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Land
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New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development
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New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development

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: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 5841

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiong He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: urban and regional planning; urban big data analytics; urban remote sensing application
Prof. Dr. Chunshan Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: urban and regional planning; urban spatial structure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urbanization across the globe is undergoing a critical shift towards more sustainable and human-centered development models. Conventional approaches have often faced significant challenges, including single-function urban systems, the imbalanced allocation of urban and rural resources, the overconcentration of populations, and the neglect of cultural and ecological systems. These issues not only hinder sustainable urban growth but also exacerbate the urban–rural divide. In response, there is an urgent need to develop a new urbanization paradigm that emphasizes urban–rural coordination to achieve efficient resource flow, optimized spatial layouts, and comprehensive improvements in governance systems. This Special Issue will delve into the core challenges of new urbanization, emphasizing the synergy between urban and rural development, as well as the construction of sustainable societies.

This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that link the following themes:

Urban–Rural Resource Flow and Coordination
  • Mechanisms for balancing urban and rural resources such as labor, capital, and infrastructure;
  • Strategies to improve urban–rural integration through policies or innovations.
Urban and Rural Spatial Optimization
  • Research on the spatial layout and morphology of cities and rural areas;
  • Approaches to achieving balanced and eco-friendly development patterns.
Social Governance and Quality of Life
  • Governance models for managing urban and rural challenges cohesively;
  • Improving quality of life for both urban and rural communities through governance innovations.
Applications of Advanced Technologies
  • The role of GIS, remote sensing, and other technologies in supporting urban–rural research;
  • Big data applications to monitor and enhance urban–rural dynamics.
Sustainability and Resilience in Urbanization
  • Studies on how to ensure sustainability in new urbanization processes;
  • Case studies on resilient urban and rural development models.
We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Xiong He
Prof. Dr. Chunshan Zhou
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

  • urban and regional planning
  • urban–rural integration
  • sustainable development
  • urban and rural land use
  • urban governance
  • urban–rural landscape
  • urban–rural relations
  • geographic information systems (GISs) and remote sensing

