Search Results (188)

In this study, we explore the impact of land investment introduction on efficiency loss at both the enterprise and urban levels and discuss the role of factor-biased technological progress in minimizing these losses. Using a nested constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production function, we theoretically validate the premise that land investment introduction disrupts the optimal allocation of productive factors and reduces the “threshold selection” effect of land cost, leading to efficiency losses. Empirically, the systematic generalized method of moments (GMM) is applied to analyze panel data from 284 prefecture-level cities in China between 2007 and 2019. The findings reveal that land investment introduction brings about efficiency losses and prolonged land investment strategies that deepen enterprise efficiency loss, while urban efficiency loss may be temporarily alleviated but tends to deepen over the long term. Enterprise efficiency loss can be reduced by selecting land-biased, labor-biased, and capital-biased technological progress; however, its impact on urban efficiency loss remains uncertain. These findings provide insights into the optimal selection of factor-biased technological progress for industrial enterprises and provide policy-oriented recommendations for enhancing production and improving efficiency. Full article

This article examines the land-use politics of recreation development in rural China. Extending the lens of spatial informality, it analyzes how the appropriation and acquisition of space by small suburban leisure enterprises have constituted a de facto vehicle for rural spatial reconfiguration amidst land-use constraints. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and case studies, we illuminate emerging scenarios in which inbound businesses burgeoned through the production of informal spaces, which were subsequently formalized or tolerated by local governments geared towards social economic growth. More so, we reveal the potential and limitations of such an informal-to-formal approach for rural spatial reconfiguration by showing how its sustainability and survival depend upon the enterprises’ ability to enter into a tacit alliance of interests with local authorities. This article casts new light on emerging bottom-up processes of spatial reconfiguration, alongside its repercussions for local suburbs, in the development of rural tourism and suburban leisure. It further suggests that, as an analytical approach, a nuanced understanding of rural restructuring under the recent national rural revitalization strategy can benefit from moving beyond the sole emphasis on formal institutions to analyze the role played by ordinary market actors and their spatial practices that shape rural territories and spatial relationships. Full article

This paper critically examines the consequences of land grabs for livelihoods and agrarian change, based on a case study of rubber plantations in ethnic minorities in the uplands in Northwest Vietnam. Building upon Scoones’ agrarian political economy of livelihood framework, an integrated conceptual framework of a ‘livelihood pathway’ is developed to analyze the impact of rubber plantation land grabs on livelihoods and the agrarian political economy. Drawing on qualitative analysis and survey data from 205 households across six villages inhabited by Thai, Hmong, and Kho Mu communities, this study finds that rubber plantation land grabs have led to differentiated livelihood strategies—ranging from subsistence farming and wage labor to commercial agriculture—shaped by each group’s socioeconomic status, political connections, and access to resources. Consequently, the land grabbing undertaken by a domestic state-owned enterprise has caused the emergence of a set of distinctive livelihood pathways within a complex web of intersections across class and ethnicity in the upland area. This study concludes by arguing that an integrated conceptual framework of a ‘livelihood pathway’ offers a useful tool for analyzing the long-term socio-political consequences of land grabbing in similar contexts across developing countries and beyond. Full article

In the era of new productive forces, the efficient utilization of industrial land in high-tech zones is critical for fostering technological innovation, intelligent manufacturing, and green development. However, constrained by limited land reserves, inefficient stock utilization, and sluggish industrial upgrading, high-tech zones must establish a scientific early warning mechanism for industrial land redevelopment. This study constructs a four-tier early warning system (normal, alert, warning, and response) based on three key dimensions: enterprise life cycle, enterprise–park compatibility, and industrial land use efficiency. Using the Jinan High-Tech Zone as a case study, this study conducts an empirical analysis of 360 industrial land parcels from 2020 to 2022, employing DEA, fixed effects models, GIS visualization, and MCDA methods. The results indicate a strong correlation between enterprise life cycle and land use efficiency, with significant spatial differentiation in enterprise–park compatibility. Efficient land use is concentrated in areas with well-defined functions and high industrial agglomeration. This study identifies 360 land use scenarios, with 12% classified as normal, 28% requiring monitoring, 52% requiring optimization, and 8% necessitating redevelopment. Based on these findings, a “warning–monitoring–regulation” closed-loop management model is proposed, providing decision-making support for dynamic land optimization and sustainable development in high-tech zones. Full article

