Search Results (29)

Sustainable land-use regulation in historical and cultural cities requires balancing heritage conservation, development demand, cropland retention, and urban–rural spatial restructuring. However, the stage-wise reorganization of urban–rural construction land under these coupled pressures remains insufficiently understood. Taking Jingzhou District, China, as a case study, this study uses land-use data from 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 and integrates stage-wise random-forest analysis, consistency-based interaction-network mining, and multi-scenario simulation within the intPLUS framework. Population, GDP, and areal-water distance layers were matched to the corresponding stage-terminal snapshots where applicable, whereas 2020 POI data were used as contemporary spatial-context proxies. From 2000 to 2020, urban industrial land (UIL) expanded from 16.63 to 46.42 km², increasing by approximately 179.1%, whereas rural settlements (RS) increased more moderately from 56.59 to 60.27 km², increasing by approximately 6.5%. The stage-wise RF and interaction-network results show that UIL and RS followed different spatial association structures, with stronger UIL self-reinforcement and stronger RS self-continuity in the later stage. Historical validation showed overall accuracy values of approximately 91% and Kappa values around 0.80, but FoM values remained relatively low, ranging from 0.098 to 0.176. Class-specific mapping accuracy was higher for RS (81.90–82.37%) than for UIL (55.20–66.93%), indicating a weaker performance in locating UIL change. Therefore, the 2035 simulations should be interpreted as parameter-conditioned regulatory comparisons rather than deterministic pixel-level forecasts. The scenario results indicate that the conservation-oriented limited growth was associated with the restricted UIL expansion and better cropland retention under the prescribed demand and constraint settings, while the RS reduction occurred only under explicit village-consolidation and construction-land quota reallocation assumptions. By distinguishing UIL and RS, this study provides differentiated regulation-oriented evidence for sustainable land-use governance in historical and cultural cities. Full article

Etruscan studies have reached great heights in the accumulation of cultural data. This is particularly true for landscape studies: the second half of the 20th century has been fruitful as it saw a growth in survey projects exploring ancient central Italian landscapes. Survey data indeed have a lot of potential for the study of urbanisation, facilitating the quantification of different patterns to draw comparisons of control strategies enacted by different power places. This paper is a synthesis of the analyses on rural settlement data between the 7th and the 5th centuries BCE, when urbanised institutions and lifestyles consolidated. Four case studies are selected and discussed, representing different types of territorial control: Tuscania, a mid-ranking centre tied to the city of Tarquinia; Chiusi and Cerveteri, both urban central places, with different developments and ways to administer territories; and finally, the palatial site of Murlo, in open conflict with urbanised realities. Site trends, proxies of population change and locational analysis, using GIS, reveal different rural infrastructures sustaining Etruscan central places. These centres adopted different strategies to control their lands and benefit from them. As part of the approach, I will show how structured Etruscan landscapes became, how they were exploited, who lived there, and how relationships with the central place were developed. Full article

Using She County, a national new-type urbanization comprehensive pilot area, as a case study, this research develops a multi-layered “static–dynamic–driver” analytical framework based on rural settlement data. By integrating GIS spatial overlay, landscape pattern indices, average nearest neighbor analysis, kernel density estimation, and cold–hotspot analysis, the study systematically characterizes the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of rural settlements from 1980 to 2020. The results reveal that: (1) settlement evolution exhibits distinct phase-specific patterns, encompassing four primary types of transformation: localized expansion and consolidation, individual disappearance, rapid expansion, and the emergence of new settlements with peripheral extension; (2) landscape pattern and aggregation analyses indicate continuous growth in both total area and number of settlements, accompanied by increasing irregularity and fragmentation of patches; settlement size aggregation shows a fluctuating decline followed by recovery, overall spatial clustering intensity trends upward, and high-density kernel areas shift from the central–western to the northwestern region; (3) under multi-factor interactions, settlement layouts transitioned from an early “survival–location dependent” pattern dominated by natural constraints and transportation accessibility, to a mid-stage rapid aggregation driven by economic development and public service provision, ultimately evolving into a composite pattern balancing economic drivers and ecological constraints. The findings underscore the nonlinear superimposed effects of natural environment, economic development, transportation accessibility, public service availability, and ecological carrying capacity, providing a robust scientific basis for optimizing rural settlement spatial arrangements and informing rural development policy under the context of national new-type urbanization. Full article

