Search Results (116)

As a cultural corridor connecting the Central Plains and Northeast China, the Liaoxi Corridor has a special position in the transmission of traditional Chinese culture. Traditional villages in the region have preserved rich intangible cultural heritage and traditional architectural features, which highlight the historical heritage of multicultural intermingling. This study fills the gap in the spatial distribution of traditional villages in the Liaoxi Corridor and reveals their spatial distribution pattern, which is of great theoretical significance. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis and quantitative geography, this study analyzes the spatial pattern of traditional villages and the influencing factors. The results show that traditional villages in the Liaoxi Corridor are clustered, forming high-density settlement areas in Chaoyang County and Beizhen City. Most villages are located in hilly and mountainous areas and river valleys and are affected by the natural geographic environment (topography and water sources) and historical and human factors (immigration and settlement, border defense, ethnic integration, etc.). In conclusion, this study provides a scientific basis and practical reference for rural revitalization, cultural heritage protection, and regional coordinated development, aiming at revealing the geographical and cultural mechanisms behind the spatial distribution of traditional villages. Full article

The spatial genes of rural settlements show a lot of different traditional settlement traits, which makes them a great starting point for studying rural spatial morphology. However, qualitative and macro-regional statistical indicators are usually used to find and extract rural settlement spatial genes. Taking Yubei Village in the Nanxi River Basin as an example, this study combined remote sensing images, real-time drone mapping, GIS (geographic information system), and space syntax, extracted 12 key indicators from five dimensions (landform and water features (environment), boundary morphology, spatial structure, street scale, and building scale), and quantitatively “decoded” the spatial genes of the settlement. The results showed that (1) the settlement is a “three mountains and one water” pattern, with cultivated land accounting for 37.4% and forest land accounting for 34.3% of the area within the 500 m buffer zone, while the landscape spatial diversity index (LSDI) is 0.708. (2) The boundary morphology is compact and agglomerated, and locally complex but overall orderly, with an aspect ratio of 1.04, a comprehensive morphological index of 1.53, and a comprehensive fractal dimension of 1.31. (3) The settlement is a “clan core–radial lane” network: the global integration degree of the axis to the holy hall is the highest (0.707), and the local integration degree R3 peak of the six-room ancestral hall reaches 2.255. Most lane widths are concentrated between 1.2 and 2.8 m, and the eaves are mostly higher than 4 m, forming a typical “narrow lanes and high houses” water town streetscape. (4) The architectural style is a combination of black bricks and gray tiles, gable roofs and horsehead walls, and “I”-shaped planes (63.95%). This study ultimately constructed a settlement space gene map and digital library, providing a replicable quantitative process for the diagnosis of Jiangnan water town settlements and heritage protection planning. Full article

It is significant to study the correlation between the spatial distribution and topographic features for ethnic minority rural settlements, which can provide the theoretical basis and practical methods for the preservation of ethnic culture and scientific planning of territorial space. Liuzhou in Guangxi is a region with diverse ethnic groups and this paper takes Liuzhou as the case study. This study employs fractal theory, GIS spatial analysis, and correlation analysis methods to investigate the relationship between settlement spatial patterns and their surrounding geographical conditions. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between the geographic location of ethnic minority rural settlements (including site selection and terrain features) and their geographical conditions (topographic and elevation factors). Additionally, significant associations exist between settlement slope, settlement orientation, and their positioning within mountainous terrain. The study also reveals strong correlations between planar morphological characteristics (or settlement scale) and settlement terrain for the settlements of the same ethnic group within the same region. Specifically, Dong settlements exhibit remarkable consistency in settlement scale, while Miao settlements demonstrate high similarity in terms of elevation distribution. The methodology developed in this study is applicable to correlation research on settlement characteristics across diverse ethnic groups and geographical regions. It not only reveals universal patterns of how physical-geographic environments influence the planar and spatial features of settlements, but also validates the logical coherence of investigating layout characteristics from both planar and spatial perspectives. The findings of this study not only provide practical guidance for the development and planning of settlements, but also offer recommendations for the cultural inheritance and settlement protection of ethnic minorities. Full article

