological conservation, social equity, economic progress, and rural planning, producing a significant amount of noteworthy achievements. These scholarly inquiries provide not only theoretical tenets that inform the sustainable development of rural regions but also an empirical foundation that helps formulate rural policies.

Concurrently, with the rapid reforms and economic growth in the Chinese context, the traditional rural social structure deeply rooted in the essence of agrarian civilization, commonly referred to as “rural China”, has gradually disintegrated [15], and rural areas now confront unparalleled prospects and challenges. Over the past few decades, China has undergone an unprecedented urbanization drive, condensing a process that took developed countries two to three centuries into a brief period. This rapid transformation has resulted in significant time–space compression [16]. Alongside the recent expedited stride of urbanization, globalization forces have accelerated the flow of diverse elements, yielding profound economic, social, and spatial reconfigurations between urban and rural domains. This has severely disrupted and destabilized rural territorial systems, exposing socioeconomic and environmental predicaments such as land degradation, the unregulated expansion of village construction land, ecological deterioration, and aging populations [17]. The increasing imbalance in urban–rural development highlights the need for China to reconsider its previous rapid urbanization strategies. Against this backdrop, the Chinese government and the academic community have acutely focused on sustainable development, progressively acknowledging the significance of rural planning. This has resulted in a cascade of policies and research outcomes centered around a resurgence in rural zones [18], including the new-type urbanization strategy, which has significantly advanced the sustainable development of rural regions. This approach emphasizes a human-centered perspective and aims to reduce disparities in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and social insurance between urban and rural areas, while also promoting greener production and consumption patterns in urban settings [19,20,21]. The implementation of new policies such as the “territorial spatial planning system” has generated a compelling need to strengthen village planning while considering the constraints of resource availability and environmental factors [22]. This involves the integration of research focal points such as the SDGs into the village planning framework. Specifically, SDG 11 outlines objectives for sustainable development in urban and communal contexts, emphasizing inclusivity, safety, resilience, and sustainability across various domains, including housing, public transportation, environmental preservation, and risk management. The Chinese government has elevated this framework to a strategic level by integrating it with national plans, such as the “13th Five-Year Plan”, and has developed a set of SDG-aligned assessment indicators tailored for China’s evaluation processes [23,24].

With China’s zeal in achieving rural revitalization and harmonious urban–rural coalescence [25,26,27], scholarly attention has gravitated toward village planning theories and practices in connection with the country’s sustainable rural development [15,28]. Chinese scholars have examined the focal aspects of rural planning, including land utilization, environmental preservation, rural governance, and the protection of cultural heritage [29,30,31,32]. Recent years have seen scholars adopt multidisciplinary approaches to explore the sustainable development path in rural environmental areas [33]. Furthermore, the ramifications of formidable unexpected events, such as extreme climates and the COVID-19 pandemic, have introduced uncertainty in rural development, courting “resilience” theory as an emerging research focus within the Chinese rural planning sphere [34]. These efforts have involved a blend of advanced international concepts and methodologies targeting the Chinese rural landscape, charting a course toward sustainable rural development infused with Chinese qualities and resulting in significant research achievements [35,36,37,38,39,40,41].

This study investigates the relation between rural planning and sustainable development in China using bibliometrics to analyze the progress in the rural planning field in the country focusing on SDG 11: sustainable cities and communities. It first provides an overview of rural planning within the sustainability framework, including the quantity of the literature and influential journals (Section 3.1 and Section 3.2), and then examines active authors and the collaborative patterns among research institutions (Section 3.3 and Section 3.4). Next, it discusses highly cited studies and frequently used keywords to explore research trends in China (Section 3.5 and Section 3.6). Finally, through co-citation literature analysis, this study summarizes the research frontiers of rural planning in China under the influence of sustainable development ideals (Section 4). These findings serve as essential entry points for developing the rural planning discipline to optimize the rural spatial layout and achieve overall sustainable development. They also provide recommendations for the future transformation and development of rural areas.

2. Methodology

2.1. Methods

Bibliometrics is an established methodology for literature analysis and information mining that has found broad applications across various disciplines [42,43,44,45]. It uses mathematical and statistical techniques to quantitatively describe and evaluate various characteristics of the literature as well as predict the research directions and cutting-edge developments in the discipline. The concept of bibliometric analysis can be traced back to more than half a century ago when Eugene Garfield introduced the idea of impact factor through the creation of citation indexes [46]. This analysis sought to benchmark journal quality by providing high-quality indexed content relevant to publication and subscription decisions. Since then, a considerable range of tools has been developed for conducting bibliometric analysis [45]. To conduct a literature analysis, this study uses a comprehensive combination of R-bibliometrix [47] and CiteSpace 6.3 [48].