The island of Gran Canaria (Spain) has undergone a significant transformation in wildfire dynamics over the past two decades, characterized by a decline in wildfire frequency but a marked increase in the severity and spatial impact of extreme events, particularly within the wildland–urban interface (WUI). This study analyzes wildfire activity between 2000 and 2020 using official datasets and statistical trend analyses, incorporating robust severity indicators and measures of burned area concentration. Results show a statistically significant decreasing trend in the number of wildfires, while burned area is extremely concentrated in a small number of high-intensity events, with four large wildfires accounting for more than 97% of the total affected area. Climatic influences on wildfire activity were assessed through the analysis of long-term meteorological indicators, focusing on trends in extreme heat days and precipitation as proxies for thermal stress and fuel moisture availability. The results indicate a substantial modification of the background climatic framework under which wildfires develop, although no direct causal relationships are inferred. In parallel, territorial processes—such as rural abandonment, increased fuel continuity, and the expansion of dispersed housing beyond consolidated settlements—act as key amplifiers of wildfire risk. Overall, the findings highlight a transition from emergency-oriented fire suppression toward resilience-based wildfire management, emphasizing the need to integrate climate adaptation, territorial planning, and stricter land-use regulation in WUI areas. Full article

The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, in southeastern Mexico, is a major conservation area known for its tropical forests, emblematic wildlife species, and long history of Maya occupation. Established in 1989 as a federal Natural Protected Area, it was incorporated into UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program in 1993 and designated a mixed World Heritage Site in 2014. Its socioecological trajectory is distinctive: conservation efforts advanced alongside the contemporary rural settlement resulting from agrarian reform and subsequent development and welfare policies. This article examines the persistent imbalance between ecological conservation and socioeconomic development surrounding the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, focusing on water vulnerability in adjacent communities. The study integrates environmental history with household-level survey data on water access and vulnerability among 200 households in eight communities in the Biosphere Reserve’s transition zone, complemented by interviews with key water-management stakeholders. We document the consolidation of conservation through management plans, advisory councils, payments for ecosystem services, scientific research, and expanding voluntary conservation areas. Yet these advances contrast sharply with everyday socioeconomic realities: 68% of households face prolonged water scarcity, with an average of more than 30 days annually without water. Calakmul’s case highlights structural mismatch between conservation and local human well-being in Natural Protected Areas contexts. Full article

Since the onset of global industrialization, rural planning has evolved significantly in developed countries, establishing a comprehensive framework for sustainable development. However, China’s rural areas, rooted in longstanding agrarian traditions, face distinct challenges amid rapid urbanization and globalization, including land degradation, ecological degradation, and rural depopulation. This study examines the progression of rural planning in China, with a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11): “Sustainable Cities and Communities”. Employing a bibliometric approach, we analyzed the literature from the Web of Science database, concentrating on influential publications, collaborative patterns among research institutions, and emerging research themes. Findings reveal that Chinese rural planning research has expanded rapidly since 2004, characterized by interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations. High-impact studies emphasize the transformation of rural settlements, land utilization, and urban–rural dynamics, reflecting an ongoing shift toward sustainable rural revitalization. Co-citation analysis identifies emerging themes such as resilience in rural development, land consolidation, and rural governance under environmental constraints. This study offers theoretical and empirical insights critical to advancing rural planning practices in China, proposing a framework for integrating sustainability into policy and guiding future research to optimize spatial layouts, preserve ecological resources, and support rural transformation aligned with China’s socioeconomic objectives. Full article