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 7049 KiB  
Article
Spatial Accessibility in Last-Mile Logistics: A New Dimension of Urban–Rural Integration
by Song Liu, Yongwang Cao, Qi Gao and Weitao Liu
Land 2025, 14(8), 1691; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14081691 - 21 Aug 2025
Abstract
Under the advancing urban–rural integration strategy, last-mile logistics, and their spatial accessibility, have become key indicators for measuring regional coordination. Focusing on Guangzhou as the case study area, this study constructs an urban–rural spatial accessibility assessment model integrating multimodal convolutional neural networks and [...] Read more.
Under the advancing urban–rural integration strategy, last-mile logistics, and their spatial accessibility, have become key indicators for measuring regional coordination. Focusing on Guangzhou as the case study area, this study constructs an urban–rural spatial accessibility assessment model integrating multimodal convolutional neural networks and Graph Neural Networks (GNN) to systematically examine the evolving accessibility patterns in last-mile logistics distribution across urban and rural spaces. The study finds that Guangzhou’s urban space continues to expand while rural space gradually decreases during this period, showing an overall development trend from centralized single-core to multi-polar networked patterns. The spatial accessibility of last-mile logistics in Guangzhou exhibits higher levels in urban core areas and lower levels in peripheral rural areas, but the overall accessibility is progressively expanding and improving in outlying regions. These accessibility changes not only reflect the optimization path of logistics infrastructure but also reveal the practical progress of urban–rural integration development. Through spatial distribution analysis and dynamic simulation of logistics networks, this study establishes a novel explanatory framework for understanding the spatial mechanisms of urban–rural integration. The findings provide decision-making support for optimizing last-mile logistics network layouts while offering both theoretical foundations and practical approaches for promoting co-construction and sharing of urban–rural infrastructure and achieving integrated regional spatial governance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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17 pages, 1621 KiB  
Article
The Relationship Between Population Shrinkage, Ageing, and New-Type Urbanization in Counties: The Case of Jilin Province, China
by Guolei Zhou, Zuopeng Ma and Pingyu Zhang
Land 2025, 14(7), 1474; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14071474 - 16 Jul 2025
Viewed by 396
Abstract
Counties are important vehicles for implementing the new-type urbanization strategy in China. However, some counties are experiencing population shrinkage and ageing, and the decline in the working-age population will constrain the process of new-type urbanization, but this has not received sufficient attention from [...] Read more.
Counties are important vehicles for implementing the new-type urbanization strategy in China. However, some counties are experiencing population shrinkage and ageing, and the decline in the working-age population will constrain the process of new-type urbanization, but this has not received sufficient attention from academia and government policymakers. This paper takes Jilin Province, China, which is experiencing significant population shrinkage and ageing, as a case study to examine the spatial–temporal characteristics of population shrinkage and ageing at the county level and their relationship with new-type urbanization. This study found the following: (1) From 2014 to 2020, counties in Jilin Province experienced significant population shrinkage and ageing. (2) There is a certain correlation between population shrinkage and ageing. Ageing is the most obvious in counties with moderate shrinkage, followed by counties with mild shrinkage. (3) Although a new-type urbanization strategy has been implemented, the level of new-type urbanization in counties with population shrinkage and ageing is generally low and shows a trend of rising first and then falling. (4) Population shrinkage and ageing are positively correlated with new-type urbanization. The more severe the population shrinkage or ageing, the lower the level of new-type urbanization. It is necessary to take measures to alleviate the new-type urbanization dilemma in areas with population shrinkage and ageing, in order to promote sustainable regional development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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19 pages, 3169 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Socially and Culturally Coordinated Development in Cities of Yangtze River Economic Belt and Its Spatial Correlation
by Zhenzhen Yi, Xianzhong Cao and Liuting Qin
Land 2025, 14(6), 1226; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061226 - 6 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 441
Abstract
In the process of Chinese-style modernisation, the socially and culturally coordinated development of cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is important for promoting regional coordinated development, enhancing the balance of public services, and strengthening cultural soft power. This study used quantitative methods, [...] Read more.
In the process of Chinese-style modernisation, the socially and culturally coordinated development of cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is important for promoting regional coordinated development, enhancing the balance of public services, and strengthening cultural soft power. This study used quantitative methods, including the construction of an indicator system, spatial correlation analysis, and Zipf’s rank-size rule, on data from 2011 to 2021 to analyse the capacity for coordinated social and cultural development and assessed the spatial distribution characteristics of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The study found that the overall level of social and cultural coordination among the cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt steadily improved; however, significant regional disparities still exist, particularly in areas such as social security and cultural integration. Spatially, a “high in the east, low in the west” pattern is observed, with the Yangtze River Delta city cluster leading development, the midstream cluster playing a supportive role, and the Chengdu–Chongqing city cluster showing significant internal disparities. Core cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Chengdu demonstrated driving effects in areas such as culture, education, and healthcare; however, some peripheral cities remain underdeveloped. This study suggests the need to enhance the development of the Yangtze River’s culture, promote the development of cultural industry clusters, foster the integration of various business models, leverage scientific and educational resources, optimise the cultural consumption market, and achieve the coordinated development of the social and cultural sectors, thereby enabling the Yangtze River Economic Belt to play a greater role in Chinese-style modernisation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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19 pages, 17708 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Urban and Rural Settlements in Tanzania (1975–2020): Drivers, Patterns, and Regional Disparities
by Jiaqi Zhang, Rongrong Zhang, Jiaqi Fan, Xiaoke Guan and Hui Liang
Land 2025, 14(6), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061205 - 4 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 695
Abstract
Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution of urban and rural settlements in African countries could provide critical insights into the patterns of urbanization, regional disparities, and sustainable development in the context of rapid socio-economic and demographic changes. Using global human settlement data alongside multi-source socio-economic [...] Read more.
Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution of urban and rural settlements in African countries could provide critical insights into the patterns of urbanization, regional disparities, and sustainable development in the context of rapid socio-economic and demographic changes. Using global human settlement data alongside multi-source socio-economic and environmental datasets, this study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of human settlements in Tanzania from 1975 to 2020. A combination of methods, including hotspot analysis, standard deviation ellipse analysis, and geographic detectors, is employed to examine the characteristics of settlement evolution and the underlying factors contributing to regional differentiation. The findings reveal that over the past 45 years, the expansion of urban centers and urban clusters in Tanzania has significantly accelerated, while rural areas have experienced a corresponding decline, reflecting a shift from low-density to high-density settlements and a transformation from rural to urban landscapes. Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, and Arusha have consistently been hotspots for urban center growth, while Kagera has emerged as a primary hotspot for urban clusters. The distribution of rural hotspots and coldspots generally mirrors that of urban clusters. The spatial distribution of urban centers, urban clusters, and rural areas follows a northwest–southeast orientation, with the spatial distribution of urban centers gradually stabilizing. However, the development gap between urban clusters in the northwest and rural areas in the southeast is widening and narrowing, respectively. Socio-economic factors exert a stronger influence on the development of settlements than natural environmental factors. Population density, GDP density, and road network density are significant drivers of settlement patterns, with their influence intensifying over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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18 pages, 4228 KiB  
