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Although the importance of glocalisation for developing tourism destinations has long been recognised, there needs to be more research on the dynamics of its emergence and developmental changes. Taking Wuzhen, a historical village in China, as an example, using semi-structured interviews from three field surveys and historical archives as data sources and combining tourism history and the critical event technique method, this paper applies qualitative research to analyse the process of glocalisation practice in Wuzhen. It is found that glocalisation is a basic fact that objectively exists in the development process of Wuzhen. At different stages of development, Wuzhen has actively faced the influence of globalisation in different attitudes. Organising and hosting international conferences and exhibitions has been a guide for Wuzhen to overcome the homogenisation crisis. The theoretical research contribution of this paper is to provide an example to test the applicability of the glocalisation theory in the field of tourism destination evolution research and to expand the theoretical boundaries of tourism destination evolution research further. The practical research contribution is to help people understand and know Wuzhen comprehensively, thus providing a reference for the transformation and development of historic villages and towns in globalisation. • Glocalisation in Tourism Destination Evolution (TDE). • Global ties key for historic village revival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "conflict-coordination" theoretical model of regional land use transitions put forward by Long (2022) offers a fresh perspective for understanding the process of regional land use and the decision-making dynamics involved. However, being a novel theory, empirical evidence supporting this theoretical model is currently lacking. Consequently, this paper aims to validate the theoretical model using the lower Yellow River basin in China as a case study, focusing on the interconversion between cropland and rural settlements. The findings reveal that the rural land use transitions primarily manifest as an initial conversion of cropland to rural settlements, followed gradually by the reverse conversion of rural settlements back to cropland. The conversion of cropland to rural settlements prior to 2015 are regarded as the land use conflict phase, resulting in conflicts between construction departments and cropland protection departments, and deviation from national cropland protection goals. The conversion of rural settlements to cropland between 2015 and 2020 is regarded as the land use conflict-coordination phase, which mitigated pressure on cropland protection and resolved conflicts between the above-mentioned departments. The land use conflict phase was driven by socio-economic factors such as urbanization and rural economic development, whereas the land use conflict-coordination phase was primarily driven by cropland protection policies. This paper effectively elucidates the "conflict-coordination" theoretical model of regional land use transitions and provides a framework for evaluating rural land management policies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective allocation of rural development rights is crucial for achieving the ambitious goal of rural revitalization. However, China's current urban-rural spatial development rights system, with its differentiated allocation logic, has suppressed rural development rights, hindering the successful implementation of rural revitalization policies. In response to these challenges, there is a pressing need to innovate the rural spatial governance model. This paper aims to construct a comprehensive framework for analyzing rural development rights, grounded in the spatial governance concept of "matter-organization-ownership". It explores the implementation path for rural development rights, encompassing spatial development and utilization rights, spatial value dominance rights, and spatial self-development rights. To illuminate the internal mechanisms driving the realization of rural development rights within a rural spatial governance context, this study focuses on empirical research conducted in Houwei village, Nanjing, China. The findings reveal that Houwei village has effectively mobilized diverse stakeholders, encouraging their active participation in the rural spatial governance system, particularly through the promotion of rural tourism. This innovative approach has integrated "top-down" spatial control transmission with a "bottom-up" spatial innovation model, catalyzing rural spatial development and utilization rights. Furthermore, the comprehensive governance of multidimensional space in Houwei village has clarified property rights over space, fostering the appreciation, realization, and circulation of rural space values, thus enhancing rural spatial value dominance rights. Additionally, the strengthened spatial relationship system has empowered local farmers to engage in self-organized learning, innovation, and development. By advocating for a comprehensive approach to rural spatial governance, this paper outlines an implementation path towards realizing rural development rights. It aims to provide valuable insights for refining rural revitalization strategies and practices, contributing to the overarching goal of sustainable rural development. • A conceptual framework for rural spatial development rights is formulated based on spatial governance principles. • Examining the trajectory of rural development rights through the lens of rural spatial governance. • Harmonizing land space utilization regulation with the underlying spatial governance imperatives in China. • Integrating both "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches represents a contemporary pathway for rural development. • Facilitating the effective functioning of rural collective rights in China holds promise for rural development rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has also experienced a phenomenon of counter-urbanisation. Many urban residents have moved to suburban and even remote rural areas for living, establishing and operating businesses over the past decade. However, research is scarce on the counter-urbanisation trend in China. This paper investigates the driving forces behind the migration of China's high-and-middle-income groups to rural areas in the Yangtze River Delta region and their impacts on rural villagers and development. The paper contends that counter-urbanisation serves as an important pathway for rural revitalisation. More significantly, China's rural land ownership system facilitates the migration of urban dwellers to rural areas, thereby promoting rural revitalisation while avoiding the rural gentrification observed in Europe and the United States. In light of this, the authors propose a new term "Rural Middle-class Formation" as a Chinese type of "rural gentrification" to achieve common prosperity in both urban and rural areas and to distinguish it from "rural gentrification." • Counter-urbanisation is emerging in China within the Chinese unique land ownership system. • Urban migrants seek benefits from both the consumption and production sides. • The emergence of counter-urbanisation in China is a spontaneous inclination among high- and middle-income urban groups. • Urban-migration has a significant impact on rural businesses. • Counter-urbanisation may promote rural revitalisation and common prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In line with China's rural transformation, the homestead system reform (HSR) pilots have been launched to rectify adverse land-related issues by formalising and capitalising land property rights. In contrast with a government-led model prevalent among most national HSR pilots, a community-based approach has been experimented with and proven efficient in Yujiang County, southern China. It highlights a pivotal role of the endogenous and public-spirited activists who are locally called 'new rural elites' (NREs). From the perspective of village transformation processes, this paper establishes a theoretical framework and employs a case study in Yujiang to interpret the underlying rationale for NREs' involvement in HSR. The findings indicate that HSR, aiming at multi-level space reshaping and ' three rights separation ' reform, is in alignment with the triple processes of village transformation (i.e., systemic , communal , and living). The NREs represent a cultural force for facilitating village transformation, which is underpinned by the capacity , channel and carrier endowed by urban-rural linkages, interpersonal value transmission and community social solidarity, respectively. The benevolent dominance of the NREs is jointly shaped by governmental empowerment and accountability, egalitarian property rights design and strong social solidarity. To expand NREs' benevolent roles, this study recommends aligning community empowerment with the improvements of community-based action capacity. • The new rural elites (NREs) represent a cultural force for facilitating village transformation through the HSR. • Governmental empowerment and accountability create a favourable environment for NREs' involvement. • Strong social solidarity enables the NREs to expand emotion-based mobilisation in the HSR. • The egalitarian property rights system is compatible with NREs' benevolent domination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the study of rural community resilience has become the focus of rural researchers in response to the decline of villages in the process of urbanization. However, current research on village resilience has mainly focused on the analysis and assessment of village resilience, while there is a lack of research on the resilience reconstruction of mountainous villages severely affected by urbanization. Taking Longtan village in Fujian Province, China, as an example, this paper describes how industrial transformation promotes community capital development and their impact on community resilience. It shows that the diversified participants in the industrial transformation process have fostered constructive dialogue, collective discussion, and self-governance. The widespread use of digital technology has helped communities to have the ability to learn and innovate, and