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Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2023) | Viewed by 13201

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Dr. Yuanyuan Yang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: rural geography; urban-rural interactions; land system change; modelling land use; ecological services; poverty alleviation and rural vitalization

Dr. Yongsheng Wang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: land engineering; degraded land consolidation; ecological protection; land use change; rural vitalization
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Dr. Jintao Li

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Guest Editor

Center for Quality of Life and Public Policy Research, Institute of Public Governance, School of Political Science and Public Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
Interests: sustainable development; spatial analysis; social governance; ecosystem services; environmental governance; land use planning and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The urban–rural transformation from dichotomy to integration is a gradual process. The urban–rural dichotomy has existed since the origin of cities, and the separation of industry and agriculture forms the main pattern of urban–rural opposition. In the current post-urban world, urban–rural dynamics are far more complex than the traditional, simple reciprocal exchanges between cities and villages. The urban–rural dichotomy has been dissolved. In the context of the broader structural trends wrought by industrialization, urbanization and globalization, emerging rural issues hindered rural sustainability, including out-migration of working-age residents, rural depopulation and exodus, empty housing units, abandoned land, rural poverty, industrial recession, culture decline and environmental pollution, etc. To address these issues, urban–rural integration, as a process that aims to promote the equal exchange of urban–rural factors (e.g., land, labor and capital) as well as the balanced allocation of public resources, could be a promising solution through balancing the urban–rural relationship, promoting sustainable urbanization and revitalizing the countryside. China treats the urban–rural integration as the first way to achieve the goal of rural revitalization in the new era. Researching rural issues and policies from the perspective of the urban–rural dynamic is becoming a hotspot.

Land provides space carriers for human activities and is the core element of urban and rural systems. Dynamic land use mirrors the spatial patterns and processes of urban–rural interactions. During the period 2000-2020, the global urban land area has doubled as over 90% of the global new population was in the urban area while the proportion of rural population decreased by 9.46% (source: FAOSTAT). Rapid industrialization and urbanization have caused a massive loss of high-quality cultivated land. Rural problems related to people’s well-being, ecology, industry, and facilities, and can mainly be attributed to the problem of land use. Rational land use provides a valid foundation for reinvigorating land resources, optimizing spatial patterns, and supporting industrial development, which constitutes the highlights of the urban–rural integration. Moreover, policymaking on urban–rural integration requires an in-depth understanding of the pattern, process, and the current situation of urban–rural interactions in different regions, typical experiences, solutions and knowledge from case studies, and also their complex interacting mechanism. These researches are critical to formulating and implementing targeted strategies for promoting urban–rural integration in local practice but they are currently under-evaluated.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the topic of “land use and urban–rural integration”. New research papers, reviews and case reports are welcome to this issue. We will accept manuscripts from different disciplines and papers addressing these topics are invited for this Special Issue.

Evolution of urban–rural relationships and the spatial patterns of the urban–rural regions
Main problems faced in urban–rural interaction, especially during the factor flows (such as population and land) and industrial interaction
Modeling the dynamics and consequences of land system change in urban–rural integration process
Integration of rural and urban land systems
Rural land system reform for urban–rural integration and rural revitalization

Dr. Yuanyuan Yang
Dr. Yongsheng Wang
Dr. Jintao Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

land use
land multifunction
land system change
rural land reform
urban-rural relationship
urban-rural interaction
urban-rural integration
rural revitalization

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1184 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Government-Led Farmland Construction on Market-Oriented Farmland Transfer—Evidence from Shandong, China

by Hongkun Ma, Hao Zhu, Shuhan Ren, Rudi Liu and Cuixia Qiao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3701; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043701 - 19 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1174

Abstract

This study explored the impact of government-led high-standard farmland construction (HSFC) on market-oriented farmland transfer using a unified analysis framework of HSFC and farmland transfers. We used a binary probit model based on 660 questionnaires from five counties in Shandong Province, China to empirically analyze this impact. The results show that HSFC can significantly promote farmland lease-in while inhibiting lease-out. We found that farmland fragmentation plays a significant role in moderating this impact, which is illustrated by the fact that improved farmland fragmentation does not promote HSFC in the context of farmland lease-in. Furthermore, it can effectively alleviate the inhibitory effect of HSFC on farmland lease-out. The impact of HSFC on farmland transfer has significant labor transfer heterogeneity. For households with a low degree of labor transfer, HSFC can significantly promote farmland lease-in and inhibit lease-out, while for households with a high degree of labor transfer, the above effect is not significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration)