In the current conditions of development of the country’s market economy, the methodological support for cadastral land valuation requires effective modernization and improvement of the existing mechanisms for determining cadastral value for a fair distribution of land tax among landowners. In this regard, the aim of the study was to develop a methodology for taking into account the qualitative state of soils in the cadastral valuation of agricultural lands in the conditions of an active land market, as well as to modernize the method for taking into account the quality of soils within the framework of the income approach in the conditions of a depressed land market. The study was conducted based on a set of scientific methods: the analytical method was used to conduct an analysis of the scientific review of the problem area and to substantiate the relevance of the study, a cycle of laboratory experiments was conducted using mechanical and chemical analyses, the construction of thematic maps was carried out using the dispersion method, the regression modeling method was used to determine the cadastral value of garden plots, and the land rent capitalization method was used to calculate the cadastral value of agricultural land. Research results were as follows: Methodological recommendations were provided for taking into account the quality of soils in the form of an integral indicator of physical and chemical properties in the model for calculating the specific indicator of cadastral value (SICV) of garden and vegetable lands in the conditions of an active land market. The method of accounting for the qualitative state of soil fertility in the form of a weighted quality score of an agricultural land plot was modernized when determining the specific gross income within the framework of the land rent capitalization method used to calculate the SICV. Based on field work and laboratory experiments, current indicators of soil fertility status were obtained, and soil quality scores for Saint Petersburg were calculated. The possibility of using an integral indicator (soil quality score) as a cost factor instead of a large number of fertility status indicators was proven. Also, models for calculating the SICV of garden and vegetable plots were built for the conditions of an active land market, according to which the cadastral value of land plots in Saint Petersburg was calculated for subsequent land taxation. For agricultural lands, using the example of a land plot of a high-commodity agricultural enterprise (Leningrad Region), the cadastral value was also calculated using the proposed income approach method. The scientific significance of the study lies in the improvement of the methodological foundations of cadastral valuation, as well as the technology of taking into account the quality of soils when calculating the cadastral value. The practical significance of the study lies in the applicability of the results of soil quality assessment and models for calculating the SICV for land taxation; individual market valuation for lending, purchase, and sale; lease of agricultural land; and allocation of land plots on account of a land share. In the area of developing a set of melioration measures on agricultural lands, including the development and implementation of agricultural technologies and technical means to improve soil fertility, the results of laboratory studies to determine the physical and chemical properties of soils can be used. The obtained soil quality scores for Saint Petersburg are also applicable to identifying unused and degraded lands for their transfer to other types of use. Full article

This study employs the social–ecological system (SES) framework to investigate the operational mechanisms of farmer apartment housing in Village L, demonstrating how such mechanisms ensure housing security for villagers in land-constrained contexts. Through a case analysis of Village L, we reveal that the effective implementation of farmer apartments relies on four interconnected elements: socio-political and economic conditions, homestead resource allocation within the resource system, institutional governance rules, and collaborative interactions among the government, village collectives, villagers, and enterprises. By integrating fragmented resources, optimizing participatory governance, and fostering multi-stakeholder cooperation, Village L has established a closed-loop operational model of “resource intensification–democratic decision-making–synergistic co-construction”. This model preserves villagers’ homestead entitlements and addresses housing demands through centralized construction, striking a balance between equity and efficiency in land-scarce areas. The findings underscore that farmer apartment housing represents a viable pathway for achieving “housing-for-all” in resource-limited areas, contingent upon institutionalizing village collectives’ self-governance capabilities and incentivizing broader societal participation (e.g., NGOs and enterprises) to form a diversified investment framework. Policy refinements should prioritize scaling context-specific governance innovations while safeguarding farmers’ land rights during urbanization transitions, offering replicable insights for regions facing similar land use challenges. Full article