has played an important role in promoting rural industrial transformation and community resilience. It argues that the improvement of human capital in the process of industrial transformation drives the "spiral" of community capital, and that the diversity and coupling among community capital promote the synergistic development of community capital and help communities rebuild resilience. • Exploring the way to develop the resilience of mountainous rural communities. • Industrial transformation as a prerequisite for community capital enhancement. • Digital technology plays an important role in community resilience reconstruction. • Community empowerment contributes to a diversified rural construction entity. • Improving human capital is the key to rebuilding community resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, rural land transfer (RLT) is a common phenomenon with recurring characteristics. As the most populous country on Earth, China's RLT affects the stability and sustainability of global food production. Studies to date examining RLT and subjective welfare changes among rural residents, and few studies have explored the perspective of middle-aged rural residents. This paper empirically explores the impact of land transfer out on the living satisfaction of middle-aged rural residents using ordered probit regression models, based on the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data. The findings reveal that RLT has a significant negative impact on the living satisfaction of middle-aged rural residents. Group regression tests based on household income structure and security ability show that land attachment is an important mechanism by which land transfer out affects the living satisfaction of middle-aged rural residents. The higher the intensity of dependence on the land, the more significant the inhibitory effect of land transfer out on living satisfaction. However, RLT has no significant effect on the living satisfaction of female middle-aged rural residents. Additionally, expanding social networks and use of the Internet to access more sources of information are conducive to mitigating the negative effect of land transfer out on the living satisfaction of middle-aged rural residents. Lastly, the negative effect of land transfer out on the living satisfaction of middle-aged rural residents is significant in the eastern district or the region with lower willingness to migrate. Overall, our research can offer ideas for understanding the living satisfaction of middle-aged rural residents and exploring the improving path of the social network size and Internet information channel use on the living satisfaction of middle-aged rural residents under the rural revitalization background. Further, it can provide scientific reference for rural land use management, land policy decisions related to land transfer out initiatives, and ultimately contributing to a well-structured approach towards rural revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Poverty Alleviation Resettlement (PAR) has been extensively adopted in China as a crucial approach towards achieving poverty eradication goals, resulting in notable successes. Nonetheless, this approach poses significant challenges to the relocated households in sustaining their livelihood in a sustainable manner. Uncovering the impact of different livelihood capitals on livelihood resilience and identifying strategies to enhance farmers' resilience are crucial challenges demanding immediate attention. Within the framework of sustainable livelihoods, this research investigates the relationship between livelihood capitals and resilience among rural households relocated for poverty alleviation in China. The analysis reveals that enhancing the social capital, physical capital, financial capital, and coping behavior of relocated farmers can bolster their livelihood resilience. Although human capital does not directly influence resilient livelihoods, it indirectly contributes through its mediating role in coping behaviors. This paper attempts to remedy the shortcomings of previous studies on the relationship between "livelihood capital and livelihood resilience" that disregarded the transmission of intermediate variables. The outcomes of this study bear significant practical and theoretical implications regarding the improvement of response strategies, the strengthening of farmers' livelihood resilience, and the expansion and refinement of the sustainable livelihood theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mega-city regions have attracted wide attention in China, recent 'metropolitanization' at the multi-city scale is poorly understood. To tackle the void, this paper examines the emergent 'metropolitan plans' (dushiquan guihua) since 2019 and identifies a paradigm shift in metropolitanization from 'territorial urbanization' to 'multi-city regionalism' in China. We find that 1) as a fuzzy and dynamic concept, the metropolitan region has been mainly employed as a policy object for state rationalities and has been upscaled from a city region scale to a multi-city scale; 2) regarding planning practices, the new metropolitan plans function as an overall collaborative framework to support priority tasks for city regionalism in a shorter term rather than formulating long-term spatial strategies; 3) as space of governance, the recent state-orchestrated metropolitan region reflects the newest round of state rescaling process to cope with domestic uneven development and urban issues through 'urban unification', and its materialization heavily relies on concrete cross-boundary projects delivery and coordination through soft governance. These findings not only provide conceptual clarity and relational understandings of the metropolitanization process but also exemplify the distinctiveness of the Chinese metropolitanization approach in terms of scalar logic, planning style, and associated governance mechanisms. This paper furthers the understanding of the divergence and diversity of metropolitan planning and governance practices in different political-economic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global urbanization process requires solving the issues of rural and poverty, and research on the coupling patterns and correlational effects of rurality and regional poverty governance change can provide references for promoting regional urban-rural integration and rural revitalization. Based on the analysis of the conceptual relationship and interaction mechanism between rurality and poverty, this paper revealed the spatio-temporal pattern evolution characteristics and correlational effects of the rurality index (RI) and poverty governance level (PGL) in 91 counties of the rocky desertification area of Yunnan-Guangxi-Guizhou (RDAYGG) in China from 2005 to 2020 by using the multi-index comprehensive evaluation, Person correlation coefficient, and fixed effects model. The results showed that (1) there are similarities and differences between rurality and poverty. The logic of rurality affecting poverty governance is that the dynamic trade-offs between the share of positive and negative rurality in a region will come to alter the local capacity for urban-rural coordinated development, and the ideal process is manifested in the weakening of negative rurality and the enhancement of positive rurality. (2) From 2005 to 2020, the RI of counties within the RDAYGG showed a pattern of continuous weakening, while the PGL showed a trend of gradual increase in the whole region, and both were holistically characterized by reverse dynamic change. (3) The regional PGL is closely related to the change of rurality. When other influencing factors remain unchanged, for every 10% reduction in the RI, the PGL will increase by about 0.4%. Future research needs to focus on crucial propositions such as the mixed turn of rurality in the new era, the construction of poverty theory in the latest stage, and the spatial-temporal coupling of rural development and poverty governance. • Governance of rurality and poverty is key to promoting global urban-rural integration and regional development. • Index systems for measuring rurality and regional poverty governance were constructed. • Spatio-temporal pattern and correlation effects of rurality and poverty governance change in the RDAYGG were investigated. • Rurality changes are negatively correlated with regional poverty governance. • Incorporating the perspective of rurality into formulating regional poverty reduction policies is a key breakthrough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the operation of Value Realisation of Ecosystem Products and Services based on empirical research of the Liangshan Bank model in Baofu, China. It examines a new hybrid approach to ecosystem services governance to address the problems of idle rural land due to urbanisation. The study finds that operating this new model enhances governance efficiency by coordinating different institutional policies and reducing uncertainties and transaction costs through a mechanism which is guided by the government, dominated by the market and participated by communities. The model can increase rural villagers' income by using idle rural land as a market asset. The research outcomes show that the Liangshan Bank model, which provides a transparent trading platform for villagers and investors to effectively use rural land, protect the environment, and alleviate poverty, can exemplify other rural areas in China and developing countries. The paper highlights the academic debate on payment models for ecosystem services. It also offers an alternative model for governments and communities to achieve environmental protection, effective land use, and poverty alleviation in rural areas. • Value Realisation of Ecosystem Products and Services is a Chinese approach similar to payment for ecosystem services • The mechanism of Liangshan Bank addressed problems of idle rural land due to rural-urban migration because of urbanisation. • Liangshan Bank establishes a market between ecosystem service providers and buyers. • The Liangshan Bank reduces uncertainties and the costs of transactions and realises the value of ecosystem service. • The hybrid model of Laingshan Bank offers a good example for other areas in China and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban village regeneration has