The site selection and spatial arrangement of rural settlements embody the ethnic characteristics and cultural heritage of ethnic minority groups. Investigating their spatial layout features and underlying determinants can provide both theoretical foundations and practical methodologies for the conservation and development planning of these settlements. This paper takes the representative ethnic minority villages in the first batch of key traditional villages in Liuzhou, Guangxi, as the example, and employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to study the spatial layout characteristics of ethnic minority villages in southern China. This study utilizes GIS-based analytical methods to calculate quantitative indicators based on planar graphs and digital elevation model (DEM) of ethnic minority settlements. The research results show that the spatial distribution of ethnic minority villages in southern China is closely correlated with natural geographical conditions. To be specific, ethnic minority villages in southern China generally distribute in accordance with the terrain and form specific spatial relationships with roads, topography, mountains, and water. Regardless of whether minority residents live on mountain tops or in valleys, they generally prefer gently sloping terrain. In addition, factors such as natural environment (sunshine and water sources, etc.) and traffic conditions are considered comprehensively in the settlement location. On this basis, the spatial layout features of rural settlement are extracted, and corresponding characteristic maps are constructed. The construction framework of the spatial characteristics map established based on “overall layout, architecture, roads and architecture-natural pattern” in this paper can be applied to general rural settlements. The findings can provide both theoretical foundations and practical references for the planning and development of rural settlements across different regions and ethnic groups. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) self-localization in complex environments is critical when global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) are unreliable. Existing datasets, often limited to low-altitude urban scenes, hinder generalization. This study introduces Multi-UAV, a novel dataset with 17.4 k high-resolution UAV–satellite image pairs from diverse terrains (urban, rural, mountainous, farmland, coastal) and altitudes across China, enhancing cross-view geolocalization research. We propose a lightweight value reduction pyramid transformer (VRPT) for efficient feature extraction and a residual feature pyramid network (RFPN) for multi-scale feature fusion. Using meter-level accuracy (MA@K) and relative distance score (RDS), VRPT achieves robust, high-precision localization across varied terrains, offering significant potential for resource-constrained UAV deployment. Full article

With China’s urbanization process and changes in rural family structures, the abandonment of farmland in scattered villages within hilly mountainous regions is becoming an increasingly serious issue, restricting the improvement of land use efficiency. This study analyzes the basic characteristics and variations in abandoned farmland by conducting surveys and interviews with peasants in a scattered village in southern China. Using the Heckman two-stage model, we perform empirical analysis on the factors influencing farmland abandonment, addressing potential sample selection bias. The findings show the following: peasants with better health and higher education levels are more likely to transition to non-agricultural occupations which contributes to an increased abandonment of farmland. However, larger and more integrated land parcels, along with favorable farming conditions, help reduce abandonment. Additionally, rural land transfer and agricultural subsidies are important factors that enhance farmland utilization and mitigate abandonment. These results provide a reference for addressing the abandonment of farmland and improving both the farming environment and social policies in rural villages. Full article

Against the backdrop of the rural revitalization strategy after poverty alleviation in China, this paper takes the Dianfanghe community in Zhaochuan Town, Shangnan County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province as the research object and explores the role of universities in constructing a mechanism to prevent poverty reversion. A mixed-methods approach was adopted for 646 households, combining field surveys, household surveys, and spatial analysis to identify key vulnerabilities. The study found that there are five dimensions of the risk of poverty reversion in the community after poverty alleviation: unbalanced human structure, fragile physical capital, constraints of the natural environment, single source of income, and weak social capital. To address these risks, a three-party collaborative monitoring mechanism involving the government, universities, and society was proposed, which effectively enhanced the community’s risk resistance ability. This model provides a replicable paradigm for universities’ participation in consolidating poverty alleviation achievements in the new era and has important reference value for similar mountainous communities. Full article

This article explores the impacts of climate change on the rural and natural landscapes in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, northeastern Greece. The spatial distributions of the bioclimatic de Martonne Index and the phytoclimatic Emberger Index were calculated at a very high resolution (~500 m) for present conditions (1970–2000), two future time periods (2030–2060; 2070–2100), and two greenhouse gas concentration scenarios (RCP4.5; RCP8.5). The results show significant bioclimatic changes, especially in the Rhodope Mountain range and along almost the whole length of the Greek–Bulgarian border, where forests of high ecosystem value are located, together with the rural areas along the Evros river valley, as well as in the coastal zone of the Aegean Sea. The article describes the processes of bioclimatic changes that can significantly modify the study area’s landscapes. The study area reveals a shift toward xerothermic environments over time, with significant bioclimatic changes projected under the extreme RCP8.5 scenario. By 2100, de Martonne projections indicate that around 40% of agricultural areas in the eastern, southern, and western regions will face Mediterranean and semi-humid conditions, requiring supplemental irrigation for sustainability. The Emberger Index predicts that approximately 42% of natural and agricultural landscapes will experience sub-humid conditions with mild or cool winters. In comparison, 5% will face drier humid/sub-humid, warm winter conditions. These foreseen futures propose initial interpretations for key landscape conservation, natural capital, and ecosystem services management. Full article