2.2. Data Collection and Analysis

This paper utilizes the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database to monitor advancements in related research. Both WoS and Scopus are widely recognized and frequently used for bibliometric analyses [49,50,51]. We specially chose WoS for its integrated filters that facilitate the screening of SDGs. It is important to note that interpretations of the SDG filters vary across databases and are subject to ongoing adjustments. The literature search was conducted using the topic keywords “rural planning” or “village planning”, with document types limited to English articles and countries limited to China. Furthermore, the focus was narrowed down to SDG 11 with the embedded filter. Bibliographic data for this study were collected on 5 January 2024, and the search results were updated in December 2024 to ensure the data remain current.

The search query used in the WoS Core Collection was ((((((TS=(rural planning)) OR TS=(village planning)) AND CU=(China)) AND LA=(English)) AND DT=(Article)) AND (SDG==("11 SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES"))).

Figure 1 presents the PRISMA diagram that illustrates the selection process for the final records in this analysis [52]. The search yielded a total of 1251 records, including 221 additional records collected during a second retrieval in December 2024. These records serve as the primary data source for analyzing sustainable rural planning research in China. To ensure data integrity and accuracy, we adopted a standardized approach and methodology for data content and processing. First, we conducted a preliminary screening to eliminate duplicate and misclassified documents, such as conference proceedings. Afterward, we performed an independent double review of the literature abstracts to ensure their relevance to this study’s theme. A total of 1057 valid data entries remained, which were then stored and saved as a Microsoft Excel file for processing with R-bibliometrix and converted as a plaintext file named “download_xx” for processing with CiteSpace.

Originally proposed by Small (1973), co-citation analysis has been extensively used to delimit research areas, identify knowledge communities, and detect paradigm shifts [53]. It plays a crucial role in identifying the interconnectedness among research themes by observing when two articles are cited together in the same publication. This method is essential for mapping a research domain’s intellectual landscape as it clusters publications with similar content, revealing the central topics within the field. This study employed co-citation analysis via CiteSpace to explore the research fronts of sustainable rural planning, aiming to identify key features and trends within its subfields. Specifically, CiteSpace offers three algorithms for research cluster labeling: log-likelihood ratio (LLR), latent semantic indexing (LSI), and mutual information. Scholars have reported that LSI is effective in identifying common themes, while LLR is known for highlighting unique ones [54,55]. We used these algorithms to identify research fronts based on the generated labels. By integrating metric data information from different charts and nodes, we could delineate the evolutionary trajectory of research development in this field and summarize key trends, reflecting the inherent essence and laws governing the discipline’s advancement.

3. Results

3.1. Statistical Analysis

Table 1. Primary information and summary of the dataset.

Description	Results
Indexed Timespan	1 January 2004—23 December 2024
Sources	262
Documents	1057
Annual Growth Rate %	23.46
Document Average Age	3.43
Average Citations Per Doc	17.96
References	44,138
Author’s Keywords	3509
Authors	3061
Single-Authored Docs	35
Co-Authors Per Doc	4.46
International Co-authorships %	24.22

shows that, since January 2004, rural planning research in China under the concept of sustainability has yielded a total of 1057 documents published or released in 262 sources. In the past two decades, research in this field has rapidly developed, with an average annual growth rate of 23.46%. Additionally, these resources have included 3509 keywords and a total of 44,138 cited references. A close examination of author collaboration reveals an average of 4.46 authors per collaborative document, accounting for 24.22% of international collaborations.

The number of publications over the years can partially reflect how scholars in the field have changed their focus. Figure 2 shows a significant growth in the number of sustainable rural planning studies in China.

Overall, rural planning research in China can be divided into three developmental stages. First is the initial stage in which publications have gradually emerged since 2004. The concept of “new rural construction” drew attention to rural development and planning with its official proposal in the Central Rural Work Conference in 2005 [22,26,56]. From then until 2010, rural planning research in China has experienced some level of growth. Second, the period of steady growth was propelled by policies such as “new-type urbanization” as outlined in the National New-type Urbanization Plan (2014–2020) and the “beautiful countryside” initiative, which originated in 2013 with the objective to develop “beautiful rural areas” based on the Central No. 1 document [57,58,59]. From 2011 to 2017, studies in this field showed stable and positive growth. Third, a stage of rapid development has been spurred by the “rural revitalization” strategy, underpinned by the Rural Revitalization Strategy Plan (2018–2022) and complemented by various national policy documents. With a nationwide focus on rural areas and efforts to improve rural living environments and establish comprehensive governance systems, combined with technological advancements and societal progress, the period from 2018 to 2024 witnessed a significant increase in the volume of the literature, signaling a vigorous momentum in the discipline’s development.