been considered an effective way to achieve the vision of transforming the arrival cities in China to affordable cities. However, the existing research into urban village regeneration does not pay enough attention to the group of rural migrants, and the dynamic process of their participation is indistinct. With a theoretical underpinning of the conception of Arrival City and Affordable City and the ladder theory of participation, this paper attempts to understand the practices of rural migrants' participation in urban village regeneration and, more importantly, to unpack the underlying mysteries of the transition process from arrival cities to affordable cities in China. The paper finds that rural migrants are involved in urban village regeneration indirectly, as opposed to directly or not participating at all. Before a regeneration project take places, they are expelled and ostracised by the alliance of "government-developer-villager" because of their informal identities. After the project, middle-class migrants lived in the regenerated urban villages but suffered from social exclusion. Most of the migrants gather in the newer urban villages or form new arrival cities in the urban periphery, resulting in potential social conflicts and a vicious cycle of "regeneration – migration – regeneration – migration". The vision is realised only in the environment and discourses from the alliance, but not in terms of rural migrants. China's urban transition from arrival cities to affordable cities is incomplete and one-sided. This transition, guided as it is by the existing mechanism of urban village regeneration, undermines social equity and causes social conflicts, which is not sustainable. These findings and proposed corresponding suggestions can serve as valuable references for the practices of public participation in urban regeneration that are underway in developing countries or where there is eagerness to transition effectively from arrival cities to affordable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alienation among young residents is imposing different degrees of distress on society and community residents. For this paper, an online survey platform was used to collect 637 samples of young residents from 22 provinces in China. Based on the mediating effect of social capital, and by using path analysis and structural equation modeling, this paper examines the effect and mechanism of how the usage of urban community public spaces alleviates alienation among young residents. The findings show that the usage of urban community public spaces can not only alleviate alienation among young residents at the general level, but also through the path of interpersonal trust and reciprocity norm. The implications of these findings are that urban community public spaces play an essential role in improving community relations and happiness of residents. Therefore, in urban development, sufficient community public space, especially space for social activities, should be reserved. Furthermore, accurately understand to the use characteristics and actual needs of young residents for community space should be highlighted, to meet the diversified social needs of young residents and expand the value of public space through community space reconstruction and micro-renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The change in urban construction land (UCL) and rural residential land (RRL) and their coupling relationship are the main manifestation of urban-rural construction land transition (URCLT) and the mapping of urban-rural factor flow. It is of great significance to systematically understand and master its laws for expanding the theory of land use transition (LUT) and adjusting the man-land relationship between urban and rural area. This paper constructs a theoretical model of URCLT, analyses the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban and rural construction land (UARCL) scale, elasticity and structure transition in Shandong Province from 1996 to 2015, reveals the transition process and coupling mechanism of UCL and RRL by using the method of geographic detector. The research shows that the UCL and RRL in Shandong Province have evolved along a coordinated track of increase and decrease as a whole, but with certain periodic fluctuations, resulting in insufficient elasticity and structural transition of URCLT. The rationalization degree of UCL growth was reduced, the low synchronization and non-synchronization of RRL reduction predominates, while the dominant type of urban-rural human-land relationship changed from urban-rural (UR) increase or decrease coordinated to both urban (U) and rural (R) increase uncoordinated. The URCLT had obvious spatial differences. The UARCL in the "blue-yellow" economic zone and the provincial capital urban agglomeration was active, but was dominated by uncoordinated transition, and the non-synchronization reduction of RRL was dominant. The factors influencing the transition of URCL were complex, diverse and unstable, and the transition mechanism was the interaction process of self-regulation of population, industry and land elements within the urban and rural system and intervention of external natural environment, science and technology and institutional policies. Highlights • The paper constructs a theoretical model of URCLT. • The paper reveals the transition process and coupling mechanism of URCLT. • The factors influencing the URCLT were complex, diverse and unstable. • URCLT was driven by the interaction of natural background, economic development, social progress and policy innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract China has witnessed substantial and surging internal migration over the past three decades, and the ascendant trend of migration will continue within the New Urbanization in China, shaping drastically China's population redistribution, and inducing surge of crowded cities and "hollowing village". This paper analyzed the spatial-temporal patterns of migration at provincial level during 2000–2010, and found: (1) the migration pattern demonstrated increasingly strengthened polarity in migration pool and source regions/provinces and migration flows. (2) The interregional/interprovincial migration population was higher than the intraregional/intra-provincial, and the gap between them strengthened with time. (3) The migration population grew with time, but the migration distance almost kept unchanged. To analyze the determinants of migration, this paper adopted an improved gravity model which introduced environment variables and included five types of variables, and found: (1) the path dependence variable had the most significant impact on migration, and the wages of staff and workers followed in 2000 and 2010. (2) The wages of origin provinces exerted a strong "push" to migrants, larger than the "pull" from the destination provinces in 2000, and the "push" changed to smaller than the "pull" in 2010. (3) Natural environment gradually became an attractive factor that migrants took into consideration, and the obstruction of distance to migration gradually reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rapid urbanization has led to a massive transformation of urban space in China, spatially and socially. Its higher education has been growing much faster than ever before, along with an explosive increase of university students’ population. Different from the Western universities, a majority of Chinese university students are required to reside in gated campuses. Their accessibilities to public transport and subsequent spatial and social implications have been neglected in the literature. Taking Wuhan city as a case study, this paper aims to examine the public transport service to gated university campuses and its impacts on spatial and social inequalities. The spatial accessibility is measured by four methods: proximity-based, gravity-based, population-weighted average, and competition-based, using population data at residential building level. All the results have confirmed the presence of spatial and social inequalities in public transport accessibility for university campuses and students population. The study has also found that these inequalities are not contributed directly from the provision of public transport services but the closure of gated campus to the external public transport. Highlights • The paper presents a new study of socio-spatial inequalities in university students' accessibility to urban public transport. • The study has confirmed the spatial inequality between campuses and other areas as well as between campuses. • There has been a strong social inequality in the accessibility between the students' population and the elderly group. • This paper has addressed the emerging issues on spatial governance of university campus in Chinese cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of rapid urbanization, land has become the most valuable scarce resource, and the regeneration of urban villages is related to urban land supply for urban redevelopment. The redevelopment of urban villages can promote the efficient use of land resources and contribute to the sustainable development of the city. This paper examines the redevelopment of an urban village in Guangzhou from the perspective of territorialization and finds that urban villages ultimately become territories dominated by the coalition formed by the market developers and the rural collective organization of the urban village. When the local government attempts to redevelop the village, the coalition fights against the government and defends the territory, leading to the predicament of urban redevelopment. By exploring the territorialization process and the dynamics of spatial production, this paper argues that territorialization is a means of reifying and reinforcing power in a geographical space and represents a significant attempt to achieve urban redevelopment. Both the local government and the coalition can contribute to the redevelopment of urban villages. Although territorialization is an efficient way to achieve urban redevelopment, it may solidify an area and cause the straitened circumstances of city government to implement the new city strategy. This paper thus calls for a focus on the value of bottom-up territorialization and the ingenious combination of city planning and territorialization