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Land
Special Issues
Mega-City Regions in the Global South
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Mega-City Regions in the Global South

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2024 | Viewed by 5803

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Guangzhong Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: urban geography; metropolitan development; urban-rural planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qiujie Shi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: comparative urban studies; global city; social justice; rural development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tao Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: urbanization; migration; urban planning and governance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mega-city regions represent an advanced form of urbanization. While examples of these were first found in the Global North, they have recently become a worldwide phenomenon. In recent decades, mega-city regions in the Global South have not only grown in number, but also come to share the responsibility for coordinating the global economy. They are the leading areas in which new urban uncertainties, challenges, and opportunities arise and are the new starting points from which ideas on mega-city regions can be developed. Against this backdrop, it is imperative to unpack their complexities. It is also imperative to re-theorize on mega-city regions in terms of these complexities. The rise of mega-city regions in the Global South leads to the need for theoretically informed and empirically grounded research, from a global and comparative perspective, and a critical and decolonial thinking.

This Special Issue focuses on the complexities of mega-city regions in the Global South. It aims to bring professional practices and academic discussion into conversation with one another, help to address key issues in these places, and advance the theoretical understandings of mega-city regions. We welcome theoretical reflections from different perspectives, methodological explorations from different disciplines, and empirical studies (both qualitative, such as case studies, and quantitative, such as modeling) from different geographic areas in the Global South. The key topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Global cities in the Global South;
  • Social and spatial dynamics in large cities, mega cities, and mega-city regions;
  • Demographic, land, and industrial development in mega-city regions;
  • Spatial planning and governance in large cities and megaregions;
  • Urban-rural interaction in regional development;
  • Mega-city regions in the national and/or global economy;
  • Post-colonial and critical urban theory;
  • Comparative urban studies.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Guangzhong Cao
Dr. Qiujie Shi
Prof. Dr. Tao Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mega-city regions
  • global city
  • southern urbanism
  • comparative urbanism
  • regional development
  • social and spatial inequality