3.2. Active Sources

We performed a Bradford analysis (

Table 2. Core sources on the topic of sustainable rural planning in China (1 January 2004–23 December 2024).

Journal	JCR Category	h-Index	g-Index	Article Count	Total Citations	Start Year
Land Use Policy	- Environmental Studies	33	62	66	3860	2009
Habitat International	- Environmental Studies - Regional and Urban Planning - Development Studies - Urban Studies	22	30	30	1150	2013
Sustainability	- Environmental Studies - Green and Sustainable Science and Technology	17	26	127	1107	2014
Journal of Geographical Sciences	- Geography, Physical	16	25	25	937	2015
Land	- Environmental Studies	12	15	124	476	2020

) using R-bibliometrix [60]. From the 262 sources examined, four core scientific journals were identified—Land Use Policy, Habitat International, Sustainability, Journal of Geographical Sciences, and Land—accounting for nearly one-third of the total publications in this field. Table 2 presents the five most influential journals in rural planning research in China under the sustainability concept.

The data allow us to infer these journals’ academic impact and significance in the scholarly community. For instance, Land Use Policy showed high h-index and g-index values, indicating its publication of many widely cited articles in the field. The analysis also revealed that sustainable rural planning in China not only serves as a focal point within urban and rural planning studies but also attracts attention from research pertaining to multiple disciplines. Figure 3 displays a Sankey diagram that visualizes the connections between the main items of three fields, namely, sources, cited sources (left), and keywords (right).

3.3. Active Authors

The application of Lotka’s Law elucidates the distribution of author frequencies and publication counts [61]. Among the 3061 authors analyzed, a significant majority (n = 2231, 72.9%) contributed to only one article in the dataset. The remaining authors demonstrated varying levels of productivity: 513 (16.8%), 154 (5.0%), and 69 (2.3%) authors contributed to two, three, and four articles, respectively. Notably, 94 authors (3.1%) were exceptionally prolific, contributing to five or more articles, thereby highlighting their substantial engagement in this research area. Scholars Yansui Liu and Hualou Long from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are leading figures in sustainable rural planning in China, having achieved high local citation counts and impressive h-index scores. These scholars demonstrate considerable involvement in various related fields, supported by a significant record of academic appointments and honors.

3.4. Social Structure

Through R-bibliometrix, we acquired a collaborative network diagram of active research institutions in sustainable rural planning in China. The diagram in Figure 4 represents the size of each node based on the publication count, while the connections between nodes indicate collaborative relations among different institutions. The length and thickness of these connections reflect the strength and closeness of collaboration between two institutions.

Figure 4 shows that the collaborative patterns of the institutions can be categorized into several clusters using the Walktrap clustering algorithm. The core group surrounding the CAS comprises its affiliated institutions, including the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, and the University of CAS. Their research interests target rural planning geography and ecology. For example, they investigated the transformation of Chinese rural areas to explore the characteristics and mechanisms of the evolution of rural territorial systems and village reconstruction [62,63]. Their findings revealed sustainable development patterns for China’s rural territorial systems, serving as key connections between various institutions [26]. This cluster also includes several other key institutions, such as Peking University and Beijing Normal University, highlighting their collaborative relationship with the CAS framework [64,65,66,67,68]. Additionally, some nodes associated with Nanjing University and the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China concentrate on the evaluation of the spatial patterns or vitality of rural ecosystem services, thus proposing development strategies for the precise management of land resources [69,70]. An extensive partnership exists between Sun Yat-sen University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which explores sustainable development within the Greater Bay Area, also known as the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. This collaboration specifically addresses challenges associated with urban–rural integration and urban renewal in inner-city villages [71,72,73].

3.5. High-Impact Documents

We used the R-bibliometrix package to calculate each paper’s citation count, specifically evaluating local citation frequency within the 1057 collected papers.

Table 3. Top local-cited documents on the topic of sustainable rural planning in China (1 January 2004–23 December 2024).