to achieve effective urban redevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural settlements are spatial carriers of rural social and economic activities. The optimization of rural settlements is of great significance to comprehensively promote rural revitalization. Considering that the optimization of rural settlements is a systematic engineering of the optimal allocation of rural revitalization elements and a social engineering of rural residents' willingness, this paper explores the optimization of rural settlements based on the elements of rural revitalization and rural residents' social mobility. After constructing the theoretical framework of the internal relationship among rural revitalization, rural residents' social mobility and optimization of rural settlements, we evaluate the development vitality of rural settlements from the perspectives of industry, talent, culture, organization and ecology, and measure the network centrality of rural settlements based on rural residents' social mobility. Moreover, we measure the coordination level of development vitality and network centrality to identify rural settlements' optimization types. The level of the talent element is the lowest among the five revitalization elements. The rural settlements with high development vitality and network centrality are mainly distributed around the central town and near the traffic trunk lines. The rural settlements within the boundary of the expansion of urban construction land are classified as suburban integration, and the rural settlements with the characteristics of cultural relics or ethnic minorities are determined as characteristic protection. The remaining rural settlements are classified into three types (i.e., agglomeration and upgrading (high coordination), maintaining status quo (basic coordination), relocation and evacuation (endangered coordination)) according to the coordination level. Relocation and evacuation rural settlements are not suitable for villagers' production and living and we encourage these villagers migrate to rural settlements that are more strongly connected in the residents' social mobility network. Based on these findings, this paper provides a decision-making basis for rural planning and proposes an analytical framework for the optimization of rural settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China has rapidly urbanized, housing prices in many cities have skyrocketed, reducing housing affordability and leading to the rise of an informal housing sector. This paper provides the first comprehensive demand-side analysis of the small property rights housing (SPRH) sector, using data from the 2015 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) across twenty-seven major cities. This study shows that SPRH, despite its ambiguous legal status, has an average unit size larger than those in the formal sector. People who buy SPRH for basic needs (consumption demand) are more likely to be the locals with a middle range (“sandwiched”) financial and social status. They often have a large family size and thus have a strong demand for living space, and at the same time, they are willing (and able) to compromise on the benefits associated with legal property rights for a lower price. In this sense, the existence of SPRH supplements the short supply of affordable housing provided by local governments. Wealthy locals with high-risk preference are more likely to buy SPRH for investment. Such investment threatens social justice, and those people's strong influence on public policies is a potential reason for the continuing prevalence of SPRH. Findings in this paper contribute to a more solid understanding of the mechanisms and social structures behind this informal housing sector in Chinese cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the functions of rural territories in metropolitan suburbs have been gradually evolved under rapid urbanization since the turn of the new millennium. Meanwhile, the socio-economic morphology and spatial pattern in the rural areas are undergoing dramatic restructuring. This paper takes the Huangshandian village in the suburb of Beijing as a case study area to carry out an empirical study on the process of rural restructuring by adopting the method of participatory rural assessment (PRA) and GIS technology. The results show that since 2000, the Huangshandian village has experienced different industrial transformations from traditional agriculture to the industries of primary processing and eco-tourism. The function of traditional agricultural production is declining gradually, and the industrial production, ecological culture and other multi-functional value of the rural territory have successively appeared. With the evolution and restructuring of socio-economic morphology, there are significant changes in the quantity, structure, and pattern of rural living, production and ecological space accordingly. The mutually reinforced and restrictive relationships among economic restructuring, spatial restructuring, and social restructuring have jointly driven the systematic development of the “natural-ecological-economic-social” systems and the comprehensive promotion of the “production-living-ecology-culture” functions. Based on the analysis of the process of rural restructuring of the Huangshandian village in the aspects of economic restructuring, spatial restructuring, and social restructuring, this paper puts forward some suggestions on land use policy and institutional innovations aiming at optimally allocating the land resources and promoting the rural restructuring in metropolitan suburbs, including accelerating the institutional framework design of rural land transfer, exploring the tourism land management system adapting to the new pattern of rural economy and pushing forward the re-use mechanism of abandoned industrial and mining land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is experiencing rapid progress in industrialization and urbanization. Characteristic towns (Tese Xiaozhen) are one of the important drivers for China's urbanization, industrialization and agricultural modernization in the 21st century. Each of the towns has its own characteristics. At present, however, it is unclear for them about (i) what characteristics should be promoted, (ii) how urban land should be planned and (iii) which industry should be focused on. The public infrastructure and services in towns are usually under-developed, compared to cities. This paper first explores the designation of a brand-new type of new towns in China, i.e. “characteristic towns”, to meet the need of the current urbanization in China. The paper focuses on the principles of “agglomeration” and “livability”, in socioeconomic and cultural contexts. This is exemplified by a case study of Zhejiang's version of characteristic towns. The findings suggest that the success of cultivation of towns is closely associated with agglomeration and livability. In the short term, identifying characteristics is the core element in the development. For the longer term, a comprehensive integration of industrial policy and land use policy is needed to ensure continuous capital investment and revenue generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of floor area ‘shrinkage’ of newly completed units has long been a hot debate issue in Hong Kong's housing market. Prior to the enactment of the Residential Properties (First-hand Sales) Ordinance in April 2013, news reports had revealed that the actual useable areas of some presales housing units only accounted for 50% of the gross floor areas proclaimed in the sales brochures. Notwithstanding the alarming situation, ‘shrinkage’ of flat size is, in fact, a lawful act in Hong Kong. Akerlof (1970) suggests that under information asymmetry, lemons tend to crowd out non-lemons. This study attempts to investigate whether an adverse selection process is taking place in Hong Kong's housing market with reference to the shrinkage phenomenon. To measure area shrinkage, 13 private mass housing developments located on the Hong Kong Island were chosen, and a total number of 16,946 flats, were involved. This paper shows that the market is full of lemons due to the delay in responses of the law governing the sales of first-hand properties. We found that the carpet areas of the selected housing developments had fallen short of between 23% and 49% of the proclaimed gross floor area, as stated in the sales brochures. Analyzing a total number of 55,227 transactions between 1991 and 2013 of the subject premises, it shows that the turnover rates of units with the highest shrinkage ratios are about 45% more than those with the smallest shrinkage ratios. ANOVA tests have been carried out and illustrated that there are significant variations between each tenth percentile of the flats in accordance to the flat shrinkage ratios. This paper concludes with a discussion of the evolution of institutions in Hong Kong's housing market to tackle the lemon problems. Attention has been placed on the effects of mandatory, voluntary and third party information disclosure. The lessons learnt in Hong Kong will shed light on policies and legislations for the fast expanding housing markets in developing countries, especially those densely populated Asian cities undergoing rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how an institutional innovation in the 20th Century – Coasean bargaining - could contribute to build a low carbon China in the 21st Century. China has surpassed all nations and become the world's largest emitter of CO 2 since 2007. A time-series analysis has revealed that crude oil and coal consumption, inter alia, are the primary factors contributing to the variations in CO 2 emissions in China. To honour China's commitments in the Paris Agreement 2015, this paper, with reference to the empirical results, estimates the impacts on various sources of energy consumption before 2030. Developed upon the Coasean bargaining framework (1960), the cap-and-trade (CAT) markets have contributed to reduce the pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in the US and EU. This paper will illustrate how the CAT market can be complementary to administrative measures for CO 2 reduction in China. It will also discuss the institutional settings and constraints of the 7 pilot CAT markets in China, and also the