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1873 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Social Capital on Community Resilience: A Comparative Study of Seven Flood-Prone Communities in Nanjing, China
by Yi Chen, Hui Liu, Shuchang Lin, Yueping Wang, Qian Zhang and Liaoling Feng
Land 2024, 13(8), 1145; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081145 - 26 Jul 2024
Abstract
Social capital plays a crucial role in enhancing community resilience during flood disasters. This study investigates the influence of social capital on community resilience in Nanjing, China. Social capital is composed of five aspects: cohesion, collective efficacy, sense of belonging, trust and reciprocity [...] Read more.
Social capital plays a crucial role in enhancing community resilience during flood disasters. This study investigates the influence of social capital on community resilience in Nanjing, China. Social capital is composed of five aspects: cohesion, collective efficacy, sense of belonging, trust and reciprocity and informal social control. Factor analysis and multiple regression analysis are employed to analyze the dimensions of social capital and its impact on community resilience. Our results demonstrate that social cohesion and collective efficacy are the most representative factors of social capital. Reformed housing communities typically have higher cohesion than those in commercial and affordable housing. Affordable housing communities in flood-prone areas have higher collective efficacy but lower trust and reciprocity. Commercial housing communities have higher informal social control but have great internal differences in collective efficacy. We strongly urge government decision makers to enhance flood resilience by fostering social capital within local communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mega-City Regions in the Global South)
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23 pages, 1659 KiB  
Article
Human Capital, Life Satisfaction, and the Floating Population’s Urban Settlement Intention in Cities—A Case Study of Six Cities in the Pearl River Delta
by Qinyi Jiang, Yuanyuan Wang, Xiaomei Ye, Xinger Li, Weimin Pan and Yuqu Wang
Land 2024, 13(6), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060817 - 7 Jun 2024
Viewed by 533
Abstract
The urban settlement intention of the floating population and its influencing factors have received widespread attention, but there is less literature on the relationship between human capital, life satisfaction, and the urban settlement intention of the floating population. Employing 2146 questionnaire data from [...] Read more.
The urban settlement intention of the floating population and its influencing factors have received widespread attention, but there is less literature on the relationship between human capital, life satisfaction, and the urban settlement intention of the floating population. Employing 2146 questionnaire data from the Pearl River Delta’s floating population, this study establishes measurement indicators for human capital and life satisfaction, constructs a structural equation model, and examines the influence of human capital on life satisfaction, as well as their collective impact on the floating population’s urban settlement intentions. The findings reveal that human capital influences multiple facets of the floating population’s life satisfaction, which subsequently shapes its desire to settle. Considering individual life satisfaction, the economic well-being and social security contentment of the floating population exert a notable impact on its urban settlement intentions, whereas satisfaction with emotional life and public service facilities appears to have a less pronounced effect. Further investigation into how varying levels of human capital modulate the influence of life satisfaction on urban settlement intentions, alongside the transition from fundamental economic security to psychological needs (about life satisfaction), holds substantial referential value for research on population migration and the development of citizenship policies in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mega-City Regions in the Global South)
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21 pages, 11203 KiB  
Article
The Delineation and Characterisation of Chinese Urbanised Areas Using Micro-Scale Population Census Data
by Yumin Ye, Yike Tang and Jiejing Wang
Land 2024, 13(6), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13060763 - 29 May 2024
Viewed by 402
Abstract
The definition of cities from the physical view in China is lacking. Most research regarding Chinese cities relies on the definition from the administrative view, which is often inconsistent as there are serious discrepancies between the administrative boundaries and the physical extent of [...] Read more.
The definition of cities from the physical view in China is lacking. Most research regarding Chinese cities relies on the definition from the administrative view, which is often inconsistent as there are serious discrepancies between the administrative boundaries and the physical extent of Chinese cities. This study aims to delineate Chinese urbanised areas using population census data at the township level and analyse the identified urbanised areas’ characteristics. The results show that the numbers of Chinese urbanised areas in 2000, 2010, and 2020 were 758, 942, and 1058, respectively, indicating there are several ‘cities outside the system’ that meet the requirements of urban agglomeration but are constrained by the city designation system. The degree of population aggregation and the growth rate of urbanised areas are greater than those of administrative cities. This indicates that the geographical scopes of administrative cities cannot accurately reflect the ‘real’ urban areas. Additionally, the city-size distribution follows Zipf’s law, with the Zipf coefficient moving closer to one if we fit the Zipf model based on the urbanised areas. It is necessary to establish official urbanised areas and publish statistical data based on urbanised areas, which could have significant implications both for policymakers and researchers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mega-City Regions in the Global South)
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17 pages, 3008 KiB  
Article
Associations between Land-Use Patterns and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in the Beijing—Tianjin–Hebei Megacity Region
by Changcheng Kan, Qiwei Ma, Anqi Liu and Zhaoyu Yuan
Land 2023, 12(12), 2176; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12122176 - 16 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1025
Abstract
Megacity regions where human activities are intensive are key areas for CVD prevention and control in China. Optimizing land-use patterns has been widely recognized as an important public health intervention. Ecological space, agricultural space, and construction space are three basic management objects in [...] Read more.
Megacity regions where human activities are intensive are key areas for CVD prevention and control in China. Optimizing land-use patterns has been widely recognized as an important public health intervention. Ecological space, agricultural space, and construction space are three basic management objects in China’s new land-use management system. Given that most existing studies focused on a single type of land use, this study treats them as a whole and not only explores the impact of each type, but also systematically investigates the effects of the interactions between any two types of land use and the whole land-use pattern. Specifically, this study first constructs a hierarchical index system, then uses spatial error models (SEM) to explore the global associations between each index and age-standardized CVD mortality rates (ASMRs) and uses the multiple geographical weighted regression model (MGWR) to explore the spatial heterogeneity of factor effects. The possible association between land-use patterns and CVD mortality is then explored, and recommendations for policy formulation are provided. The analysis results show that the overall pattern of moderately decentralized and organically combined land use can control CVD mortality to a certain extent, but the specific influence mechanisms show significant differences according to different land-use types, relationships, and location conditions. First, in terms of single-type land-use distribution, the concentration of ecological space has positive health benefits, while a too high concentration of agricultural space has negative effects. Second, the combination of different types of land use has a significant association with CVD, in which the mixed layout of ecological and agricultural space helps to suppress CVD, while ecological and construction space need to be appropriately regularized and should not be too interspersed. Third, the same index may have different effects in different regions, suggesting that policy makers need to tailor their policies to local conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mega-City Regions in the Global South)
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21 pages, 2836 KiB  
Article
Spatial Patterns and Determinants of Bed and Breakfasts in the All-for-One Tourism Demonstration Area of China: A Perspective on Urban–Rural Differences
by Ao Sun, Lin Chen, Kunimitsu Yoshida and Meng Qu
Land 2023, 12(9), 1720; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091720 - 3 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2592
Abstract
The spatial structure of Bed and Breakfast (B&B) development plays a crucial role in promoting integrated urban–rural development. However, existing B&B research has predominantly focused on single large cities, neglecting to explore the spatial patterns of B&B development and their influencing factors from [...] Read more.
The spatial structure of Bed and Breakfast (B&B) development plays a crucial role in promoting integrated urban–rural development. However, existing B&B research has predominantly focused on single large cities, neglecting to explore the spatial patterns of B&B development and their influencing factors from the perspective of urban–rural differences. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive case study in an all-for-one tourism demonstration area in Hainan Province, China. We adopt geospatial analysis methods and ridge regression models to investigate the characteristics of urban–rural disparities in B&B distribution and to identify the primary factors influencing their spatial arrangement. The research findings reveal valuable insights: (1) B&B establishments in the tourism demonstration area exhibit clustering with notable variations in clustering intensity between urban and rural regions; (2) essential factors affecting the spatial distribution of B&Bs include transportation accessibility, reliance on tourism attractions, B&B development infrastructure, and the availability of living services; (3) tourism resource dependence emerges as the most significant driving force behind B&B agglomerations in the tourism demonstration area; and (4) road network density, hotel service availability, and neighborhood residential density are three additional critical factors affecting B&B distribution, with their influence varying between urban and rural B&Bs. Based on these key findings, we propose development strategies for optimizing B&Bs’ spatial structure in the tourism demonstration area and outline a blueprint for fostering integrated urban–rural development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mega-City Regions in the Global South)
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