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25 pages, 954 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Land Development Rights, Spatial Injustice, and the Economic Development in Net-Incremental Reduction Regions of Construction Land: Evidence from Shanghai, China

by Jianglin Lu, Keqiang Wang and Hongmei Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2560; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032560 - 31 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1301

Abstract

Rapid urbanization raises the issue of protecting development interests in net-incremental reduction regions of construction land (NRRCL). Spatial injustice (SI) is one of the key factors for the smooth implementation of construction land reduction (CLR) policies. This study theoretically analyzes the influence of SI on the economic development in CLR saving quota outflow regions, namely, NRRCL, and conducted empirical tests with the difference-in-differences model. The findings reveal that: (1) regional differences in CLR policy promote the transfer of land development rights from NRRCL to net-incremental increase regions of construction land (NIRCL) in economically developed regions, thus resulting in SI; (2) SI limits the economic development of NRRCL; (3) land-use planning negatively impacts economic development in planning reduced-type regions; (4) the off-site realization of spatial justice in the CLR process in suburbs has comparative advantages; (5) in the process of CLR, it is vital to promote the transfer of population from NRRCL to NIRCL to alleviate the negative impact of SI. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration)

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19 pages, 5891 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Spatial Coupling Coordination Development: Identifying Land System States from the Adaptation–Conflict Perspective

by Xingjia Wang, Dongyan Wang, Wanying Gao, Jiaxi Lu and Xiaotong Jin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010373 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1870

Abstract

With the advancement of global urbanization, ecosystem conservation and sustainable land development have become major issues. In this context, the uncoordinated and imbalanced development of the land-centered human–environment system requires urgent attention, especially in rust belt cities that pose critical challenges to regional land system sustainability. Therefore, taking Changchun City from 1990 to 2020 as an example, we identified and evaluated the ecosystem service (ES) balance and land use conflict from the perspectives of internal support and external development pressure. Based on the land system adaptation and conflict results, a coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) was constructed to investigate the spatio-temporal characteristics of land system development. The results indicated that there was an obvious downward trend in the regional ES balance, while areas with higher ES balance were mainly distributed in the eastern ecologically sound areas, and southern built-up areas presented deficient ES balance levels (i.e., demand exceeding supply), with a significant expansion trend from 1990 to 2020. Land use conflict was especially prominent in areas experiencing rapid rural–urban transformation, and the hot spots expanded noticeably. The spatio-temporal differences in the coupling coordination degree of ES balance and land use conflict were significant, whereas the land system of the study area has always been dominated by a balanced development pattern throughout the research period, except for the urban center, which tended to be in a stage of uncoordinated development, with the ES balance blocked. These findings suggest that it is necessary to coordinate urban and adjacent regions through regionally integrated efforts to alleviate the ES imbalance. This research can provide a scientific reference for analyzing regional land system states, coordinating the sustainable spatial development of ecosystems, and implementing revitalization strategies to achieve win-win land system goals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration)

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13 pages, 2439 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Sustainable Use Strategy of Scarce Water Resources for Rural Revitalization in Yanchi County from Arid Region of Northwest China

by Yongsheng Wang, Xiao Cui, Xinrong Zhang and Qi Wen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16347; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316347 - 06 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1507

Abstract

Water scarcity limits the coordination between economic development and ecological protection of arid regions. This study presented the consumption pattern and future challenges for water resources and proposed sustainable use strategies for water security in Yanchi county from the arid region of northwest China. Our results showed that water withdrawals were close to the total available water resources. Agriculture consumed about 84.72% of the total water supply. Agricultural water use was influenced by breeding stock, rural per capita net income and effective irrigation area. Estimation of agricultural water demand was about 6582.20 × 10⁴ m³ under the rural revitalization scenario. Limited water supply and increased water demand pose challenges and impediments for rural revitalization and water security in Yanchi county. Water sustainable utilization can be achieved by increasing water supply from unconventional water resources and improving water use efficiency with governmental management. These findings may help policymakers to develop sustainable water use strategies during rural revitalization in arid regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration)

