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Land
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Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability
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Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2023) | Viewed by 23284

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bernadett Csurgó

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: rural society; rural land use; rural image and landscape; rural-urban relationships
Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Jaszczak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawochenskiego 17, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
2. Department of Business and Rural Development Management, Vytautas, Magnus University in Kaunas, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: landscape architecture; urban and rural planning; revitalization of public spaces; concept of livability; cittaslow towns; nature-based-solutions; sustainable tourism
Prof. Dr. Melanie Smith

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality, Budapest Metropolitan University, 1148 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: cultural tourism; cultural regeneration; heritage management; wellness tourism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The issues, initiatives, roles and challenges of sustainability differ significantly between rural and urban settings. Land use and landscape studies show these differences very well.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore how different urban and rural land use practices and landscape perceptions and planning contribute to sustainability. We are inviting papers that discuss the relationships between land use and landscape issues and sustainability with regard to placemaking, territorial development, tourism and agriculture in a regional and urban rural context. It is suggested that the concept of sustainability should be used as a framework to discuss place-related, and especially land-use- and landscape-related, concepts, phenomena and processes in recent societies. We argue that place-related activities and phenomena are crucial aspects of sustainability and play a significant role in the development of quality of life and wellbeing of communities in the era of climate crisis.

This Special Issue invites papers that focus on a broad range of approaches to the topics of land use, landscape and sustainability including sustainable rural and urban tourism, land use landscape planning, place-based development, placemaking, as well as rural and urban development. We also especially welcome papers that examine rural–urban relationships in the context of sustainability.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Different approaches to urban and rural landscape planning
  • New perspectives on sustainability in the context of climate change
  • Placemaking and the social perception of places of particular importance
  • The concept of livability in the context of the development of people-friendly places in cities and villages
  • Sustainable forms of tourism development as a negation of mass tourism
  • Development of agriculture in the context of demographic, climatic and political changes
  • Alternative models of urban and rural development
  • Social, cultural and spatial relations between the city and the countryside
  • Land use and contemporary problems of urban and rural development
  • Suburban zones and the phenomenon of urban sprawl

We are looking forward to receiving your contributions!

Dr. Bernadett Csurgó
Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Jaszczak
Prof. Dr. Melanie Smith
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • land use
  • landscape
  • sustainability
  • sustainable tourism
  • landscape planning
  • place-based development
  • placemaking
  • rural and urban development
  • agriculture
  • rural-urban relationships

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 11320 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Sustainable Development Suitability in Linear Cultural Heritage—A Case of Beijing Great Wall Cultural Belt
by Ding He, Jingchong Hu and Jie Zhang
Land 2023, 12(9), 1761; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091761 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1349
Abstract
The Great Wall is an example of linear cultural Heritage (LCH) subjected to a fragile ecological environment and unbalanced economic development. However, no studies have been conducted to assess the sustainable development suitability (SDS) of the Great Wall region. Heritage area development assessments [...] Read more.
The Great Wall is an example of linear cultural Heritage (LCH) subjected to a fragile ecological environment and unbalanced economic development. However, no studies have been conducted to assess the sustainable development suitability (SDS) of the Great Wall region. Heritage area development assessments can increase public and government knowledge of the state of heritage areas and aid decision makers in formulating sensible policies or plans to protect and develop heritage areas. The valley is the spatial model of mountain economic development proposed on the basis of a basin combined with the ecological protection, rural development, and cultural inheritance present in mountainous areas. This study chose 169 valley units in the Beijing Great Wall Cultural Belt as research objects. A 15-indicator assessment index system was established based on the ecological, socio-economic, and cultural dimensions. The assessment procedure was enhanced by employing the triangle graphical method, and spatial autocorrelation was used to study the geographical distribution features of the development suitability scores derived from the research region. The results show the following facts: (1) Yanqing, Huairou, Miyun, Pinggu, and Changping have high development suitability results, whereas Mentougou and Changping have low scores. (2) In total, 96 valley units have practical advantages, and 51.5% are comprehensive development types (with advantages in at least two aspects). (3) Valley development suitability scores spatially cluster into seven high- and low-value groups. The ecological carrying capacity of the Badaling Cluster cannot maintain its overheated development. The results match up well with the objective condition of planning in the Beijing Great Wall National Cultural Park. We conclude that the proposed indicator framework and analytical method can be transferred to cases with similar contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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19 pages, 13200 KiB  
Article
Changing Land Use and Urban Dynamics around an Industrial Zone in Bangladesh: A Remote Sensing Analysis
by Palash Basak, Salim Momtaz, Troy F. Gaston and Soma Dey
Land 2023, 12(9), 1753; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091753 - 08 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1062
Abstract
This article examines the adverse effect of rapid industrialization around Bangladesh’s Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) by analyzing Landsat satellite images captured between 1989 and 2019. Image classification was performed to separate built-up areas with machine learning algorithms in Google Earth Engine. Image [...] Read more.