In recent years, the rapid growth in demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) has brought significant challenges and opportunities to LNG storage and transportation technologies. As critical equipment for LNG loading operations, marine and land-based LNG loading and unloading arms play a vital role in improving LNG storage and transportation efficiency and ensuring safety performance. By extensively collecting relevant domestic and international literature, technical standards, and engineering cases, systematically reviewing and analyzing existing achievements, and engaging with technical personnel from related enterprises, the current development status of marine and land-based LNG loading and unloading arms is introduced from multiple perspectives, including overall structure, sealing technology, safety protection devices, and intelligent and automated development. This paper highlights trajectory planning and image processing involved in the automatic docking technology. Marine loading/unloading arms need to operate in high-humidity, high-corrosion, and even extreme weather conditions. In the future, they should further enhance stability in marine high-corrosion environments and improve anti-overturning capability under extreme conditions by simplifying mechanical structures, developing new balancing systems, and using low-temperature-resistant alloy materials. Land-based loading and unloading arms focus on multi-vehicle parallel operations, improving operational efficiency through simplified mechanical structures, integrated intelligent positioning systems, and adaptive control algorithms. Full article

Soil salinization and land abandonment pose significant socio-economic and environmental challenges, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, where traditional saltworks and agricultural lands have been increasingly degraded. Innovative approaches, such as the implementation of halotolerant crops and microorganisms, offer a promising strategy to revitalize these underutilized areas. This study applies the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) methodology to evaluate the socio-economic benefits of halotolerant agriculture in abandoned saltworks and salinized lands. Data were collected through interviews with key stakeholders, literature reviews, and case studies of four enterprises actively engaged in sustainable salina restoration. Key social indicators, including employment creation, community participation, and cultural heritage conservation, were assessed using an expert-based weighting system. The findings indicate that enterprises involved in these initiatives demonstrated strong contributions to local economic resilience and cultural heritage preservation. However, challenges related to scalability and external economic influences remain key considerations. These results highlight the potential of biosaline agriculture as a viable solution to address land abandonment and food security challenges, while also contributing to rural socio-economic development. Full article

The discrepancy between perceived and actual data quality, shaped by stakeholders’ interpretations of technical specifications, poses significant challenges in governance, impacting decision-making and stakeholder trust. To address this, we introduce an automated data quality management (DQM) framework, implemented through the NRPvalid toolkit, as a standalone solution incorporating over 100 assessment tools. This framework strengthens data quality evaluation and stakeholder collaboration by systematically bridging subjective perceptions with objective quality metrics. Unlike traditional producer–user models, it accounts for complex, multi-stakeholder interactions to improve data governance. Applied to planned land use (PLU) data, the framework significantly reduces discrepancy, as quantified by error score metrics, and directly enhances building permit issuance by streamlining interactions among administrative units, municipalities, and investors. By evaluating, refining, and seamlessly integrating spatial data into the enterprise spatial information system, this scalable, automated solution supports constant data quality improvement. The DQM and its toolkit have been widely adopted, promoting transparent, reliable, and efficient geospatial data governance. Full article

In this paper, a coal–water–ecology (CWE) index system is firstly constructed based on an analysis of the current situation regarding coal mining, water resource utilization, and the ecological environment in an open-pit combined underground mining area. Three methods are used to determine the weights of each index in the system. Then, the TOPSIS model and coupling coordination degree model are adopted to construct the coordinated development model for CWE. Finally, the coordinated development status of CWE in the mine area is analyzed, and the next improvement measures are pointed out. The CWE index system contains 3 dimensions, 6 aspects, and 21 indicators. Combining the weights with game theory makes the weight coefficients more concentrated, reduces the dispersion of single weights, and makes the results of the fusion weights more reliable. The TOPSIS model and coupling coordination degree model can successfully characterize the coordinated development of CWE system factors. The proximity degrees of the CWE system in the study area show an increasing trend year by year. Although the coupling degree of CWE increases slowly year by year, it exhibits little coordination, with an average value of 0.4. Economic benefits, the water resource utilization rate, and the green land area are the three indices with the greatest weights. While ensuring the economic benefits of coal mining, coal enterprises should focus on improving the water resource utilization rate. The reduction in the green land area should also be emphasized in open-pit mining. Full article