national one to be rolled out in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the construction of China's society ruled by law, in order to cope with the long-lasting conflict between legal norm and social reality, two different reform models “benign unconstitutionality” and “delegated legislation” have appeared successively. In virtue of the transition process of reform model, this paper relatively systematically reviews research documents and combs through governmental documents aiming at the problem of legal restrictions faced by right circulation of collective construction land usage. The basic research conclusion of this paper proves that, the strict restriction of existing legal norms on collective construction land circulation has induced invisible circulation of collective construction land. Facing widely existing problem of invisible circulation, some local governments have launched the “co-equal market” model to break through the restriction of existing law by means of benign unconstitutionality; under the “delegated legislation” model, “co-equal market” model has been promoted in pilot areas of reform. In the section of collective construction land usage right transfer, “same right for same land” with state-owned construction land has been preliminarily realized, but in the sections of usage right leading, transfer and mortgage, etc., there is still the problem of lack of follow-up management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an island with a colonial urbanscape, Gulangyu (located off the coast of Xiamen, a city in Fujian Province in southern China) has been deteriorating into a touristic ‘thematic park’ since the last decade, resulting in a decrease of its original inhabitants and habitability conditions. Inspired by Italian lessons of various and evolved interpretations of the typo-morphological approach, this paper explores the possible interpretations and implications in Gulangyu in a two-pronged project: (1) by ‘systems’-four local characterized systems related to the specific physical urbanscape and matching practices of uses; and (2) by ‘parts’-four typical featured areas with respective typo-morphological features and facing crucial challenges. This provides a deep understanding of the island's situation and further develops and coordinates a specific framework of strategies for solving its distinctive problems. In particular, it helps in seeking to balance its preserved historic heritage, improvement of the local built-environment to meet contemporary needs and the development of a tourist economy - an urgent and salient task on the urban agendas of historic areas worldwide. As one of the first studies of the Italian typo-morphological approach in historic areas of China, this paper also demonstrates the notable possibility that such European, or more precisely, Italian ways may be practiced in the Chinese context, which may inspire further research and practices in China and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR) is a key poverty reduction initiative that has resettled nearly 9.6 million impoverished people during the tenure of China's 13th Five-Year Plan. Beginning in 2019 additional follow-up support measures have also been implemented to help resettled households integrate into their new communities. However, the question remains as to what extent these extra measures have actually aided in integration. In this paper, we consider not only the multi-dimensionality of the integration process but also how the diverse aspects of resettled households shape the integration process. Drawing on extensive primary data from 993 survey households collected at three cities in Shaanxi, China, along with a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM), we systematically examine whether the PAR follow-up support measures have actually helped resettled household integration. Our results show that family capabilities and empowerment are both fundamental to ensuring integration and that the follow-up support measures did indeed help to improve these elements. Furthermore, we find that enhancing capabilities through follow-up support measures can facilitate resettled households to integrate both psychologically and economically and that empowerment has a large positive effect on social integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) and porter hypothesis (PH) offer two different perspectives to understand the relationship between industrial dynamics and environmental regulations. This paper seeks to move beyond existing studies that are based on either the PHH or the PH while neglecting the other, towards an analytical framework that not only pays more attention to the ways in which the PHH and the PH co-exist, but also acknowledges the role of firm heterogeneity and local government intervention. Based on a firm-level industrial dataset and a dataset on China's polluting firms, this paper studies the relationship between environmental regulations and industrial dynamics in China's pollution-intensive industries at the firm level. Empirical results confirm the co-existence of the PH and the PHH. Furthermore, firm heterogeneity and government intervention both have the potential to inflect the relationship between environmental regulations and industrial dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional innovation systems (RISs) characterized periodical and is suitable for analyzing the Chinese economy which has entered the new normal. However, few scholars analyze and identify the stage of RISs from the perspective of life cycle. This paper divides the life cycle of RISs into four stages: initial stage, growth stage, maturity stage, and decline stage. Based on the analysis of the characteristics in every stage of the life cycle in the RISs, this paper constructs entropy weight disturbing attribute model to identify the stage of 31 provincial innovation systems in China. The research results show that all the RISs in maturity stage belong to the eastern developed regions, and innovation achievement capacity is significant. The RISs are widely distributed which are in the growth stage. The innovation efficiency capacity, innovation growth capacity and innovation network capacity of RISs which are in growth stage are in a high level. The provinces with the innovation system in the initial stage are mainly in the backward areas of the west, and the innovation growth capacity is better than other innovation capacities. Mastering the evolutionary stage of the RISs is helpful to promote the implementation of innovation-driven development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture in peri-urban areas is prone to dynamic changes due to urban influences. Previous studies have explored the impact of urban growth on peri-urban agriculture (PUA), but the active responses of the agricultural sector are rarely examined. This paper investigates recent agricultural development practices in peri-urban Beijing and explores approaches to agricultural transformation in the rapid process of urbanisation. The investigation finds that high-tech precision agriculture, down-stream processing and agro-tourism have emerged as major forms of PUA in Beijing. It also uncovers that the PUA developments are not only economically appealing, but also socially inclusive and environmental friendly. The findings contribute to a better understanding of PUA progress in China. The paper suggests policy implications in facilitating integrated development between urban and rural sectors, which would help improve economic development, spatial planning and local governance in peri-urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the different levels of uncertainty that affect the analysis of informal urban settlements and the implementation of upgrading policies, with a specific focus on electrification. The rapid growth of informal settlements in the cities of the Global South poses serious challenges to the management of energy systems, particularly when it comes to the electricity grid. Informal urban settlements are characterized by the lack of urban planning and low or absent provision of public services. Exponential population growth increases the complexity of urban planning. An inadequate understanding of uncertainty can undermine the effectiveness of informal settlement upgrading and deepen social inequalities. Based on the case study of the Enkanini settlement in Stellenbosch, South Africa, this paper probes three levels of uncertainty: (i) methodological uncertainty associated with the challenge of estimating energy demand and demographic changes, (ii) technical uncertainty associated with the expansion of the electric grid and securing revenues, and (iii) epistemological uncertainty associated with the definition of the relevant problems and pertinent solutions for informal settlements. The paper highlights how the focus of technical uncertainty displaces the debate on the socio-political challenges of informal settlement upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, China has experienced urban redevelopment at an unprecedented scale and speed. The state-sponsored property-led redevelopment pattern has been widely deployed as dominant urban regeneration strategy in many Chinese cities. Meanwhile, more and more attention has been paid to the protest and resistance of civil society to the tremendous demolition and eviction during the implementation of such strategies. Investigating the process, content and context of urban regeneration strategies in China provides fertile ground to understand the public participation process, specific plight and challenge of decision-making in urban regeneration in China. This reflects the logic and trend of urban governance in China within existing regulatory practices and institutional settings during the transformation period. As the understanding of strategy and problem are concomitant to each other, problem framing in urban regeneration is pivotal to understand urban regeneration strategies. Starting from this point, the object of this paper is to explore what the problems are, how they are defined and perceived by different actors, what strategies are promoted as solutions, and how they are legitimated or excluded. As problem framing is social construction through discourse by different actors, such close relationship of discourse and problem