Cited Journal	Title	Year	LC 1	GC 2
Land Use Policy	Accelerated restructuring in rural China fueled by ‘increasing vs. decreasing balance’ land-use policy for dealing with hollowed villages [74]	2012	88	621
Land Use Policy	Community-based rural residential land consolidation and allocation can help to revitalize hollowed villages in traditional agricultural areas of China: Evidence from Dancheng County, Henan Province [75]	2014	55	291
Land Use Policy	Spatio-temporal dynamic patterns of farmland and rural settlements in Su–Xi–Chang region: Implications for building a new countryside in coastal China [76]	2009	45	306
Journal of Rural Studies	Spatio-temporal pattern of China’s rural development: A rurality index perspective [77]	2015	19	150
Journal of Rural Studies	Bottom-up initiatives and revival in the face of rural decline: Case studies from China and Sweden [78]	2016	19	148
Science of the Total Environment	Conflict or coordination? Assessing land use multi-functionalization using production-living-ecology analysis [79]	2017	19	192
Habitat International	Quantitative identification and spatial analysis of land use ecological-production-living functions in rural areas on China’s southeast coast [80]	2020	18	93
Habitat International	Rural settlement land dynamic modes and policy implications in Beijing metropolitan region, China [81]	2014	17	65
Journal of Cleaner Production	Urbanization for rural sustainability—Rethinking China’s urbanization strategy [21]	2018	16	204
Journal of Geographical Sciences	Rural vitalization in China: A perspective of land consolidation [41]	2019	16	169
Journal of Geographical Sciences	Rural restructuring in China: Theory, approaches and research prospect [63]	2017	16	133
Habitat International	Spatial distribution characteristics of rural settlements under diversified rural production functions: A case of Taizhou, China [82]	2020	16	48
Habitat International	Combining weighted daily life circles and land suitability for rural settlement reconstruction [83]	2018	16	44

¹ LC = local citations. ² GC = global citations.

lists the most local-cited documents on sustainable rural planning.

The highly cited publications show that Chinese rural areas are undergoing a policy-driven restructuring, with a focus on regions that implement the “land transfer” policy. This initiative aims to address depopulation in villages and facilitate the revitalization of rural areas. Research has shown that both the temporal and spatial dynamics of rural settlements and land use patterns are pivotal to the development of new rural areas. Experts have developed rural indices and conducted land suitability analyses to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for rural settlement reconstruction. Furthermore, studies on the multifunctionality of land use have revealed potential conflicts and harmonies among production, livelihood, and ecological demands, which are all critical for optimizing land resource allocation. Case studies, including those conducted in the Taizhou and Tongzhou districts, further explain the spatial distribution and evolutionary characteristics of rural settlements in diverse regions, offering valuable insights into the sustainable development of Chinese rural areas. The transformation of rural areas in China represents a complex interdisciplinary field, encompassing land policies, community engagement, ecological conservation, and urban–rural integration. These studies offer valuable information and suggest strategies for the sustainable development of China’s rural areas.

3.6. Keyword Frequency and Co-Occurrence

Keywords serve as concise summaries of the main themes in the literature. Analyzing the keywords utilized in various studies enables researchers to gain insights into research hotspots within a specific field. The analysis of active keywords using R-bibliometrix produces a heatmap (Figure 5) that visually represents the frequency and correlations of rural planning keywords in China concerning sustainable development goals over the past 20 years. Notably, “China” exhibits the highest frequency, followed by “urbanization”, “land use”, and others. This indicates that the relationship between urban and rural areas, as well as land use during the urbanization process in China, is a key focus in the evolution of rural planning theory. Addressing the challenges of imbalanced urban–rural development and extensive-style rural development relies on these factors.

Table 4. Occurrences of top keywords and title bigrams (1 January 2004–23 December 2024).

Keyword	Occurrences	Title Bigrams	Occurrences
china	137	ecosystem services	39
urbanization	59	rural settlements	37
land use	32	province china	31
ecosystem services	31	urban heat	28
rural revitalization	27	rural tourism	27
rural tourism	26	traditional villages	27
rural settlements	25	influencing factors	26
sustainable development	25	city china	23
urban planning	21	heat island	22
landscape pattern	19	construction land	21

presents the most recent statistical figures for the frequency of top keywords and title bigrams.

The high-frequency keywords also include “ecosystem services” and “sustainable development”, suggesting that the concept of ecological civilization significantly influences sustainable rural development and represents a growing area of research. Achieving harmonious development between urban and rural areas necessitates a strong emphasis on ecological carrying capacity and the implementation of green development principles, thereby addressing the challenges of coordinated development among rural production, livelihoods, and ecology. The integration of interdisciplinary research has become increasingly evident. The pursuit of sustainable development models remains steadfast, with emerging research perspectives actively explored, indicating an evolving theoretical framework.