This article examines the adverse effect of rapid industrialization around Bangladesh’s Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) by analyzing Landsat satellite images captured between 1989 and 2019. Image classification was performed to separate built-up areas with machine learning algorithms in Google Earth Engine. Image analysis was conducted using ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro. Field observations, interviews, and the literature review provided information for explanations about the phenomenon observed from satellite image analyses. The findings reveal that when DEPZ started its operation in 1993, there was hardly any built-up area in the vicinity. Within three decades, over 25% of the land within a 5 km radius of DEPZ has been converted into a built-up area, triggering an almost seven-fold increase in population. Industrial and urban growth in the DEPZ area has caused significant soil and water pollution in the broader region. As a result, the quantity and quality of agricultural land has degraded. In the long run, the planned industrial development initiative has contributed to unsustainable urban growth and environmental consequences. Insights drawn from this article can guide policymakers to re-evaluate their policy for rapid and large-scale industrialization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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25 pages, 27100 KiB  
Article
Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Key Areas of Territorial Ecological Restoration in Resource-Exhausted Cities: A Case Study of Jiawang District, China
by Fengyu Wang, Shuai Tong, Yun Chu, Tianlong Liu and Xiang Ji
Land 2023, 12(9), 1733; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091733 - 06 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 713
Abstract
Resource-exhausted cities usually face problems of environmental degradation, landscape fragmentation, and impeded ecological mobility. By clarifying the spatial heterogeneity of ecological restoration needs, efficient and coordinated ecological protection and restoration can be carried out. This study selected Jiawang District, a typical resource-exhausted city, [...] Read more.
Resource-exhausted cities usually face problems of environmental degradation, landscape fragmentation, and impeded ecological mobility. By clarifying the spatial heterogeneity of ecological restoration needs, efficient and coordinated ecological protection and restoration can be carried out. This study selected Jiawang District, a typical resource-exhausted city, and constructed an ecological security evaluation framework to determine the ecological source area from the three aspects of ecosystem service importance, ecological sensitivity, and landscape stability. The resistance surface was corrected with ecological sensitivity evaluation data, and ecological corridors and ecological nodes were identified using circuit theory. Finally, it explored the spatial and temporal evolution of the key areas of territorial ecological restoration in Jiawang District. This study indicates that: (1) In 2000, 2010, and 2020, the ecological source areas were 123.59 km2, 116.18 km2, and 125.25 km2, and the corresponding numbers of ecological corridors were 53, 51, and 49. The total lengths of the ecological corridors were 129.25 km, 118.57 km, and 112.25 km, mainly distributed in the northern and central areas of the study area. (2) The study area contained 17, 13, and 19 ecological pinch points in 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively, 16, 20, and 15 ecological obstacle points, and 8, 24, and 33 ecological fracture points, respectively. Targeted rehabilitation of these key areas can significantly improve ecological connectivity. (3) The key area of territorial ecological restoration in 2020 was composed of 125.25 km2 ecological source area, 8.77 km2 of ecological pinch point, 12.70 km2 of ecological obstacle point, and 33 ecological fracture points. According to the present situation of land use, protection strategies are put forward. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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18 pages, 2115 KiB  
Article
School Buildings in the Urban FABRIC as a Result of 21st-Century Suburbanisation: Case Studies on Two Middle-Sized Towns in the Agglomeration of Budapest, Vác and Dunakeszi
by Katalin Illés Kádek and Máté Tamáska
Land 2023, 12(8), 1576; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081576 - 09 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1055
Abstract
Our study explores the question: what kind of landscape situations emerge between the urban fabric and a school building as a result of 21st-century suburbanisation? To answer this question, we will compare a traditional school town and a suburban settlement. Located less than [...] Read more.