Article
Spatial Mismatch Between Transportation Development and Tourism Spatial Vitality in Yunnan Province in the Context of Urban–Rural Integration
by Juhua Gao, Xingwu Duan, Qinglong Wang, Zijiang Yang, Ronghua Zhong, Xiaodie Yuan and Xiong He
Land 2025, 14(5), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051017 - 7 May 2025
Viewed by 766
Abstract
As China’s urban–rural integration progresses, the connections between urban and rural areas continue to strengthen, making the spatial matching between transportation infrastructure and tourism resources increasingly crucial for coordinated regional development. This study investigates the spatial–temporal mismatch between transportation development and tourism spatial [...] Read more.
As China’s urban–rural integration progresses, the connections between urban and rural areas continue to strengthen, making the spatial matching between transportation infrastructure and tourism resources increasingly crucial for coordinated regional development. This study investigates the spatial–temporal mismatch between transportation development and tourism spatial vitality in Yunnan Province, proposing optimization strategies to improve their coordination. Using Weibo check-in big data and OpenStreetMap transportation network data, we apply Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (ConvLSTM) networks and bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis to examine this relationship. The results show strong transportation–tourism matching in Kunming and surrounding areas. However, northwest and southern Yunnan exhibit significant mismatches—despite transportation improvements, underdeveloped tourism resources constrain vitality growth. Particularly in some remote regions, well-developed transportation infrastructure coexists with low tourism vitality, revealing persistent spatial mismatches between transport facilities and tourism resources. In general, transportation infrastructure development generally enhances tourism spatial vitality, but requires coordinated tourism resource development and market demand alignment. The study results provide a basis for improving the coordinated development of transportation and tourism, offering practical guidance for policymakers to promote balanced regional development and urban–rural integration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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21 pages, 4770 KiB  
Article
Simulation of Multi-Scale Water Supply Service Flow Pathways and Ecological Compensation for Urban–Rural Sustainability: A Case Study of the Fenhe River Basin
by Fei Duan, Siyu Wen, Xuening Fan, Jiacheng Li, Ran Zhou, Jiansheng Wu and Chengcheng Dong
Land 2025, 14(4), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040664 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 536
Abstract
Neglecting ecosystem services has impeded sustainable urban–rural development, particularly in terms of the efficient flow of water supply services between urban and rural areas. This study focuses on the Fenhe River Basin, evaluating water supply and demand at the sub-basin, as well as [...] Read more.
Neglecting ecosystem services has impeded sustainable urban–rural development, particularly in terms of the efficient flow of water supply services between urban and rural areas. This study focuses on the Fenhe River Basin, evaluating water supply and demand at the sub-basin, as well as county levels. Using the InVEST model to analyze basin-level geographic, meteorological, hydrological, and socio-economic data, the study reveals significant spatial and temporal mismatches between water supply and demand from 2010 to 2020. Through the calculated ecosystem services supply and demand ratio (0.3731 in 2010, −0.1555 in 2015, and −0.1063 in 2020), it is found although both supply and demand increased over the period, persistent deficits emerged, with water supply concentrated in upstream areas and demand primarily in downstream regions. The improved network connectivity by 2020, supported by water-saving policies and technological advancements, partially alleviated earlier imbalances. This research contributes a multi-scale framework to analyze ecosystem service flows and compensation mechanisms across grid, sub-basin, and county scales. Overall, the study underscores that research into ecological compensation plays a crucial role in enabling efficient resource flow, enhancing governance systems, and fostering an ecologically friendly urban–rural development model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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26 pages, 4804 KiB  
Article
Research on the Spatio-Temporal Evolution and Impact of China’s Digital Economy and Green Innovation
by Chunshan Zhou, Xiaoli Wei, Xiangjun Dai and Guojun Zhang
Land 2025, 14(3), 633; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030633 - 17 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 712
Abstract
It is of great significance to study the impact of China’s digital economy on green innovation under present conditions. In this work, panel data were used, and research tools such as the entropy method, the Markov chain with a spatial Markov probability transition [...] Read more.
It is of great significance to study the impact of China’s digital economy on green innovation under present conditions. In this work, panel data were used, and research tools such as the entropy method, the Markov chain with a spatial Markov probability transition matrix, and a spatial Durbin model were applied to analyze the temporal and spatial evolution of the digital economy and green innovation in 287 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2021, exploring the influence of the digital economy on green innovation. The results show that the digital economy and green innovation in Chinese cities exhibited an upward trend. There was a basic spatial pattern consisting of “high levels in the east and low levels in the west” regarding the digital economy and green innovation, with the aggregation types primarily being “HH” and “LH”. Moreover, the types of digital economy and green innovation in Chinese cities are relatively stable, with neighboring areas influencing local changes. The digital economy has a significant promotional effect on green innovation, as well as spatial spillover effects; the differing influences over time can be used to categorize the cities into four groups, with most falling within the first two categories. Based on these findings, relevant countermeasures are proposed, seeking to further enhance the role of the digital economy in promoting green innovation. This work provides a research basis and policy suggestions to contribute to continuous improvements in China’s digital economy and green innovation, leveraging the promotional effects of the former on the latter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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20 pages, 4786 KiB  
Article
The Impact of New Urbanization on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency in the Middle and Lower Yellow River, China: An Analysis Based on Spatial Correlation Networks
by Jianji An, Qiangjun Su and Xuefeng Yuan
Land 2025, 14(3), 625; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030625 - 15 Mar 2025
Viewed by 547
Abstract
Rapid urbanization has posed serious challenges to urban land use, especially in the green and efficient use of land. However, existing research rarely combines new urbanization with urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE), despite its significant importance for promoting regional sustainable development. To [...] Read more.
Rapid urbanization has posed serious challenges to urban land use, especially in the green and efficient use of land. However, existing research rarely combines new urbanization with urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE), despite its significant importance for promoting regional sustainable development. To fill this gap, this study focused on 60 cities in the middle and lower Yellow River (MLYR) and integrated various methods such as undesired output super-efficiency SBM model, modified gravity model, centrality indexes, random forest, and geographically and temporally weighted regression model. The purpose of this study is to reveal the impact of multi-dimensional new urbanization and its spatial correlation network on ULGUE and the results revealed the following: (1) From 2001 to 2021, ULGUE and multi-dimensional new urbanization levels in the MLYR exhibited a significant upward trend and obvious regional differences. (2) There was a new urbanization spatial correlation network between cities in the MLYR, which was dense in the east and sparse in the west, and the balance of the network was gradually strengthened. Betweenness centrality and degree centrality improved, while closeness centrality declined. (3) The comprehensive system of multi-dimensional new urbanization and its spatial correlation exerted a complex influence on ULGUE. Ecological urbanization showed the strongest positive correlation with ULGUE. In contrast, social urbanization exhibited a relatively prominent negative correlation. This study provides policy recommendations for promoting the balanced development of new urbanization in the MLYR and improving the quality, efficiency, and sustainability of development in the Yellow River Basin, China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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Review