4. Research Fronts

Using CiteSpace software, we conducted a co-citation analysis of the assembled database, yielding 91 research themes dispersed across a timeline. For the purposes of this study, we isolated the 20 research themes with the most recent mean citation year, coinciding with 2020. Drawing upon this selection, we examined the current state of rural planning in China in the sustainable development context to clarify the prevailing research focus and prospective scholarly directions for the imminent future. The analysis unveiled eight research themes within this domain, which can be classified into four research orientations (

Table 5. Research fronts on the topic of sustainable rural planning in China (2004–2023).

Cluster	Theme Size	Label (LSI)	Label (LLR)	Label (MI)
4.1 Rural entities characterized by their regional traits	108	traditional village; space syntax; spatial accessibility	traditional village; ethnic tourism; space of villages and towns	ethnic tourism; space of villages and towns
	78	geographical detector; spatial evolution; karst mountain area	terraced agro-cultural landscape; subjective preference; landscape visual sensitivity	china; rural settlements
4.2 Evolutionary patterns and transformations in rural land utilization	77	influencing factors; spatiotemporal evolution; pingyang county	pingyang county; yangtze river delta; high-standard farmland	china; rural settlements
4.3 Urban–rural dynamics and the governance of rural spatial domains	125	spatial equity; density pattern; center-edge gradients	multiscale life circle; crowdsourcing data; diversity pattern	multiscale life circle; crowdsourcing data
	119	public goods output; high-value land; morphological spatial pattern analysis	public goods output; high-value land; deep neural network	china; public goods output
4.4 Creating an evaluative framework aligned with the interplay of resource–environment dynamics and development levels	219	rural settlements; pastoral ecotone; suitability evolution	rural housing land; rural living environments; collective action	rural living environments
	104	landscape connectivity; urban planning; ecological corridor	nanjing jiangbei new area; land resources; optimal allocation	nanjing jiangbei new area; land resources
	43	comprehensive land consolidation; rural industry revitalization; national land spatial planning	comprehensive land consolidation; national land spatial planning; rural industry revitalization	china; rural settlements

).

4.1. Rural Entities Characterized by Their Regional Traits

Spanning a vast geographical area, China’s diverse topography, climate, culture, and ethnicities have coalesced to produce several rural settlement patterns, encompassing those found in unique geographical formations and regions inhabited by ethnic minorities. Since the inception of China’s rural revitalization strategy in 2017, many scholarly investigations have focused on region-specific villages to explain rural planning approaches that suit local natural and cultural contexts.

In the eastern plains of China, agricultural production is paramount, inextricably linking rural development to the growth of the agricultural economy. The traditional polder landscape development in the Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain is a quintessential example of China’s ecological agricultural model, while the Mulberry-dike-fish-pond system has been recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System [84]. On a broader regional scale, experts have adopted quantitative economic modeling and machine learning techniques to prioritize infrastructure development, farmland circulation, and industrial integration, thus explaining the factors surrounding the evolution of traditional agricultural villages in northern Jiangsu [85]. Additionally, investigations into the siting, spatial morphology [86], and cultural landscape synergy of traditional villages in the Jiangnan region have yielded valuable insights that can help enhance living environments in rural settlements [87].

Beyond these initiatives, many other investigations have focused on village and town planning in the minority-inhabited regions of northwestern and southwestern China, highlighting the evolving sustainability of traditional villages in the context of distinct regional characteristics [88,89]. Concomitantly, traditional villages in these areas have been recognized for their sustainable development value [90] and establishment of protection systems [91], informing their preservation and heritage. Furthermore, villages in specific topographical and geomorphological conditions have been the target of studies on integrated environmental governance (karst mountainous areas) [92], rural tourism development models (Hakka terraced fields) [93], the conservation and landscape enhancement of agricultural cultural heritage (Hani terraced fields) [94], and the spatial patterns and differentiation of rural settlements in the Loess Plateau [95]. These investigations have suggested valuable strategies for fostering sustainable development.

Transcending the village development realm anchored in traditional cultural elements, urban villages have consistently attracted scholarly attention. Their development and governance characterize a distinctive regenerative paradigm within urban renewal, illuminating pathways toward the realization of sustainable cities [72,96,97]. Amid the backdrop of modern urbanization and urban renewal, urban village governance and revitalization research has highlighted the importance of environmental value, efficiency factors, and the impact of urban villages on the cityscape (in terms of humidity, ventilation, illumination, acoustics, and air quality). Such research accentuates the viability of urban village transformation and the effectiveness of urban renewal strategies, offering valuable support for urban village development decision-making.