Our study explores the question: what kind of landscape situations emerge between the urban fabric and a school building as a result of 21st-century suburbanisation? To answer this question, we will compare a traditional school town and a suburban settlement. Located less than thirty kilometres from Budapest, the traditional town is Vác, one of the most important historical school towns in Hungary. Dunakeszi, on the other hand, directly borders the capital and was a rural settlement at the beginning of the 20th century. This settlement is a typical example of urban sprawl. Its schools have occupied a place in the urban fabric since the second half of the 20th century. During our research, we used thick description and thoroughly analysed where the buildings are situated within the given urban structure, how their appearance can be described, and what their architecture communicates. Our basic argument is that while traditional settlement schools are a central element of the urban fabric, in the suburbs, schools occupy empty spaces of ‘leftover plots’ or develop new campuses in the interurban landscape. The results showed that regardless of the historical past of a given settlement, 21st-century educational institutions create separated, closed campuses in areas affected by suburbanisation processes. The primary reason for moving out is simply a lack of space in downtown areas, which is universally apparent in larger cities. The various roles and tasks schools fulfil also contribute to the process, for example the integration of sports fields or the increasing expectation to be accessible by car. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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21 pages, 3941 KiB  
Article
Place Naming and Place Making: The Social Construction of Rural Landscape
by Bernadett Csurgó, Gergely Horzsa, Márta Kiss, Boldizsár Megyesi and Zsolt Szabolcsi
Land 2023, 12(8), 1528; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081528 - 01 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1092
Abstract
A social constructivist approach has been applied in our case study analysis in order to explore the sense of place and the perception of landscape of local inhabitants. Fieldwork was carried out in three rural Hungarian microregions selected on the basis of a [...] Read more.
A social constructivist approach has been applied in our case study analysis in order to explore the sense of place and the perception of landscape of local inhabitants. Fieldwork was carried out in three rural Hungarian microregions selected on the basis of a typology developed through statistical analysis. The central question of the study assumes that the way people name the place where they live is an expression of their sense of place and that it is related to their perceptions about narrower locality and also the general attitudes they have towards the rural or urban landscape. To prove this hypothesis, we examined, in three microregions, how people name their own living area, how they relate to the countryside and rural way of life, and how they describe their own locality in their own words (positive and negative aspects). Based on analyses, three different landscape perception types were outlined and were seen to be interconnected with three ways of place naming: (i) a “close-to-nature” perception in relation to geographical place names; (ii) a “cultural-historical” identification in connection with cultural names and (iii) “lifestyle-service” focused landscape perception linked to administrative place naming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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25 pages, 6044 KiB  
Article
Reconversion of Agri-Food Production Systems and Deagrarianization in Spain: The Case of Cantabria
by Carmen Delgado-Viñas
Land 2023, 12(7), 1428; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071428 - 17 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1118
Abstract
The term deagrarianization refers to the dwindling importance of agrarian activity as the economic and social basis of a rural area. Deagrarianization is reflected in the declining number of people engaged in agricultural production and a reduction in the relative importance of agricultural [...] Read more.