Land consolidation is a pivotal element in rural settlement planning globally and specifically in Turkey. Evaluating the efficacy of land consolidation initiatives and incorporating diverse approaches in distinct countries and regions are imperative. This assessment becomes particularly crucial in charting the course for future land consolidation endeavors, wherein an understanding of farmers’ knowledge levels and perspectives significantly enhances success rates. This research focuses on evaluating land consolidation studies conducted in 2011 in three settlements—Alhan, Çulhan, and Dereköy—located in the Yenipazar district of Aydın province, Turkey. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews with 296 enterprise owners chosen through the stratified random sampling method across the three villages. The analysis utilized CHAID (Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection) analysis, a decision tree model, to comprehensively evaluate the interview results. The findings derived from this study offer crucial insights into the regional farmers’ perspectives on land consolidation projects, contributing valuable data to the academic discourse on rural development and settlement planning. It has been revealed that farmers’ education level, land holdings, and age have significant effects on their views on land consolidation projects. It has also been determined that the positive perspectives of farmers in the region on land consolidation projects continue to be positive after the project is completed. Moreover, more than half of the farmers who participated in the survey reported that their living standards have changed positively. Full article

The rice–crayfish co-culture system, a representative of Agri-aqua food systems, has emerged worldwide as an effective strategy for enhancing agricultural land use efficiency and boosting sustainability, particularly in China and Southeast Asia. Despite its widespread adoption in China’s Jianghan Plain, the exact spatiotemporal dynamics and factors influencing this practice in this region are yet to be clarified. Therefore, understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and influencing factors of the rice–crayfish fields (RCFs) is crucial for promoting the rice–crayfish co-culture system, and optimizing land use policies. In this study, we identified the spatial distribution of RCF using Sentinel-2 images and land use spatiotemporal data to analyze its spatiotemporal dynamics during the period of 2016–2020. Additionally, we used the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression model to explore the key factors influencing RCF’s spatiotemporal changes. Our findings reveal that (1). the RCF area in Jianghan Plain expanded from 1216.04 km² to 2429.76 km² between 2016 and 2020, marking a 99.81% increase. (2). RCF in Jianghan Plain evolved toward a more contiguous and clustered spatial pattern, suggesting a clear industrial agglomeration in this area. (3). The expansion of the RCFs was majorly influenced by its landscape and local agricultural conditions. Significantly, the Aggregation and Landscape Shape Indexes positively impacted this expansion, whereas proximity to rural areas and towns had a negative impact. This study provides a solid foundation for promoting the rice–crayfish co-culture system and sustainably developing related industries. To ensure the sustainable development of rice–crayfish co-culture industries in Jianghan Plain, we recommend that local governments optimize the spatial layout of rural settlements, improve transportation infrastructure, and enhance regional agricultural water sources and irrigation system construction, all in line with the national strategy of rural revitalization and village planning. Additionally, promoting the concentration and contiguity of RCF through land consolidation can achieve efficient development of these industries. Full article

In China’s pursuit of modernization, the government has introduced the rural revitalization strategy to combat rural decline, foster balanced urban–rural development, and reduce the urban–rural gap. Rural human settlements, as key components of this strategy, play a vital role. This paper examines the types and characteristics of human–earth relationships within rural settlements, emphasizing their significance. Using national land use and population census data, we analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of rural settlements at the county level, investigating landscape pattern changes, assessing the degree of coupling coordination between rural population and settlements, categorizing relationship types and features, and estimating the potential for remediation. Our findings reveal a growing trend in the scale of rural human settlements, particularly sourced from arable land, with significant expansions observed in the North China Plain and Northeast Plain, indicating potential for farmland reclamation and village consolidation. Landscape patterns of rural human settlements exhibit increased fragmentation, complex shapes, and aggregation. We categorize the utilization of rural human settlements into two types, each with four distinct features: human–land coordination is observed in regions characterized by either a higher rural population and larger rural settlement areas, or lower rural population and smaller rural settlement areas. Human–land trade-offs are evident in areas where there is either a higher rural population and smaller rural settlement areas, or lower rural population and larger rural settlement areas. This provides valuable insights for the Chinese government’s context-specific implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. It also serves as an experiential reference for the governance of rural human settlements in other developing countries. Full article