proves the necessity of undertaking discourse analysis as research approach to understand problem framing, also the process, content and context of urban regeneration strategies. To understand specific problems and challenges of urban regeneration strategies implemented in China’s inner cities, this study inquires a controversial and well known redevelopment project called Enning Road, which has been the first “pioneer” in terms of comprehensively redeveloping old town areas in Guangzhou since the last decade. This project has received tremendous criticism, and it can be characterized by a continuous adjustment of the unstable strategies that were applied and a frequent stagnation due to social resistance from 2006 to 2015. It will demonstrate how different discourse coalitions are formed by the government, scholars, journalists, residents and NGOs and other stakeholders. For this purpose, the paper will discuss their shared interests, beliefs or rationalities and the way they use storylines to frame problems. In this context, a lot of local knowledge and expert knowledge is activated and utilized to construct those storylines. The urban regeneration process of Enning Road involves continuously changing problem definitions and continuous experimentation, translating into emergent adaptive strategies. It also shows the interplay between different ways of problem framing, and the complex interaction between problem framing and strategy promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Built vernacular heritage as a driving force for local development, its effective stewardship could contribute to the sustainability of heritage resource and local development. This paper assumes that stewardship of heritage resource as a more systematic approach engages with different interactive relationships and relevant behaviors between public and private sectors and aims to explore how the sectors interact in the process of stewarding heritage resource for local development in the context of rural society of China. This paper is designed as a double-staged qualitative field research. In first stage, non-participant observation is conducted in 35 southwestern villages located in Chongqing and Guizhou and then three stewardship models of heritage are figured out: top-down, expert-led, bottom-up. In second stage, three villages as exemplars are selected in the scope of observation and then unstructured interview is conducted there so as to give further explanation of how well the models functionalize in practice. Based on the analysis of data, this paper argues that in each model of stewardship the interactive behaviors of different sectors are hard fact to disentangle, that there exists a hybrid of steward-like and agent-like behavioral orientation in their interaction. In reference to the analysis on the pros and cons of each model, this paper proposes that it is reasonable to manage and organize heritage resource within a new top-down model being characterized by networked collaboration between different sectors, correspondingly some specific suggestions are given in order to strengthen positive interface between different sectors in this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land system science provides a theoretical lens for deepening our understanding of interactions between social and environmental systems. Synthesis and integration of land system science and land use transitions are vital for advancing Global Land Project, and providing a platform for integrating knowledge from multiple fields and for translating explorative research into solution-oriented research. In the context of growing urbanization, the adoption of rural vitalization and urban-rural integrated development strategies has an impact on land use transitions in rural China. Thus, this paper has two major goals. The first is to unite the theory of human-environment interaction territorial system with Chinese rural development strategy to provide a theoretical framework to explain land use transitions against the context of rapid urbanization, including a "conflict-coordination" theoretical model of regional land use transitions, the perspectives of structural change and functional change of land system, and coupling pattern and process to adjust and control land use transitions. The second goal is to deploy the theoretical method in an attempt to advance rural development strategy via adjusting and controlling land use transitions. By using human geography to reinvigorate land system science, this paper calls for integrated theoretical approaches to comprehend land use transitions and associated regional development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current literature about the effectiveness of land consolidation especially hollowed village consolidation (HVC) is dominated by static studies interpreting the failures and success of certain project in a specific stage. However, HVC as a complex progress takes time to take effects with social learning modifying perceptions of those affected. Based on survey data on residents' characteristics, living conditions and perceptions, and K-means Clustering Method and ANOVA analysis, this paper depicted how farmers' perceptions of HVC are changed. Under the guidance of social learning theories, this research found that farmers' acceptance of HVC gradually increased with the progressive integration of the rural community in regional development. However, inter-group differentiation could be detected, with their household characteristics. The authors argue that the decision makers should pay attention to the three-stage authority and policy foci development process in HVC program implied by social learning theory. The decision maker should respect the development procedures and underpin the key driving factors affecting rural households' satisfaction at a every stage thus ensuring the effectiveness of HVC: (stage 1) sufficient publicity, participation promotion, and stakeholder integration should be highlighted before implementation; (stage 2) communal administration, community activities, industrial development and sector integration should be given more attention to achieve better construction performance in the developing stage; and (stage 3) self-innovation, mutual coordination, community awareness, common well-being are key factors for sustainable development of newly built key settlements/communities. • Land consolidation with resettlement as a complex progress takes time to take effects, in which social learning modifies perceptions of those affected. • The paper describes the rural households' dynamic perceptions and reveal the mechanism behind changes using K-means Clustering Method and variance analysis. • The strategies with diverse focus should be mapped out in every phase of the program to ensure its effectiveness, delegating the authority from government, to local community and local residents gradually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market sentiment has been playing a important role in Chinese housing market in last two decades, while has not received enough attentions in literature. With this in mind, this paper first establishes sentiment index depicting housing market sentiment in China. Then, the paper uses an endogenous switching regression model to investigate how housing price affects joint determination of housing choice and non-housing expenditure, with regard to the moderating role of market sentiment. This paper finds that the rising housing prices is negatively related to the probability of being an owner and positively associated with consumption. However, the counter-factual analysis the choice of being a owner has a negative effect on consumption over all and such an effect can be weakened by having a mortgage. A higher sentiment can improve the likelihood of home ownership and reduces non-housing consumption. This study helps households to optimize the wealth allocation and governments in their housing policy strategies and developers in their property development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial reconstruction of rural settlements is one of the important methods for coordinating the relationship between people and land in rural areas and promoting rural revitalization. Based on the theoretical framework of rural settlement space reconstruction from the perspective of rural livability and population flow, this paper took Longxi County in the loess hilly region of Longzhong in China as an example. Based on cross-sectional survey data of 213 administrative villages in 2020 as evaluation units, we analyzed rural livability and population flow intensity, and identified the types of rural settlement spatial reconstruction. The results show that: (1) The spatial differences in the rural natural environment, residential environment, economic and social environment, and overall livability of Longxi County were significant. They have significant river and road directivity. The livability of villages along the river in the middle of mountain area was better than that of villages along the hilly and mountainous in the south and northwest; (2) The population flow of Longxi County was classified into three types: cross-regional population flow, population flow within the county and population flow within the town. The trend of cross-regional population flow is significant. However, the activity of cross-regional population flow was not high, mainly with low and medium levels. The villages with strong population flow were also highly integrated, and vice versa; (3) Based on the evaluation results of rural livability and population flow, we divided the 213 administrative villages into four types of reconstruction: agglomeration and promotion type, potential advantage type, restricted expansion type, and layout optimization type. Then, we optimized and reconstructed them according to local conditions This paper provides a scientific basis for the spatial reconstruction of rural settlements in the loess hilly region of Longzhong in China. In addition, it provides a theoretical reference for coordinating the relationship between people and land, and realizing rural revitalization. • Rural livability and population flow are the keys to rural settlement spatial reconstruction. • The evaluation index system of rural livable ability is constructed and the spatial