4.2. Evolutionary Patterns and Transformations in Rural Land Utilization

With China’s rapid urbanization in recent years, significant transformations have occurred in the land utilization of rural areas. These have led to prominent conflicts between human activities and the environment, along with such issues as vegetation destruction and soil erosion as well as other environmental concerns. These changes are also crucial in driving ecological and environmental alterations. Therefore, sustainable development endeavors have included a concerted effort to implement land consolidation as a policy design aiming to foster agricultural production and rural development in China. This involves addressing key aspects such as rural sustainability, impact evaluation, land fragmentation, and land reallocation [95]. Moreover, ongoing explorations have focused on the models and underlying mechanisms of land consolidation in promoting rural development [98]. As a policy measure, land consolidation guided by sustainable development must be considered to effectively coordinate and enhance the ever-evolving link between humans and the land. At the policy level of rural planning, sustainable development measures are being proposed, including initiatives to encourage the transfer of rural land use rights, promote large-scale land management, enhance the value of farmers’ homesteads, and address village depopulation [99].

In the rural land utilization discourse, cultivated land is an indispensable consideration. China has enacted stringent policies to protect cultivated land, demarcating a national threshold of 1.8 billion mu (approximately 120 million hectares) for cultivated land, with no alterations permitted in its expanse or purpose. Consequently, to control the illicit conversion of primary farmland into alternative land uses, China has formulated a technocentric framework for delineating primary farmland [100]. Simultaneously, with the substantial migration of rural populations to urban centers, the predicament of forsaken rural land has been increasingly dire. Abandoned farmland, including its temporal fluctuations, annual transformations, and uninterrupted spatial configurations [101], can be efficiently monitored using remote sensing technology [102]. Moreover, the introduction of a properly scaled agricultural mechanization that aligns with topographic suitability may help alleviate the quandary of land abandonment [103].

Land utilization and human development activities are intricately entwined, and examining the dynamics of their evolution provides valuable insights for fostering regional sustainable development. Through the integration of human interventions as evaluative factors, variances in the value of ecosystem services and the degree of landscape fragmentation can be assessed scientifically, facilitating the implementation of meticulously devised land use development plans [104]. The velocity and trajectory of dynamic transformations in the morphology and spatial patterns of rural settlements in a given area can serve as indicators of their economic and social development status [105,106]. Furthermore, these changes reflect underlying drivers such as the ramifications of novel urbanization policies on the evolution of rural settlement patterns [107], the influence of unforeseen economic and social policies [105], and the evolutionary patterns and characteristics of urban fringe regions [108]. Nonetheless, as a multiethnic nation, China exhibits divergences in the morphological features and evolution patterns of rural settlements among different ethnic groups. Such variations characterize the interplay between ethnic culture and spatial configurations [109].

4.3. Urban–Rural Dynamics and the Governance of Rural Spatial Domains

The urban–rural relation has always been a pivotal influence in the profound nature of China’s economic and social development. Cities and rural areas engage in symbiotic development, reinforcing one another. However, since the advent of reforms and opening up, urban–rural conflicts have become a significant impediment to the sustainable development of rural regions [110]. According to Xueru Zhang, decoupling the level and quality of urbanization can offer fresh perspectives for sustainable rural research [111]. Given the rapid urbanization context, a range of measures must be explored to achieve sustainable land utilization [112] in response to the adverse effects of urbanization, such as the expansive growth of construction land and rural depopulation. These approaches would include assessing the exposure of green spaces and augmenting deficient green spaces within rural communities [113]. Additionally, to address the issue of rural population decline due to urbanization, one must consider the scale of land use and its allocation to individuals and regions [114]. Correspondingly, adopting appropriate ecological protection and restoration measures tailored to varying urbanization levels in each region is vital [115]. While megacities exert the greatest influence and affect surrounding towns, they also experience the most intense friction in the urban–rural relation and land use conflicts. The primary challenges lie in the coordinated advancement of new and established urban areas in conjunction with rural areas, endeavoring to achieve high-quality urbanization [116] and pursuing a harmonious green urbanization that seamlessly integrates with the ecological environment [117].