Rural settlement consolidation (RSC) is an important tool for improving rural habitat environments, and the potential evaluation of RSC is the premise for rural settlement planning. This paper identified the potential sources of RSC in different reconstruction modes and built an influencing factor system for RSC. We analyzed the spatial differentiation patterns of the theoretical potential and the realistic potential, and we identified the factors influencing the potential realization based on an empirical investigation in China. Influenced by multiple constraints, the potential transition from theoretical to realistic was spatially differentiated and showed a spatial agglomeration at the village level. Rural depopulation had a direct impact on the theoretical potential of RSC, while the distance to the downtown, rural population, per capita GDP, and production and living conditions played an important role in the realistic potential. Particularly, rural settlement basic conditions, rural population, and arable land resources profoundly affected farmer exit willingness and the potential transition from theoretical to realistic. Four optimization paths for rural settlement reconstruction linking to land use policies were proposed, which could provide valuable information for rural settlement planning in socioeconomic transformation regions. Full article

This research addresses the characteristics of soft soil subgrades treated by soilbags filled with excavated clayey soil. We evaluated of the strength and deformation modulus of soilbags containing excavated soil using unconfined compression tests. In addition, the drainage consolidation characteristics of soilbag-treated subgrades were investigated via model consolidation tests. Furthermore, a practical application included the construction of a 100 m-long rural road subgrade with these soilbags. The field test and numerical simulation results included the surface settlement and pore water pressure during and after construction to validate the effectiveness of the soilbag treatment for soft soil subgrade. The results show that the soilbags significantly enhanced both the strength and deformation modulus of the soft soil, which met the design requirements after the soilbag treatment. The drainage attributes of the soilbag treatment were also found to support the consolidation process of the soft soil subgrade effectively. Notably, the pore water pressure diminished rapidly during the construction interval, which is beneficial to reducing the post-construction settlement. The settlement uniformity of the subgrade is good verification of the superiority of the soilbag-treated subgrades. Full article

China’s distinct rural revitalization process has attracted global attention due to its impressive speed, massive scale, and policy interventions. A relatively limited amount of research has been conducted on how rural transition characteristics and policy mechanisms are interrelated at the micro level. To fill this research gap, following the main research thread of dividing rural development stages, revealing transition characteristics and exploring policy mechanisms, this paper utilizes a participatory rural appraisal, a landscape metrics analysis, and in-depth interviews to analyze the spatial transition laws of Dayu Village. First, the results show that the village experienced three stages from 1990 to 2020: strict homestead control, village relocation, and land consolidation. Second, the village exhibits multidimensional transition characteristics. With a reduced rural settlement area, regular patch formation, and a dense interior subdivision of rural houses, the land use layout changed from homogeneous to multiple nests. As the industrial structure became more diversified, the villagers’ livelihoods became more differentiated. Inflows of tourists and migrants changed the population structure, causing social relations to become defamiliarized. Moreover, mechanism research finds that policy can promote rural settlement transition by allocating land resources and regulating village behavior. The policy’s scope expanded from a single settlement to the whole village, optimizing external forces, with village behavior effects acting as an internal force. The degree of matching between policy formulation and villagers’ needs is the key to promoting the transition of rural settlements. This research deepens the understanding of the transition laws of suburban villages in megacities in developing countries at the micro scale and provides a reference for land policies in similar villages. Full article