The term deagrarianization refers to the dwindling importance of agrarian activity as the economic and social basis of a rural area. Deagrarianization is reflected in the declining number of people engaged in agricultural production and a reduction in the relative importance of agricultural incomes. In addition to the economic consequences, deagrarianization also erodes the importance of the rural population in territorial organization and management and social functioning in rural areas. However, it is also true that the simultaneous shift towards the service economy in present-day rural economies and societies has not led to the disappearance of the rural space but, instead, given rise to new and multiple forms of rurality. The priority objective of the research on which this paper is based is to gain insight into the rural deagrarianization processes in Spain through the specific case of Cantabria. In order to analyze these dynamics, a series of basic indicators have been used. In order of importance, the main indicators employed were those related to the recent dynamics of agriculture, livestock, and forestry activity and the occupational structure of the population as regards its sectoral distribution, with particular attention being paid to the relative importance of livestock and forestry activities in relation to the direct exploitation of territorial resources. In the past, primary sector activities were very important in Cantabria, but their importance has steadily declined in both absolute and relative terms until reaching the current situation. In 2023, only 4579 people have been employed in agriculture out of a total of 214,574 active people (2.13%). It is very significant that between 2012 and 2021, the total number of employed people increased by 9.08% in Cantabria while the proportion of people employed in agricultural activities decreased by −12.90%. Farming is no longer the rural occupation par excellence; however, it continues to be important in most Cantabrian rural municipalities. The territorial distribution is even more revealing. Southern mountain municipalities can be considered the last stronghold of agricultural activity since, in most cases, more than a quarter of their active population is employed in this sector. These are also the rural areas with the highest levels of depopulation. In contrast, other activity sectors have also gained importance in rural areas, although not in the same way. In general, there is less service economy employment in inland rural municipalities, except in those that are county capitals offering services. Some rural, peri-urban, and coastal areas where tourism is more strongly developed also reach high values. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 903 KiB  
Article
The Roots of First-Generation Farmers: The Role of Inspiration in Starting an Organic Farm
by Alia DeLong, Marilyn E. Swisher, Carlene A. Chase, Tracy Irani and Jorge Ruiz-Menjivar
Land 2023, 12(6), 1169; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12061169 - 01 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1891
Abstract
This research aimed to determine salient factors affecting the decision to become a beginning organic farmer. New and beginning organic farmers have unique characteristics, showcasing their dedication to environmental justice and social justice at the expense of their own businesses. This research aimed [...] Read more.
This research aimed to determine salient factors affecting the decision to become a beginning organic farmer. New and beginning organic farmers have unique characteristics, showcasing their dedication to environmental justice and social justice at the expense of their own businesses. This research aimed to determine why people with no background in agriculture would start a farm when it is a high-risk and low-return business. With multigenerational farmers aging out of agriculture, we investigated the new generation and shifting demographics of people entering farming that will replace retiring farmers and feed our future. This research employed a multiple-case case study design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 first-generation farmers who operate organic farms in Arkansas, Florida, or Georgia. We analyzed interview transcripts using the qualitative analysis approach of coding. Our results reveal two primary reasons why people with little practical knowledge start farms. First, they are inspired by those around them who succeed, and second, they are encouraged by influential characters in the field who assure them they can do something they love and be profitable. This research showed that first-generation farmers find inspiration and develop values rooted in food justice. Our findings have implications for developing and implementing current and future programmatic activities that aim to enhance beginning farmer training and workforce development. We identified sources of inspiration that will help researchers and service providers target newer and beginning farmers to support a vibrant food system, including burgeoning market opportunities, developing strong communities around food, and building grassroots solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 10389 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Advancement of Spatial Maps and the Improvement of the Legal System as a Key Tool for Sustainable National Landscape Planning: Case Study of South Korea
by Hyun-Ju Cho, Jin-Hyo Kim and Eun-Jae Lee
Land 2023, 12(5), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051044 - 11 May 2023
Viewed by 1808
Abstract
For sustainable, national landscape-planning, this study focused on land cover changes, landscape analysis methods from various perspectives on the landscape, legal system analysis related to landscape planning, and analysis of a basic spatial map for landscape planning. First of all, in Korea the [...] Read more.
For sustainable, national landscape-planning, this study focused on land cover changes, landscape analysis methods from various perspectives on the landscape, legal system analysis related to landscape planning, and analysis of a basic spatial map for landscape planning. First of all, in Korea the focus is on the aesthetic aspect of the landscape, while foreign countries look at the landscape from multiple perspectives and tried to solve the problem of landscape damage on this basis. Next, looking at the changes in land cover, it was found that the urbanized area increased significantly, but the area of agricultural land and wetlands decreased significantly due to development plans. In addition, looking at the contents of the landscape plan in terms of the legal system, the legal system of the Republic of Korea included a multifunctional aspect of the landscape, but the contents were only at the level of policy suggestions. Finally, through a review of a basic spatial map for landscape planning, it was found that among various basic spatial maps, the biotope map is highly likely to be used when establishing national landscape plans. The results of this study are meaningful in that they have not only established the concept of landscape in terms of multifunctionality but also established improvement measures in terms of legal and institutional aspects and the basic spatial map. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 12143 KiB  
Article
The Results of Digitizing Historical Maps: Comparison of Lithuanian Land-Use Structure in the 19th and 21st Centuries
by Eglė Piškinaitė and Darijus Veteikis
Land 2023, 12(5), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12050946 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1595
Abstract
Studies of long-term land-use changes can reveal significant results about land use in the past and lead to the main causes of these changes being revealed. We georeferenced 27 selected sheets from 1846–1872 topographical maps of the Russian Empire, covering the territory of [...] Read more.