This article explores contemporary scientific approaches to improving the efficiency of agricultural operations in Ukraine. It has been identified that insufficient attention has been given to optimizing the activities of agricultural enterprises. A model for optimizing crop areas, considering crop rotations in crop production or mixed-type enterprises, has been developed to ensure an increase in crop yields. The model incorporates factors such as soil health, pest management, and the economic feasibility of different cropping systems. By applying crop rotation principles, the model aims to achieve a balanced and sustainable agricultural practice, promoting both productivity and environmental sustainability. The findings highlight the importance of considering ecological factors and economic optimization in agricultural planning. The model demonstrates how the rotation of crops can prevent soil depletion and improve overall land use efficiency, thereby boosting the agricultural output of enterprises. The proposed approach is distinguished by its uniqueness, as it leverages advanced economic–mathematical methodologies and state-of-the-art information–analytical tools to enable the automation of the crop rotation planning process. The implementation of this approach can lead to more sustainable farming practices, enhanced soil fertility, and increased profitability. Full article

Forestry enterprises play a pivotal role in economic development, ecological civilization construction, and sustainable development. This study employs GIS-based spatial analysis to examine the distribution patterns and interrelationships of forestry enterprises, investigating their key determinants and spatial heterogeneity. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers aiming to optimize industrial structures and enhance national ecological security. This research develops a comprehensive evaluation index system to assess the factors influencing forestry industry development in China. Nine factors are considered: human resources, economic development, industrial structure, technological support, trade development, financial environment, natural conditions, urbanization, and transportation. Using panel data from 367 cities in 2020, the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) method quantifies the influence of these factors and their spatial variations. The results show the following. (1) Forestry enterprises in China exhibit persistent spatial clustering. The eastern regions have a notably higher concentration than the western regions, and new enterprises are increasingly concentrated in a few hotspot cities in the east. (2) The spatial center of forestry enterprises has steadily moved southeast. Initially, the distribution was balanced in the eastern regions, but it has become highly concentrated in the southeastern coastal areas. (3) Regarding spatial autocorrelation, regions within the northwest cold spot cluster have been disappearing entirely. The northeast and southwest hotspot clusters have shrunk significantly, while the southeast hotspot cluster has remained large. (4) Permanent population size and green land area are the most strongly positively correlated with forestry enterprise distribution. Patent authorizations, orchard area, and forest land area also show positive effects. In contrast, road density and total import/export volume are negatively correlated with the number of forestry enterprises. This aligns with the structure of China’s forestry industry, which relies more on natural resources and market demand than on economic development level or financial environment. (5) The factors influencing forestry enterprise distribution show significant spatial variation, driven by regional factors such as resources, economy, and population. These factors ultimately determine the spatiotemporal distribution of forestry enterprises. This study provides data-driven insights to optimize the distribution of forestry industries and formulate more effective ecological protection policies. Full article