Since the inception of China’s reform and opening-up policy, the rapidly advancing process of urbanization and the primacy accorded to urban development policies have imparted increasingly profound ramifications on rural domains. Nonetheless, antecedent research has predominantly fixated on urban sprawl, overlooking the spatial metamorphosis of rural settlements and the prospective developmental trajectories within the policy paradigm. Consequently, this inquiry endeavors to scrutinize the evolution of the spatial configuration of rural settlements in She County from the advent of reform and opening-up (1980–2020) utilizing remote sensing data. In tandem, through scenario delineation and the utilization of the CLUE-S model, it aspires to prognosticate the evolving trends in the spatial arrangements of rural settlements in She County by 2035. The empirical findings divulge that (1) The temporal progression of rural settlement spatial configurations in She County over the preceding four decades can be delineated into two discernible phases. From 1980 to 2000, alterations in the number, extent, and spatial morphological attributes of rural settlements remained circumscribed. While the count of rural settlements registered a diminution (by 3), the aggregate extent experienced a marginal augmentation (by 8.45%), concomitant with a gradual gravitation towards regular boundaries, manifesting a stochastic distribution throughout the investigation expanse. Conversely, from 2000 to 2020, the quantity and extent of rural settlements in She County underwent a precipitous augmentation (92 and 36.37%, respectively), characterized by irregular peripheries. (2) The CLUE-S model achieved an overall precision of 0.929, underscoring its applicability in emulating fluctuations in rural settlements. (3) Within the new-type urbanization scenario, the cumulative expanse of rural settlements witnessed a decline of 35.36% compared to the natural development scenario, marked by substantial conversions into grassland and urban land usage. Furthermore, orchestrated planning and directive measures have propelled the consolidation of rural settlements in She County, engendering a more equitable and standardized layout. Under the aegis of the ecological conservation scenario, the total rural settlement area recorded a 0.38% reduction vis-à-vis the natural development scenario, primarily entailing competitive coexistence with arable land, grassland, and urban land usage in spatial terms. Full article

The spatial restructuring of rural settlements is conducive to the realization of rural transition and development. This study constructed a “point-line-surface” framework for the spatial reconstruction of the homestead in a typical mountain village and used the weighted Voronoi diagram and buffer analysis method to analyze. The results are as follows. (1) The development capacity of rural homesteads in Longfeng Village was divided into three levels: high, medium, and low. Among them, the high-level homesteads clustered in the north and south of the village in the form of a “T” and a long strip, respectively; the medium-level homesteads are mostly aggregated in the middle of the village; the low-level homesteads are mainly distributed along the Fenghuang Mountain. (2) The layout of homesteads in Longfeng Village was axis-oriented, which is manifested by the number and scale being in a gradient-decreasing pattern with the main road axis as the centerline. (3) According to the principle of “maximum” development capacity of the homestead, nine reconstruction units are divided. By calculating the location entropy, it is found that the dominant functions of each reconstruction unit mainly include supporting life services, operational production, ecological agricultural production, and traditional agricultural production, and there are obvious differences in the development patterns of homesteads in different functional units. (4) Based on the “point-line-surface” characteristics of the homestead, four reconstruction modes, namely, modern community type, field and garden integration type, road-pointing type, and traditional residential type, are summarized, and the reconstruction strategies are proposed accordingly. The “point-line-surface” framework of rural settlements is of practical significance and theoretical value, which can provide a decision-making reference for the optimization and reorganization of residential land space in villages of the same type in mountain areas. Moreover, the integrated and innovative framework proposed in the paper has also international significance, thanks to the possibility of replicating the research strategy and methodological approach in other contexts. Full article

Settlement structure is the most essential aspect of rural landscapes and habitations in China. The process of merging rural settlements has given rise to tensions in spatial-social structures, posing significant risks to rural sustainability. However, little research has been undertaken to analyze potential resolutions for the challenges of sustainable development in the context. Based on the technological mediation theory, we used participant observation and interviews to investigate the effects of the photovoltaic system on spatial-social structures, governance patterns, and rural sustainability. By focusing on a representative merger project area situated in Shandong Province, our research revealed that the photovoltaic system improved spatial, social, and governance sustainability in rural areas rather than only the environmental aspect. In the spatial dimension, the photovoltaic system reconstructed domestic spaces and activated scenarios conducive to public life. In the social dimension, it fostered the eradication of disparities in identity and facilitated the reintegration of social networks. In the governance dimension, a large-scale governance pattern supported by mutual interest, collective trust, and the integrated system was developed to successfully resolve emerging problems and ultimately promoted the sustainability of the community–village region. The findings highlight the efficacy of employing technological design as a means to resolve resettlement dilemmas, which could shed light on the elimination of conflicts arising from the interplay between urbanization and sustainability of rural areas. Full article