Studies of long-term land-use changes can reveal significant results about land use in the past and lead to the main causes of these changes being revealed. We georeferenced 27 selected sheets from 1846–1872 topographical maps of the Russian Empire, covering the territory of the modern Republic of Lithuania. The georeferencing was based on using ground control points. We discuss the overall insignificant errors obtained from joining the georeferenced sheets of this historical map. Manual digitizing (vectorizing) was preferred over automated means because of the specifications of the map. All the data were merged into five land-use categories: (1) forests; (2) wetlands; (3) built-up areas; (4) water bodies; and (5) other (mostly including arable land, grassland, and pastures). The reconstructed land-use structure of the 19th century was assessed for its compatibility with the spatial data of the CORINE land cover in 2018. The results showed that forest land use increased from 26.57% to 33.52%, built-up areas increased from 4.35% to 3.23%, and water bodies increased from 2.24% to 5.78%. Meanwhile, wetlands decreased from 4.35% to 0.84%, and other land use decreased from 66.56% to 56.63%. The main LULC change trends were determined to have resulted from political and economic decisions. The reconstructed LULC situation and identified LULC changes can provide the background for land management and future studies in various academic fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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19 pages, 3451 KiB  
Article
Identification and Hierarchy of Traditional Village Characteristics Based on Concentrated Contiguous Development—Taking 206 Traditional Villages in Hubei Province as an Example
by Xiaohu Liu, Lei Yuan and Gangyi Tan
Land 2023, 12(2), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020471 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1817
Abstract
Public policy for the preservation and development of traditional villages in China has witnessed a shift. That is from the equal distribution of finances to officially recognised traditional villages to the prioritisation of the development of more potential traditional villages that stimulate the [...] Read more.
Public policy for the preservation and development of traditional villages in China has witnessed a shift. That is from the equal distribution of finances to officially recognised traditional villages to the prioritisation of the development of more potential traditional villages that stimulate the development of surrounding villages and regions. This study takes 206 traditional villages in Hubei Province as an example and proposes a method framework for ‘Feature identification, Hierarchical classification (FIHC) that combines field research, spatial geography and spatial network methods. The results of spatial geography show that traditional villages in Hubei province are unevenly distributed, mainly along the mountain ranges in the east and west, with scattered distribution in the central plains. The kernel density result reveals “3 + 2 high-density hotspot zones” (A, B, and C are high-density areas, whereas D and E are low-density areas). Furthermore, the results of the spatial network appear that the traditional villages’ ecological situation in Zone A is better than in other areas, but their transportation accessibility and economy are poor; Zone B villages’ transportation accessibility is better than in other areas; Zone C has the best economy; and three conditions of traditional villages in the D and E zones are poor. FIHC can identify villages with more development potential and stratify these villages in a multidimensional way. It is innovative and an important contribution to policymakers and planners in developing ‘phased and focused’ public policies and rural planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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21 pages, 3452 KiB  
Article
Analysis of County-Scale Eco-Efficiency and Spatiotemporal Characteristics in China
by Hui Zhang, Yingqi Sun, Zhaoying Fan, Zhi Long, Shilong Wan, Zilong Zhang and Xingpeng Chen
Land 2023, 12(2), 438; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020438 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1297
Abstract
Eco-efficiency is a key indicator to measure the level of regional sustainable development. The county is the basic spatial unit of socio-economic activities and sustainable policy implementation in China. Hence, this paper conducts eco-efficiency analysis at the county scale in order to provide [...] Read more.