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20 pages, 6273 KiB  
Review
A Comprehensive Review of Urban Expansion and Its Driving Factors
by Ming Li, Yongwang Cao, Jin Dai, Jianxin Song and Mengyin Liang
Land 2025, 14(8), 1534; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14081534 - 26 Jul 2025
Viewed by 426
Abstract
Urban expansion has a profound impact on both society and the environment. In this study, VOSviewer 1.6.16 and CiteSpace 6.3.R1 were used to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 2987 articles published during the period of 1992–2022 from the Web of Science database in [...] Read more.
Urban expansion has a profound impact on both society and the environment. In this study, VOSviewer 1.6.16 and CiteSpace 6.3.R1 were used to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 2987 articles published during the period of 1992–2022 from the Web of Science database in order to identify the research hotspots and trends of urban expansion and its driving factors. The number of articles significantly increased during the period of 1992–2022. The spatiotemporal characteristics and driving forces of urban expansion, urban growth models and simulations, and the impacts of urban expansion were the main research topics. The rate of urban expansion showed regional differences. Socioeconomic factors, political and institutional factors, natural factors, path effects, and proximity effects were the main driving factors. Urban expansion promoted economic growth, occupied cultivated land, and affected ecological environments. Big data and deep learning techniques were recently applied due to advancements in information techniques. With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, the number of studies on environmental impacts and spatial planning regulations has increased. Some political and institutional factors, such as subsidies, taxation, spatial planning, new development strategies, regulation policies, and economic industries, had controversial or unknown impacts. Further research on these factors and their mechanisms is needed. A limitation of this study is that articles which were not indexed, were not included in bibliometric analysis. Further studies can review these articles and conduct comparative research to capture the diversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Urbanization: Urban-Rural Coordination and Sustainable Development)
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