Studies have established that the enduring dichotomy and control system between urban and rural areas have been inadequate in meeting the pragmatic demands of national development. Investigating the mechanisms behind rural revitalization and development has emerged as a crucial pathway for optimizing the urban–rural relation and facilitating rural transformation. Significant research suggests that accurate land survey data derived from satellite remote sensing technology help accomplish sustainable land utilization objectives [118]. Moreover, resolving spatial conflicts in land use is a requirement for striking a delicate balance in land utilization and fostering socioeconomic development in the region [119,120].

The transition from the dichotomy between urban and rural to their integration and ultimately to their fusion embodies a “Chinese-style modernization” paradigm that seeks to narrow the development gap between urban and rural areas. Such transformation is guided by macropolicies and the principles of rural planning theory and practice. Rural spatial governance [121] has gradually shifted its focal point from the structural contradictions within urban and rural spatial forms to land use regulation at the national level [122], the dynamics of urban and rural development factors [123], the mitigation of urban–rural income disparity [124], and the transformation of production and living conditions for landless farmers. These efforts actively help optimize urban–rural relations.

4.4. Creating an Evaluative Framework Aligned with the Interplay of Resource–Environment Dynamics and Development Levels

Amid the escalating issues involving resources, population, and the environment is a mounting apprehension for the resources and environment in rural regions. Methodologically, a gradual shift has transpired from conventional subjective qualitative analyses to data-driven approaches that prioritize the construction of evaluation frameworks. This transition has heightened scientific rigor and applicability, generating valuable insights into the development and enhancement of the sustainable use of rural land resources [125]. Extensive quantitative evaluation studies on rural revitalization have focused on establishing an evaluative framework for rural ecology. For instance, Song (2020) introduced the risk index and the adaptation capability index, positing that the rural human–environment system adheres to the principles of adaptive cycles [126]. In livestock areas, scholars have employed latent class models to identify the restoration benefits of grassland ecosystems, thus informing grassland conservation policies [127]. Likewise, to optimize rural settlement layouts, scholars have assessed the suitability of the spatial distribution of rural agglomerations using land cover data, digital elevation models, and a minimum cumulative resistance model [128]. The establishment of dynamic evaluation mechanisms is also paramount in ensuring that the evaluation indicator system can be applied to national land spatial planning and economic development [119]. For instance, relevant studies have developed ecological security patterns that identify crucial ecological sources and corridors for regional sustainability [129,130,131]. Furthermore, researchers have employed spatial econometric models to compare variations in the factors that influence rural settlements over multiple years [132]. Additionally, the evaluation of carbon emission patterns due to land use changes in the carbon neutrality context [133], the spatiotemporal characteristics and future predictions of production–living–ecological spaces [134], the quantification of changes in rural ecotourism value [135], and the sustainability assessment of complex rural ecosystems [136] collectively help establish a dual environmental assessment system based on the carrying capacity of resources and the suitability of national land spatial development.

Studies aiming to develop an evaluation indicator system for rural revitalization have been gaining momentum. On the one hand, with regard to the level of rural revitalization development, they have incorporated entropy weight TOPSIS and spatial analysis methods to simulate the spatial structural characteristics of different regions or provinces [137,138]. They have also calculated the regional variations and dynamic evolution patterns of rural development across different areas while analyzing rural revitalization levels and their impediments in 40 cities within the Yangtze River Delta region [139]. However, at the implementation level of rural revitalization in China, scholars have constructed an evaluation indicator system that includes rural residents’ material and spiritual well-being, assessing the effectiveness of its implementation [140].

Recent years have seen the Ministry of Natural Resources implement the “Three Zones and Three Lines” policy for land and space in China. This concept delineates boundaries to define three distinct land use types: agricultural zones, ecological preservation zones, and urban development zones. Correspondingly, these three lines are the red line for the protection of arable land and permanent basic farmland, the red line for ecological conservation, and the boundary line for urban expansion. This policy is based on the assessment of the carrying capacity of resources and the environment and the evaluation of land and space development suitability. Several initiatives have emerged in connection with these, including the integration of rural disaster prevention and reduction with resource and environmental coupling [141]; the assessment of farmland safety in Yingtan City, Jiangxi Province [142]; comprehensive land improvement across regions [143,144]; and the establishment of a vulnerability assessment index system in mountainous areas [145]. These efforts provide a basis for sustainable land use planning in ecologically vulnerable areas [146] and the promotion of ecological restoration sustainability [147]. Furthermore, optimizing the distribution of sanitary facilities can effectively enhance the rationality of rural planning in China [148,149,150] and close the urban–rural gap [151].