Site selection is the key to carrying out the industrial layout of construction and demolition waste (CDW) resourcing enterprises. The current study needs more data on CDW industry location. The current construction waste resource utilization rate and industrial layout need to be improved. This study uses statistical and visualization methods to analyze key factors affecting the location of CDW recycling enterprises. Additionally, it identifies planning strategies and policy incentives to drive industry development. The study explicitly adopts global and weighted geographic regression (GWR) analysis methods and uses ArcGIS 10.8 to visualize point of interest (POI) data. It was found that (1) the main factors affecting the spatial distribution of the CDW recycling economy, in order of importance, are river network density, financial subsidies, R&D incentives, the number of building material markets, the value added by the secondary industry, the area of industrial land, and the density of the road network. The three main drivers of site selection decisions are government subsidies, market size, land, and transportation resources. (2) Enterprise industry chain and transportation costs are industrial economic decision-making considerations. Enterprises are generally located on flat terrain, around industrial parks, near the center of urban areas, and close to demand and cost reduction. (3) At the city level, there are more resource-based enterprises in cities with high levels of economic development and strong policy support. The spatial distribution of enterprises is consistent with the direction of urban geographic development. There is a positive global correlation between construction waste resourcing enterprises. Ningbo, western Qingdao, and northern Beijing show high aggregation characteristics. Low–low aggregation characteristics exist in regions other than central Chongqing. High–low aggregation characteristics are found in the center of the main city of Chongqing, eastern Shanghai, and central Nanjing. Low–high aggregation is distributed in northeastern Ningbo, northern Guangzhou, and southern Shenzhen. (4) Regarding industrial agglomeration, except for Nanjing, construction waste industrial agglomeration occurs in all 11 pilot cities. Among them, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Hangzhou have industries that are distributed evenly. Xi’an and Chongqing have a centralized distribution of industries. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Ningbo, and Qingdao have multi-center clustering of industries. Nanning’s industry has a belt-shaped distribution. This research explores the micro elements of industry chain integration in the CDW industry. It combines incentive policies and urban planning at the macro level. Together, these efforts promote sustainable city construction. This research provides CDW location data and dates for future digital twin and city model algorithms. It supports industrial planning, transportation, spatial optimization, carbon emission analysis, city operations, and management and aims to enhance the city’s green and low-carbon operations. Full article

The development of the natural rubber planting industry is facing the dual challenges of protecting ecology and maintaining supply. As an effective means to internalize ecological externalities, eco-compensation is an important way to realize the sustainable development of the natural rubber industry. From the perspective of industrial development, an eco-compensation policy framework for natural rubber with a production and ecological win–win outcome was constructed. The results showed that natural rubber eco-compensation was a large-scale public institutional arrangement with the following characteristics: 1. The goals were to protect tropical rainforest and rubber garden ecology, maintain the natural rubber supply and improve the livelihoods of agricultural households. 2. The participants included the government, enterprises and agricultural households. 3. The main methods included financial transfer payments, production insurance and cooperative operations. 4. The opportunity costs of agricultural household livelihood transformation and the positive expected returns of enterprises were used as compensation standards. 5. The compensation effectiveness was evaluated through the comprehensive monitoring of tropical rainforest ecology, the rubber garden environment, land use, the planting distribution, household income and production modes. On this basis, specific policy recommendations, including developing combined planting–breeding modes, establishing a strict supervision system and setting up special expert advisory teams, were put forward. This study provides not only a theoretical basis for the design of natural rubber eco-compensation policies but also a reference for the construction of eco-compensation market mechanisms in various fields. Full article

Sustainable agriculture has been proposed by the United Nations as a key indicator of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It presents diverse features and rich connotations in the transformation towards modernization. However, for a long time in China, transformations of agricultural modernization have not been the concern of spatial planning, nor the emerging land use requirements of agricultural modernization under the trends of urban–rural integration, such as the application of modern technologies for the mechanization of agricultural production, the coexistence of multiple forms of business entities with agricultural enterprises as the main body, the extension of the industrial chain from the primary to the secondary and the tertiary, and the concentration of industrial spaces, as well as specific land use due to those transformations. This paper constructs an analytical framework of “business entity, business model, production technology, and production space” based on the literature studies and selects eight representative agricultural cases from Beijing, Zhejiang, and Yunnan to conduct field investigations and case studies to reveal the transformative aspects of agricultural modernization in China and its land use requirements, enriching the understanding of modern agriculture from the perspective of spatial planning. This study finds that the transformation of agricultural modernization has generated new requirements for the construction of necessary production facilities, but these requirements cannot be met in terms of land use due to the constraints imposed by China’s current land use regulations. The paper advocates for the development of agricultural parks, the optimization of land use regulations, and the allocation of agricultural land use in spatial planning in line with the trends of agricultural modernization, thus supporting the sustainable development of agriculture. Full article