Eco-efficiency is a key indicator to measure the level of regional sustainable development. The county is the basic spatial unit of socio-economic activities and sustainable policy implementation in China. Hence, this paper conducts eco-efficiency analysis at the county scale in order to provide reference for the central and local governments to formulate differentiated eco-efficiency enhancement policies, further promote Chinese ecological sustainable development, and advance the construction of ecological civilization with high quality. Based on the Super-Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model and the Malmquist index, the paper constructed an eco-efficiency measurement method and analyzed the variation characteristics, influencing factors, spatial pattern of eco-efficiency in Chinese counties from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that: (1) The eco-efficiency of the county unit was generally low in China and was roughly distributed in a pyramid. The county-level eco-efficiency had a spatial distribution pattern of being high in the west and low in the east, and high in the south and low in the north, with significant non-equilibrium. There was a positive correlation between eco-efficiency of neighboring counties in China. (2) The per-capita GDP has a significant positive correlation with eco-efficiency, while energy consumption, arable land area and eco-efficiency have a negative correlation. The redundancy rate of input indicators was high in Chinese counties. (3) During the study period, the eco-efficiency of most counties displayed a fluctuating growth trend. The growth was mainly driven by technological progress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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13 pages, 269 KiB  
Article
Conceptualizing New Materialism in Geographical Studies of the Rural Realm
by Angel Paniagua
Land 2023, 12(1), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010225 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2346
Abstract
Geographic analysis in rural areas has been dominated in recent decades by socio-economic and socio-political perspectives. The new materialism can constitute a way of progress in rural geographical studies that involve the material and the human in the form of hybrid experiences. Materiality [...] Read more.
Geographic analysis in rural areas has been dominated in recent decades by socio-economic and socio-political perspectives. The new materialism can constitute a way of progress in rural geographical studies that involve the material and the human in the form of hybrid experiences. Materiality can be expressed in three ways: (1) the surface matter that corresponds to the traditional elements of the material rural space, (2) the materiality that would be associated with a joint and undifferentiated vision of human artefacts in a village, mainly the set of rural houses and (3) the experimental materiality that has an individual dimension, the result of the multiple processes of destruction, revival and reconstruction that simultaneously happen in one place. The experimental materiality is of the most interest for geographic analysis since it is where the materiality of the rural house and the individual are hybridized in the process of recovery of the traditional rural house. In the process of recovery of materialities, binary oppositions built in the rigid framework of modernity can be dissolved and established fluid postmodern alternatives co-produced between people and materiality. The new materialism in rural geography can be an alternative path that allows analyzing heterogeneous realities in a hybrid way and contributing in a practical context to the development of new rural policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)

Review

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17 pages, 1113 KiB  
Review
Residents’ Quality of Life in Smart Cities: A Systematic Literature Review
by Songling Chang and Melanie Kay Smith
Land 2023, 12(4), 876; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12040876 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4278
Abstract
Despite its popularity in urban studies, the smart city (SC) concept has not focused sufficient attention on citizens’ quality of life (QoL) until relatively recently. The aim of this study is, therefore, to examine the concept of QoL in SCs using a systematic [...] Read more.
Despite its popularity in urban studies, the smart city (SC) concept has not focused sufficient attention on citizens’ quality of life (QoL) until relatively recently. The aim of this study is, therefore, to examine the concept of QoL in SCs using a systematic review of 38 recent articles from 2020–2022. This includes definitions and concepts, indicators and domains that are used to measure QoL, and the typical research methods that are used to collect data. The review analyses some of the main themes that emerge from the field of SCQoL which include smart urban governance, sustainability, smart living, participation, and social inclusion. The findings from this SC and QoL research can help city planners to prioritize which domains are the most important or meaningful for citizens and which services to invest in. It has been suggested that smart living is the most important domain of a SC. However, various studies have found that citizens experience SC initiatives holistically and that QoL is quite dependent on context in terms of priorities. Therefore, citizen participation strategies should be tailored and adapted to each respective context. SC governance also needs to be more long-term and strategic with real evidence that citizens are involved in decision making and problem solving and are not just passive recipients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban and Rural Land Use, Landscape and Sustainability)
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