The contradiction between ecological environment protection and economic development in the Yangtze River Basin has become increasingly prominent in recent years, which seriously limits the sustainable development of the basin. Research on water environment changes of the main tributaries of the Yangtze River helps explore measures to improve the ecological environment of the Yangtze River Basin. In this study, based on the theory of behavioral science in modern management, water quality data in the field were collected, and the farmers’ garbage stacking behavior was also investigated in the water source area of the Dabie Mountains. The results showed that ammonia nitrogen (AN), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), and total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water bodies showed an overall negative correlation with the distance of water quality collection sites from the garbage stacking point. AN was the most important pollution element affecting the rural water quality in the water source area of the Dabie Mountains. The unsuitable garbage stacking locations and the farmers’ behavior of dumping garbage along the riverbanks were the important causes of water pollution. The garbage stacking locations were optimized and designed by using a GIS spatial analysis tool and a developed suitability evaluation model for the garbage stacking points. The optimized garbage stacking locations were more suitable for improving the local water environment, and their average suitability values increased to 2.01 times and 2.94 times that of the original stacking locations in Kanxiawan and Lengshuigou, respectively. This study can be used as a scientific and methodological reference for improving the rural water environment in the water source area of the Dabie Mountains and in other similar regions in the world. Full article

In the context of rapid urbanization and extreme climate change globally, balancing ecological resources and economic development for land spatial planning has become one of the pressing issues that need to be addressed. This study proposes a composite model to construct a spatial ecological security pattern. It identifies restoration areas with different risk levels based on the spatial distribution of land use, offering suggestions for optimizing spatial configuration. Focusing on the central Shaanxi region of the Yellow River Basin in China, ecological sources are identified by integrating ecological factors, and ecological corridors and restoration zones are extracted using the minimum cumulative resistance difference and circuit theory. The results indicate significant improvements in ecological quality and desertification in the study area from 2000 to 2020. Currently, the core area covers 51,649.71 km², accounting for 62.18% of all landscape types; the total ecological source area covers 31,304.88 km², representing 18.84% of the entire area. These ecological source areas are mainly distributed in the northern Loess Plateau and the southern mountainous regions. The area has 26 important ecological corridors, identifying 16 ecological pinch points and 12 ecological barriers, presenting an ecological security pattern characterized by a grid-like structure in the northern region and a dispersed pattern in the southern region. Additionally, 273.72 km² of ecological restoration priority areas and 197.98 square kilometers of ecological restoration encouragement areas are proposed as key planning regions for ecological environmental protection. This study provides references for optimizing spatial configuration to promote the sustainable development of urban and rural living environments in the Yellow River Basin. Full article

In recent years, there appears to be a notable transition towards preserving heritage on a regional scale, aiming to promote the authenticity and integrity of traditional settlements. The complex natural topography of these settlements, along with their spread-out arrangement, poses significant challenges to their protection and preservation. With the acceleration of urbanization and the implementation of the national strategy of building a twin-city economic circle in the Chengdu–Chongqing region, economic, cultural, and ecological exchanges between the twin cities have become the key dimensions of their construction. In this context, the concept of the BaShu Cultural Tourism Corridor has emerged, and the traditional settlement sites in the study area have become an important node of urban–rural integration and the BaShu Cultural Tourism Corridor. The primary objective of this study is to establish a heritage corridor protection network for traditional settlements along the Chengdu–Chongqing Ancient Post Road within the Sichuan Basin of China as an example, using the minimum cost resistance model. This approach comprises several key steps: selecting traditional settlements, analyzing their distribution traits, calculating the resistance value for the spread of traditional settlement culture, identifying potential cultural corridors, identifying cultural spaces, and, thus, constructing a protection network. The results show that the spatial distribution of traditional settlements in the study area shows obvious clustering characteristics, the core ecological space in this study is located in the mountains in the north and the southwest, and the cultural spaces are located along the central and southwestern sections, creating a linear distribution pattern. In the ecological culture corridor network, the Premier Corridor is the most extensive of the three categories, connects important cultural area, and serves as a vital conduit for developing heritage tourism strategies. This research aims to bolster the comprehensive protection and application of the region’s traditional cultural heritage, fostering the integration of urban and rural zones and enhancing regional cultural tourism. Future research directions are to integrate the conservation of traditional settlements and the surrounding environment at different planning scales with local policies and to expand the role of digital technology in the data management and visualization of ecocultural corridors. Full article