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20 pages, 13702 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Construction and Optimization of an Ecological Network in Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area, China

by Jingeng Huo, Zhenqin Shi, Wenbo Zhu, Tianqi Li, Hua Xue, Xin Chen, Yanhui Yan and Ran Ma

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 8066; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138066 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2108

Abstract

Rapid urbanization aggravates issues related to protection and optimization of the ecological environment. Constructing an ecological network system, including ecological values in planning, and using landscape effects efficiently are important for adjusting regional ecological space and promoting local sustainable development. Land use data from eight time points between 1980 and 2020 in the Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area were used to identify the local ecological sources, corridors and nodes and to identify an ecological network with high structural integrity. The study used the FLUS, MSPA, MCR, and gravity models, hydrological analysis, and network structure evaluation by applying tools such as ArcGIS, Guidos Toolbox and Conefor. The results indicated that: (1) among the nine major ecological sources, those in the Yellow River Basin connected the large−scale sources in the east and west of the network, and the rest were located in the northeast, southeast and southwest of the research area, semi−enclosing the main urban area of Zhengzhou. (2) There were 163 least−cost paths and 58 ecological corridors, mainly distributed along the Yellow River Basin. (3) There were 70 ecological nodes, divided into 10 strategic, 27 natural ecological and 33 artificial environment nodes, distributed in key locations such as the core of each source and the intersection of corridors. (4) The ecological network included all the landscape elements in the research area and connected the main ecological substrates in a semi−enclosing network structure with one horizontal and two vertical corridors and four clusters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration)

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18 pages, 4463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Variation of Ecosystem Services Value under Land Use/Cover Change in the Black Soil Region of Northeastern China

by Quanfeng Li, Lu Wang, Guoming Du, Bonoua Faye, Yunkai Li, Jicheng Li, Wei Liu and Shijin Qu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7533; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127533 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1771

Abstract

A better understanding of the dynamic variation in the ecosystem service value (ESV) under land use/cover change (LUCC) is conductive to improving ecosystem services and environmental protection. The present study took Landsat TM/ETM remote sensing images and socio-economic statistic data as data sources and extracted land-use data using RS and GIS technology at 5-year intervals from 1990 to 2020. Then, we interpreted the spatio-temporal characteristics of LUCC and analyzed ESV changes using the value equivalence method in the black soil region of northeastern China (BSRNC). The main results showed that land use changed significantly during the study period. Cultivated land continued to expand, especially paddy areas, which increased by 1.72 × 10⁶ ha, with a relative change of 60.9% over 30 years. However, grassland decreased by 2.47 × 10⁶ ha, with a relative change of −60.6% over 30 years. The ESV showed a declining trend, which decreased by CNY 607.96 million during 1990–2020. The decline in forest and grassland caused a significant decline in the ESV. Furthermore, the ESV sensitivity coefficients were less than one for all of the different categories of ecosystem services. LUCC has a considerable impact on ESV in the BSRNC, resulting in ecosystem function degradation. As a result, future policies must emphasize the relationship between food security and environmental protection in situations of significant land-use change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration)

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17 pages, 4041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Village Type Identification and Development Strategy under the Background of Rural Revitalization: A Case of Gaochun District in Nanjing, China

by Lingling Dai, Weifeng Qiao, Ting Feng and Yuanfang Li

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6854; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116854 - 03 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1799

Abstract

In the context of rural revitalization, it is of great significance for the implementation of a Rural Revitalization Strategy to carry out the research on scientifically identifying village types and clarifying the differences and pluralistic trends within villages. Taking Gaochun District of Nanjing in China as an example, this paper constructs an index system of development level and reconstruction intensity from a dynamic and static perspective, uses the polygon area method to calculate the comprehensive score of each index, divides village types based on the combination of development level and reconstruction intensity, and then puts forward the differentiated development strategies of various villages. The results show that the identification method of village types based on combined features is multi-dimensional and comprehensive, and the recognition results are more in line with the objective reality. Villages in Gaochun district have a medium overall development level and high overall reconstruction intensity. There are a large number of low-value villages with development level and high-value villages with reconstruction intensity. According to the three-step strategy of village type identification, the list of characteristic villages, the location of villages and the characteristics of index combination, five village types were identified: the characteristic protection type, the urban-suburban integration type, the agglomeration and upgrading type, the improvement and development type, and the relocation and merger type. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use and Urban-Rural Integration)

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