reconstruction type of rural area in Longxi county is identified. • This paper discusses the spatial reconstruction mechanism of rural settlements and puts forward the reconstruction strategy of rural settlements. • To provide theoretical reference for coordinating rural man-land relationship and realizing rural revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suburbanization process worldwide continues to generate significant urban contradictions. Yet the same process also calls forth planning innovations that seek to redress these development challenges. One such in China is the 'Featured Town' policy which has been plucked from its origins in Zhejiang province to national policy prominence. Drawing on a combination of secondary data and original interviews, this paper considers the origins and peculiarities of this planning model, its elevation within national policy and its likely prospects across China. Preliminary findings indicate that the Featured Town policy has fallen foul of many of the complications associated with wider dissemination of locally embedded models. The interlock of local government capitalism and intrapreneurial state is the fundamental driver behind this Featured Town 'fever'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization in China has induced profound changes in the relationship between urban and rural areas, especially in urban agglomerations. This paper contributes a better understanding of the mechanisms of urban-rural interactions in urban agglomerations by considering the perspective of the spatial organization of urban-rural integration (SOURI). Using the Chang-Zhu-Tan Urban Agglomeration in Central China as an example, this study used a spatial autocorrelation analysis to quantify the agglomeration and diffusion patterns of the population and firms as proxies to reveal the spatial organization pattern of urban-rural integration (SOPURI). The results showed that 1) the spatial proximity and centralization trends of SOURI were obvious in 2005–2015 in this region; 2) the urban districts of prefecture-level cities, especially Changsha, played an important role as the main centres; 3) due to diffusion effects from the central urban districts, a few county-level cities and county towns began to appear as sub-centres; and 4) the function of towns needed enhancement. Furthermore, a model of an urban-rural multi-level polycentric network was proposed to guide the optimization of SOURI in urban agglomerations with an emphasis on the three-level centres of city-town-village and networking linkages. Following the model, optimization policies for the Chang-Zhu-Tan Urban Agglomeration are discussed. • Spatial proximity of urban-rural interaction is still prominent. • Centralization trend of spatial organization of urban-rural integration is obvious. • Agglomeration effects of cities play a dominant role in urban-rural integration. • Functions of small towns need to be further improved in urban-rural integration. • Urban-rural multi-level polycentric network is an effective model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nationwide migrations have drawn much attention from both geographical and social sciences. Compared to census-data-based studies, data collected from broadly used location-awareness devices enable us to describe migrant patterns with timely and fine spatial resolutions. Using a mobile positioning dataset, this paper first analyzes the spatial patterns of mobile-data-based active population estimation (MAPE) and aims to uncover the socioeconomic factors associated with migrant patterns based on the MAPE change around the Chinese Spring Festival of 2016. Time series analysis presents obvious regular patterns and characteristics of MAPE before and during the holiday. Results from a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model show that MAPE differences are significantly associated with the development of secondary and tertiary industries, wage levels and foreign investments. Spatial disparities of the GWR model coefficients reveal that areas in China have different degrees of association with the explanatory variables. Explanations of this spatial nonstationary phenomenon are further detailed with the perspective of a geographical background. Finally, associated social and economic development strategies among cities in China are analyzed, and policy implications regarding the newly emerged data and their insightful findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing public acceptance of hazardous chemicals factory in China. By using structural equation modelling approach, perceived risk, perceived benefit, perceived fairness, trust in government and positive affect tag are examined as impact factors. Data is collected from the local public and the general public by internet-based questionnaires. The results show that NIMBY effect is significant to hazardous chemical factory because for the local public who live nearby, perceived risk has the greatest impact on the acceptance, but perceived benefit is not significant, and positive affect tag has significant influence on both perceived risk and perceived benefit. While for general public, perceived benefit is significant to the acceptance, but perceived risk not is statistically significant and positive affect tag influences perceived benefit only. The results also indicate that perceived fairness and trust in government affect the acceptance of both groups, and trust in government affect perceived fairness, perceived risk and perceived benefit. This study contributes to the management of sitting problems of hazardous chemical factory by providing understanding of impact factors on the public acceptance. Recommendations for improving public acceptance are offered at last. Highlights • For the local public, perceived risk has the greatest impact on the acceptance, but perceived benefit is not significant. • For general public, perceived benefit is the most significant impact factor influencing the acceptance, but perceived risk is not significant. • Perceived fairness and trust in government affect the acceptance of the local public and general public. • Trust in government affects perceived fairness, perceived risk and perceived benefit. • The public acceptance can be enhanced through the improvement of trust in government and perceived fairness in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Numerous machine learning-based land change models have been presented by researchers over the last two decades. To date, however, far less have simulated multiple land use classes and specific land use subclasses at the same time. In some areas of the world, it is important to simulate both of these dynamics to understand fully the drivers and consequences of land change. One important example is the process of urbanization in China, as urban policies have been developed that guide urban expansion, rural protections, and urban subclass development. This paper presents a new model integrating geographic information systems (GIS) with artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict multiple transitions among land use types and urban subclasses in the Zhanggong District of Ganzhou city in China. We show that the model produces satisfactory goodness of fit values-based on location, quantity and spatial configuration-between simulated and observed land use maps for 2015. Our simulated future maps produced by the model for 2020 and 2025 demonstrate that transitions from farmland and forest to urban will remain the main pathway of urbanization although we predict that the rate will slow after 2025. The goals of urban planning should be aligned with land use planning according to "Combining multiple laws and regulations" in China. Taking into account the current and future land use transitions will enhance the accuracy and timeliness of land use policy making and urban land planning. For the sustainable land use in Zhanggong District, we argue for a strengthened regulation of the land market by government and believe that planning officials should guide the spatial distribution of land supply actively. Furthermore, improving the production, living and ecological functions of land resources are the key points to optimize urban land use functions and the allocation of land resources. We discuss how our model can be adapted to other areas to benefit land use management and urban planning in China. Highlights • GIS and ANNs were used to predict multiple land use transitions and urban subclasses. • A case study demonstrates that the model performs relatively well validated with several measures for goodness of fit. • The simulated maps suggest that farmland and forest are the most common candidates for urban expansion. • The methodology can be adapted to other study areas to benefit land use management and urban planning in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the problems caused by the uncertainty of spatial regulations, a series of reforms have been proposed in China, although they are considered insufficient. In our study, we first analyse the inherent logic behind the spatial regulations in China from the perspective of two models (“interest politics” to “legal order”) and the context of the turn between these two models. The endogeneity and credibility thesis is adopted to explain why spatial regulation reforms that attempt to shift spatial regulation from “interest politics” to “legal order” are partial failures. This paper focuses on a case study of a "multi-plan combination" and argues that "multi-plan combinations" are spatial regulation reforms that changed “interest politics” in the current planning system to the “legal order” through uniform spatial regulation rules. The "multi-plan combination" reforms are not successful as the reform of “multi-plan combinations”, which are dominated by the Chinese central government and designed exogenously without endogeneity within governments and among the social public. Therefore, the reforms are ultimately empty institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization and urban expansion have produced a large number of urban rural communities in China, of which two typical paradigms are urban fringe villages ( Chengbiancun ) and urban villages ( Chengzhongcun ). This urbanized rural community usually is an informal settlement with low-quality