Urban ecology and heritage-protection space are important parts of urban land and should be highly emphasized in urban planning. Improving and upgrading the level of urban ecological and heritage-conservation space will directly affect the level of spatial quality of the built environment of the city. As a high-density city, Macau suffers from “urban diseases” such as a low per capita green space rate and poor quality of the human environment. Therefore, in order to solve this kind of urban disease, the green environment quality of Macau’s heritage space should be improved and more leisure and recreational space should be provided for urban residents. This paper examines the layout of cultural heritage open spaces in Macau and suggests strategies for planning the preservation and use of these critical resources. This study investigated the current status of open space resources in Macau’s offshore islands, cultural heritage space resources, eight Largo spaces (“Largo” is a unique term for urban public open space in Macau) in Macau’s historic city, site-based cultural heritage open spaces, and the current status of rural walking trails in the offshore islands’ ecological reserves, and used GIS technology to visualize the survey results. Last, this paper investigates the planning strategy for the sustainable use of Macau’s outlying island ecological reserves and proposes a “green network” to connect the main mountains, green areas, and coastal wetlands in Coloane with the natural space. In view of the heritage-conservation space of the Macau Peninsula, this paper proposes the planning strategy of constructing linear landscape and cultural routes and planning characteristic heritage streets and alleys. Through using cultural heritage buildings as nodes and connecting pedestrian streets and alleys, the planning mode of combining heritage attractions and streets and alleys is realized. Full article

In this study, we examined the factors that contribute to successful aging in place in the town of Shimogo, a depopulated mountainous area in Japan, focusing on the interplay between household support types, the performance of daily activities, and the involvement of geographically dispersed family members. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining survey data with multiple correspondence analysis and cluster analysis. The resident household findings reveal significant differences in community engagement and reliance on community support across three household support types: self-help, mutual aid, and combined support. The self-help households demonstrated high self-sufficiency and community participation, while the mutual-aid and combined-support households exhibited greater reliance on family and community resources. An analysis of the activities of out-migrated relatives uncovered diverse engagement profiles, motivated by both providing practical support and strengthening family bonds. The visit frequencies and activity types of the relatives were significantly influenced by both their own characteristics and the levels of self-reliance and community support needs of the resident households. Four distinct relative engagement clusters emerged, reflecting varying levels of support, community involvement, and visit frequency. Our findings underscore the crucial role of both informal (family) and formal (community) support networks in facilitating successful aging in place in rural depopulated areas. Policy implications include strategies supporting both self-reliance and the diverse mechanisms of family- and community-based support to ensure the sustainability of life in these challenging environments. Full article

Relocating poor people in mountainous areas to centralized settlement sites is an important poverty alleviation policy implemented by China and a key measure to promote stable poverty alleviation and sustainable rural development for the poor. Based on the survey data of 405 peasant households in the Panxi Area in 2021, this study constructed a structural equation model (SEM) to explore the influencing factors of peasant households’ willingness to relocate to a concentrated residence. The results showed the following: (1) Of the 405 peasant households surveyed, 20.98% were unwilling to move to centralized resettlement sites, making it more difficult to carry out the relocation policy for poverty alleviation. (2) Living environment, living conditions, important social groups, the economic benefits, living benefits, and survival benefits brought by concentrated residences, governments, and the village committees significantly influenced the willingness to relocate to a concentrated residence. In contrast, agricultural income, ecological benefits, and value benefits brought by the concentrated residence had little effect on the willingness to relocate to a concentrated residence. (3) Land force, human force, cognitive force, and national force significantly positively affected the peasant households’ willingness to relocate to a concentrated residence. This study is of great significance in promoting the implementation of poverty alleviation and relocation policy, improving the efficiency of relocation and promoting the wellbeing of peasant households. Full article

The Poaceae family, one of the most diverse and widespread angiosperms, is prevalent in various natural and urban environments and is a major cause of allergies, affecting over 20% of the population in Europe, specifically in Ireland. With extensive grasslands, Ireland supports numerous grass species, though pollen release varies due to the family’s complexity. The Hirst spore-trap is commonly used to sample airborne pollen, but the area of influence is debated and may differ by pollen type. This study compares grass pollen seasons between rural Carlow and urban Dublin, aiming to create forecast models for airborne pollen and identify key grass areas influencing the main pollen season (MPS). Two Hirst samplers were analyzed, using data up to 2020, and two threshold models (based on Swedish and Danish studies) were tested to find the best fit for Ireland. Airmass footprints were calculated using Hysplit and combined with grassland data to pinpoint major pollen sources. The results showed that Carlow had higher pollen concentrations but shorter seasons than Dublin. The Swedish threshold method was the most accurate for Ireland, with the Wicklow Mountains identified as a significant pollen source. These findings improve the understanding of pollen dynamics and support better public health and allergy management. Full article