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Land
Special Issues
Rural Space: Between Renewal Processes and Preservation
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Rural Space: Between Renewal Processes and Preservation

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 August 2025 | Viewed by 1782

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hadas Shadar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NB School of Design, University of Haifa, Haganim St. 21, Haifa 3502350, Israel
Interests: urban and rural design; new cities and neighborhoods planned by the state; ideology in planning; brutalist architecture; heritage preservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Irit Amit-Cohen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Environment, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 32900, Israel
Interests: planning, conservation and development of cultural landscapes and historical geography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rural space is undergoing significant changes as a result of rapid development. In developing countries, it suffers from the intrusion of urban functions, which alter residents’ livelihoods and occupations, subsequently reshaping the spatial distribution of settlements, the form and character of public spaces, and the design of homes. In developed countries, rural areas are often abandoned (particularly those distant from metropolitan areas and not serving as suburbs), or they become a “backyard” for infrastructure that cities prefer to avoid, ranging from large warehouses to facilities for green energy production. These processes fundamentally alter the character and identity of rural spaces.

The goal of this Special Issue is to gather together papers (original research articles and review papers) that provide insights into these processes, and it seeks to uncover these phenomena while considering the unique historical, cultural, and social context of each location. This Special Issue will explore the social and cultural implications of these processes, the ideological shifts brought about by them, and their impact on physical spaces. The relevant scale is diverse, ranging from the regional to the settlement and architectural levels. Simultaneously, the Special Issue aims to capture the spirit of the place that should be preserved, even amidst development processes, and to explore how this preservation could be achieved.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

  • Threats to the rural spaces;
  • The preservation of rural heritage;
  • The physical aspects of rural space transformation;
  • The cultural interpretations of the significance of rural space.

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

Dr. Hadas Shadar
Prof. Dr. Irit Amit-Cohen
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

  • rural–urban spatial conflicts
  • development processes in rural areas
  • rural heritage
  • rural preservation
  • rural sense of place
  • rural local identity

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 8322 KiB  
Article
Study on the Coupling Coordination Relationships and Driving Factors of “Ecology–Humanities–Technology” in Traditional Villages of the Xinjiang Oasis
by Zhaoqi Li, Jianming Ye, Yukang Li, Yingbin Li and Mengmeng Zhu
Land 2025, 14(6), 1249; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061249 - 11 Jun 2025
Viewed by 390
Abstract
During the advancement of modern rural construction, traditional villages in the Xinjiang Oasis face the problem that uncoordinated system development affects scientific development and protection. Therefore, this study derives and constructs a coupling framework for the “Ecology–Humanities–Technology” system. Taking 53 traditional villages in [...] Read more.
During the advancement of modern rural construction, traditional villages in the Xinjiang Oasis face the problem that uncoordinated system development affects scientific development and protection. Therefore, this study derives and constructs a coupling framework for the “Ecology–Humanities–Technology” system. Taking 53 traditional villages in Xinjiang as research objects, it uses the comprehensive evaluation model, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, and the geographic detector model to reveal the coupling coordination relationships and driving factors of the “Ecology–Humanities–Technology” system. The research results provide reference for evaluation methods and theoretical guidance for the balanced development of traditional villages in arid regions such as the Xinjiang Oasis. The results show the following: (1) The majority of the traditional villages in the Xinjiang Oasis are in the mild imbalance stage (71.7%). (2) The CCD rankings in various regions of Xinjiang are as follows: eastern Xinjiang > southern Xinjiang > northern Xinjiang. Humanities and technology have significantly different impacts on the traditional villages in different regions. (3) The inheritance level of the technology dimension and other factors are the main internal driving factors. The density of village road networks, the number of conservation and development projects, Baidu Index, and other factors are the main external driving factors. Nonlinear enhancement interaction effects are significant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Space: Between Renewal Processes and Preservation)
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17 pages, 8761 KiB  
Article
Preservation of Rural Characteristics in Urbanized Villages
by Hadas Shadar
Land 2025, 14(5), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051024 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 465
Abstract
The aim of this article is twofold: to identify physical rural characteristics that persist after villages undergo urbanization, and to propose an appropriate planning “language” for preserving them. The article contributes to the literature, as current studies addressing rural preservation focus on the [...] Read more.
The aim of this article is twofold: to identify physical rural characteristics that persist after villages undergo urbanization, and to propose an appropriate planning “language” for preserving them. The article contributes to the literature, as current studies addressing rural preservation focus on the early stages of urbanization and on several physical preservation recommendations, most of which emphasize residential buildings alone. The article addresses the case study of Jewish villages established in pre-statehood Palestine. These comprise dozens of settlements planned based on European models and built from the late nineteenth century until World War I. Most underwent urbanization and evolved into towns or large cities. The study identifies rural characteristics that have endured and explores how they can be preserved through contemporary planning. The findings reveal that in all major cities examined, large open areas have been preserved within the former farmyards located behind the pioneers’ residential buildings. The article argues that beyond the preservation of original structures, historical trees, and gardens, particular importance should be placed on preserving these former farmyards as intra-urban open spaces. Maintaining sightlines from the streets toward these areas and enabling movement into them will help retain the rural features of the former villages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Space: Between Renewal Processes and Preservation)
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19 pages, 3454 KiB  
Article
Who Owns the Rural Space? The Social Contradictions Between Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Native Individuals Under China’s Rural Revitalization
by Wei Meng, Hengyu Wang and Shengcong Wang
Land 2025, 14(2), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020420 - 17 Feb 2025
Viewed by 587
Abstract
China’s rural revitalization strategy has led to the emergence of a new group of immigrant entrepreneurs. As they manage industries in villages, social contradictions with the native individuals inevitably arise. To reveal the social contradictions between immigrant entrepreneurs and native individuals, this study [...] Read more.
China’s rural revitalization strategy has led to the emergence of a new group of immigrant entrepreneurs. As they manage industries in villages, social contradictions with the native individuals inevitably arise. To reveal the social contradictions between immigrant entrepreneurs and native individuals, this study constructs a framework based on social conflict theory and employs a qualitative approach combining methods such as participative observation and unstructured interviews with immigrant entrepreneurs, native individuals, and village officials in Xian Village. Key findings reveal the following: (1) Disparities in lifestyle, entertainment methods, and commercial interests are the main factors contributing to the social contradictions. (2) The presentation of contradictions is summarized in three forms: the segregation of production space, the emergence of interest groups, and the outbreak of intermittent conflicts. (3) Although these contradictions seem to be part of everyday life and self-regulating, with the favoritism of local governments, the power network of the village is further eroded by immigrant entrepreneurs, and native individuals are faced with the risk of being marginalized, which seems to be a tricky phenomenon in the process of rural revitalization. These findings summarize the causes and localized presentation forms of social contradictions, enhance the applicability of social conflict theory, and supplement valuable cases from developing countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Space: Between Renewal Processes and Preservation)
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