housing, and lack of planning regulation adjacent to or merged into urban boundary. Meanwhile, Chengbiancun is transforming with traditional rural social and economic characteristics. In the absence of planning guideline, the evolution of Chengbiancun lies in aggressive demolition to face rapid social–economic transition. The demolition-rebuilt mode would no longer be the cost-effective solution for urbanized rural communities in China, but alternative responses under culture-driven creativity advocated by post-productivism would produce a positive regeneration strategy in the new urbanization era. This study attempts to discover a new urban rural relationship driven by culture creativity linking to the filed practice in two Chengbiancun cases in China. On the interaction of a new style of urbanization and post-productivism for Chengbiancun transition, this paper examines how these Chengbiancun are being transformed in the new agenda of urbanization in China since 2014. More importantly, the findings from the two cases in this paper illustrate how culture creativity, public participatory, local authorities, and community planning can eventually assist an outcome of more satisfactory in this urban rural transition movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has undergone a dramatic transition echoed the unprecedented urbanization and economic growth since the late 1970s. The current research on urbanization has overlooked the transformation consistency between urban and rural areas. Although the Chinese central government has focused on improving rural residents' livelihood, it is still far from achieving coordinated urban–rural development. This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of China's urban–rural development transformation (URDT) based on three indicator systems, namely the urban–rural development level (URDL), the urban–rural structure level (URSL), and the urban–rural coordination level (URCL). Findings from this investigation show that universal and intense URDT has taken place in China over the last two decades. This has been accompanied by growth of URDL and URSL and deterioration of URCL. There are, however, obvious spatial disparities in the different aspects of URDT. The western and northeastern regions of China have experienced slower transformation than other regions between 1990 and 2010. Correlation analysis among the sub-index shows that coordinated urban–rural development needs a certain initial socioeconomic level and moderate changes of URDL and URSL. This paper suggests that more attentions should be paid to rural areas and lagging areas in central and western China. Given the regional disparities of URDT, the most effective way to achieve urban–rural integration in China is by taking the overall considerations of development policies of both region and urban–rural areas aimed at various urban–rural development transformation characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to investigate how fertility rates impact on housing price in the mechanism of inter-generation wealth transfer in China. With a new framework consisting of the altruistic behaviors in China, an enhanced overlapping generation model is established in the paper. It attempts to figure out the yet-to-explore mechanism of the inter-generation wealth transfer and the effect of the fertility rates of different generations on housing price. The theoretical model indicates for the first time that inter-generation wealth transfer has a positive effect on housing price, and such transfer is affected by both fertility rate and housing consumption of the previous generations. An empirical study is further conducted for verifying the theoretical thinking. The results provide solid evidence that a decrease in fertility rate of the middle age generation by 1%, which in turn fuels the inter-generation wealth transfer to the younger generation, drives up housing price by 0.391%. Likewise, the fertility rate of the older generation has a similar impact, a 1% increase resulting in an increase in housing price by 0.072%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of built-up land has been the major feature of land use changes in China and has led to built-up land vacancy and inefficient land use. This paper used a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to analyze the changes in built-up land efficiency in 336 cities in China from 2005 to 2012 during the implementation of National General Land Use Plan (2006–2020) (NGLUP). The results showed that the built-up land input–output efficiency of most cities declined, and more than half of the cities had excessive inputs of built-up land. Even in the most developed region of China, the built-up land efficiency was relatively low. The paper argues that the NGLUP failed to control the expansion of built-up land and to promote intensive land use. The allocation of built-up land designated by the Plan was not reasonable, and economic development has greatly relied on land inputs, which need to be improved. The paper finally suggests that the built-up land indices should be appropriately directed toward economically underdeveloped regions in central and western China, and the establishment of a withdrawal mechanism for inefficient land would better promote the efficient allocation of built-up land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market-oriented transformation of urban China has led not only to a radical change in urban space but also to a restructuring of residents' daily activity space. During this complicated process, problems such as spatial mismatch have accumulated and created obstacles to sustainable urban development. This paper reviews this transformation process from the perspective of daily activity space and finds that residents’ daily activity space has transitioned from a daily life circle to an intertwined and expanded situation. Based on an analysis of the sustainability effects of this transition, this paper proposes the reconstruction of a daily life circle under the market economy as an answer to sustainability problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small towns are important drivers for China's urbanization, but at the present they have no autonomy in deciding whether or not to sell their land, what the planned future is, how urban land will be developed, whether or not to borrow and/or raise funds from the financial market. The public services and facilities such as schools, hospitals, cultural and community centers, and public housing are usually poorly developed in small towns, failing to meet the basic needs for urban growth. As such, both the development of rural China and the broader urbanization and modernization processes are checked by inadequate power of decision-making and poor services in small towns. This paper advocates the designation of a new type of city in China, i.e. “county-serviced city” (CSC, xian guan shi ), to qualified small towns within the existing administrative hierarchy. The CSC will have the same rights as all other Chinese cities in dealing with their economic development, but it will remain in its current position as a township level unit in the administrative system and continue to be served with social services and public goods by its county government. The paper is presented in seven sections with an emphasis on the principles of “decentralization” and “small government, big society”, the experiences in other socioeconomic and cultural contexts, and a scenario of status-change in Nancun township, Qingdao , Shandong Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the level of urbanization in China now exceeding 50%, its collective rural land system is under increasing pressure, creating conditions in which there is increasing conflict between the efficient use of land for agricultural purposes and its retention as security for the rural population. This paper first examines the fundamental nature of China's collective land system by analyzing the collectivization history of China, then provides a comprehensive appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the collective land system's role in history and the challenges it faces in modern times. The main changes needed for the current collective system are identified as (1) the establishment of a new transfer mechanism for potential collective construction land, (2) the completion of land rights verification and consolidation work, and (3) the endowment of villagers with more rights to enjoy the distribution of land incremental value. The paper's main contribution is to question the relevance of collective rural land system in contemporary China, where a shift is now taking place from one of pure economic development to one involving more social concerns, and propose potential viable amendments to integrate the need for both perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific and technological knowledge are increasingly becoming predominant in developing regional competitiveness and shaping the role of innovation in development. This paper focuses on the topological and spatial features of urban innovation networks in China. Using published papers and applied patents in biotechnology field from 2000 to 2012, we analyze the evolution of scientific knowledge networks (SKNs) and technological knowledge networks (TKNs). Four major findings are derived: (1) SKNs are much more complicated than TKNs in terms of size, ties, average degree and other indicators; (2) the two networks meet the scale-free networks, and the correlation analysis confirms the preferential attachment and dis-assortative traits in SKNs and TKNs; (3) spatial and temporal evolution of central nodes and networks structure show the hierarchical diffusion and contagious diffusion in both the networks; (4) multi-dimensional proximity (social, organizational, cognitive, geographical) well explains the knowledge spillover and innovation in SKNs, but it fails to explain them in TKNs. Moreover, social and organizational proximity weigh higher than the other two. The central nodes analysis helps cities better understand their position in networks. We find that comparative analysis of SKNs and TKNs contribute to recognizing the gaps of each city in innovation, which could assist in determining urban innovation policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]