5. Conclusions

This study conducted a bibliometric analysis and created an intellectual network based on 1057 English articles obtained from the WoS Core Collection. It performed a statistical analysis of these resources and identified research fronts in sustainable rural planning in China. The period between 2004 and 2024 has witnessed rapid development and increasing attention within this field. Studies have shown interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary characteristics. Under the SDGs, the theoretical exploration of rural planning in China has transitioned from land use planning to drivers of land consolidation and the deepening of land policies. Research methodologies have shifted from simple gradient analyses to complex system models that incorporate sustainability concepts such as ecosystem services. The interdisciplinary research integration has become more apparent.

Research within this domain has consistently revolved around the intricate relation between urban and rural areas and their corresponding land utilization. Its primary goal is to address the challenges of achieving a harmonious development between urbanization and the ecological environment. The notion of an ecological civilization stands as a vital milestone in rural planning research as it holds tremendous significance in driving improvements within the research system. In the sustainable development realm, rural planning research in China has highlighted several notable avenues, including (1) rural entities characterized by their regional traits, (2) evolutionary patterns and transformations in rural land utilization, (3) urban–rural dynamics in the governance of rural spatial domains, and (4) the development of an evaluative framework aligned with the interplay between resource–environment dynamics and development levels. Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, these findings provide substantial theoretical and empirical guidance for the sustainable development of China’s rural areas. Through interdisciplinary exploration, these results have helped us understand sustainable rural communities, specifically in terms of the complex relations between humans and the environment and the sustainable utilization of rural resources.

However, further enhancements must be achieved in the ecologically friendly development of rural areas and the associated planning theories [152,153,154,155]. Although energy conservation, emission reduction, and ecosystem services continue to be prominent topics within this field, they have mostly remained at the theoretical level, lacking practical application in rural planning. Meanwhile, it has become imperative to holistically integrate with China’s national conditions and improve the practicality and efficacy of planning techniques. Rural planning in China has demonstrated a strong policy-oriented approach [21,63], requiring the consistent transmission of sustainable development principles through the planning system [156,157]. This is expected to guarantee rural planning sustainability by effectively incorporating feedback on the uncertainties encountered during rural planning practices through a flexible yet well-structured mechanism.

This study has several limitations. First, its literature selection was restricted to a specific database, resulting in the exclusion of significant data from other sources, such as the China National Knowledge Infrastructure platform. Incorporating data from Chinese databases would undoubtedly enhance the understanding of the social work research panorama in China developed here. However, the incomplete data coverage of references cited in Chinese academic databases hinders this study’s application of co-citation analysis. We propose a cross-platform system that leverages bibliometric data to advance bibliometric science while advocating for a domain-specific approach to methodology analysis, utilizing in-depth methods such as systematic reviews. Second, while bibliometric analyses provide valuable quantitative metrics and trends, they may overlook context-specific information derived from qualitative research [158,159]. It is important to recognize that the misuse of bibliometric indicators can have detrimental effects on individuals and groups [160]. Finally, this study did not examine less active clusters or marginalized research themes, and their significance should not be underestimated. Ignoring these risks overlooks important segments of the field. A balanced approach will deepen our understanding of the research landscape and enable a more comprehensive evaluation of scientific knowledge.

Guided by the principle of sustainability, future research on rural planning in China should prioritize several key areas. 1. From the perspective of land consolidation, it would be beneficial to consider models that harmonize interactions between population, land, and industry in rural regions. Given the complexity of rural territorial systems, implementing regionally tailored revitalization strategies is crucial [41]. Supported by a spatial planning framework, rural planning and design should encourage the sustainable development of rural economies, societies, and environments, thereby contributing to reversing rural decline [161,162]. 2. To address the challenges of urban–rural transformation in China, future research should enhance the theoretical framework by focusing on critical issues such as environmental governance, the loss of rural character, and poverty in mountainous areas [163]. Furthermore, interdisciplinary approaches could investigate the integration of green and low-carbon technologies, ecological compensation mechanisms, and smart planning within rural development. 3. Developing a policy-driven, multiscale systemic planning framework is necessary [164]. Like other developing countries such as Brazil and India, rural development often relies on government funding, while strengthening urban and rural social organizations can greatly support the integration of these regions [165]. Rural planning should provide clear policy direction, facilitating a hierarchical dissemination of information from cities to counties, towns, and villages through a multi-tiered system. This approach promotes the implementation of sustainable development principles and offers timely feedback on uncertainties in rural planning, thereby enhancing the systematic nature of the framework at a broader level [166]. Concurrently, strengthening the universality of policy formulation is vital for the sustainable revitalization of rural regions [167,168].