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Carbon emission issues are becoming increasingly severe, and the carbon emissions in shrinking cities, primarily characterized by population loss, are often overlooked and insufficiently studied. This paper focuses on the carbon emissions from county-level administrative units in China's three northeastern provinces from 2001 to 2017. The study scientifically identified shrinking cities and measured the differences in carbon emission characteristics between growing and shrinking cities using the Theil index. Ultimately, the paper constructs a panel spatial econometric model to analyze the factors influencing them and explore their spatial effects. (1) The total carbon emissions in the Three Northeastern Provinces exhibited an inverted U-shaped trend, increasing from 734.21 million tons in 2001 to 1731.73 million tons in 2017, with the Mann–Kendall trend test showing a significant increase; spatially, this manifests as a significant positive spatial autocorrelation. (2) The region has 138 shrinking cities, accounting for over 50%; regarding carbon emission characteristics, the Theil index has consistently remained above 0.18, indicating significant differences between the carbon emissions of growing and shrinking cities. (3) The panel spatial econometric model results show that the influencing factors of carbon emissions in shrinking cities have unique directions, intensities, and spatial effects. In shrinking cities, aside from localized GDP effects and per-capita GDP acting as a suppressant, the population size has a pronounced inhibitory effect on local and surrounding carbon emissions. The analysis reveals significant differences in the carbon emission patterns and mechanisms between growing and shrinking cities; based on these results, the paper proposes differentiated carbon control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the implementation of deep-market-oriented reforms in China, an accurate interpretation of the effect and transmission mechanism of the marketization of industrial land transfer on carbon emission reduction can provide references for further elevating the role of land policy in China's low-carbon economic transition. Based on the balanced panel data of China's provincial level from 2009 to 2020, this paper uses carbon emission intensity to quantify emission reduction targets, and studies the effects of the marketization of industrial land transfer on regional carbon emission intensity, as well as its internal mechanism, by describing the typical characteristics. Moreover, this paper analyzes the moderating role of environmental governance and conducts area heterogeneity analysis. The main results show that (1) the marketization of industrial land transfer can significantly reduce regional carbon emission intensity, and the negative effect is stronger in the mid-west compared with the effect in the east. (2) Environmental governance can play a positive moderating role in the relationship between the marketization of industrial land transfer and the carbon emission intensity. (3) Industry selection is the internal mechanism by which the effect of the marketization of industrial land transfer on regional carbon emission intensity operates, and the mechanism is represented more prominently in the mid-west. The main conclusions provide inspiration for land policy regulation in relation to carbon emission reduction. China's local governments should implement specific strategies to improve the market-based operation mechanism of land, attracting industries with high energy efficiency and low carbon emissions, and strengthening the intensity of environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recovery of the global economy in the aftermath of COVID-19 faces enormous challenges. Ensuring stable income growth of the population has become an important means for developing countries to ensure sustained economic development. Raising the overall income of the population is a public initiative that benefits all citizens; therefore, governments of developing countries should promote the implementation of relevant public policies and the provision of public goods to ensure that existing economic instruments can benefit the entire population. In this regard, public space, as a typical form of public good, may play an important role in promoting the benefits of existing economic policies for all residents. This paper examines how residents' use of public space contributes to their income growth through social capital. Hypotheses are tested based on an econometric analysis of 1565 questionnaires received from Chinese workers. The results show that residents' use of public space can indeed be an important way to increase their income, which is realized through the enhancement of social capital. The research presented in this paper provides a new influence variable of public space to improve residents' income. Further, it improves people's understanding of the three classical concepts—public space, social capital, and income—by establishing the logical connection and theoretical explanation of physical space, emotional space, and value space in human society. The conclusions of this paper highlight the important role of public space in urban and rural development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is essential for rural governance in developing countries. Prior publications have argued that land fragmentation impedes the sustainable development of agricultural economies and rural societies, while the connection between humans and nature has not been considered comprehensively. Therefore, the conclusion that the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is purely negative may be one-sided. To examine this conclusion, this paper re-evaluates the relationship between land fragmentation and rural collective action from a multidisciplinary perspective. Based on a rural field survey using stratified random sampling, Oprobit regression was employed to conduct an econometric analysis on data from 798 rural households across 14 cities in the border region of Guangxi, China. The following research findings were obtained: (1) When the human–nature connection is considered, the relationship between land fragmentation and collective action follows an inverted U-shaped curve. Specifically, moderate initial increases in land fragmentation can lead to improvements in collective action; however, when the degree of land fragmentation exceeds a certain threshold, further increases in land fragmentation will decrease the collective action capacity. (2) This nonlinear relationship between land fragmentation and collective action may be realized through three pathways: agricultural production, land use patterns, and the ecological environment. Under the context of collective action, this study shows that a moderate level of land fragmentation objectively exists in reality. This insight provides a new impetus for developing countries to shift policy perspectives to increase their land use efficiency. Additionally, this paper integrates relevant findings from both social sciences and natural sciences. Thereby, it not only expands the existing understanding of key factors influencing rural household collective action but also emphasizes the potential for cross-disciplinary integration between social sciences and natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the separation of three rights of land and agricultural modernization, this paper is based on the land economic survey data from eleven provinces in China in 2019, covering the eastern, middle, and western regions of China. Based on the value chain theory and its "second-round effect", which pertains to the multi-round effects of value chain distribution theory, various research methods such as Probit, Tobit, the two-part model, SFA, PSM, and the intermediary effect model are employed to analyze the direct impact of the agriculture value chain (AVC) on farmers' land factor inputs and the income effects caused by them, which are the "second-round effect" of the AVC on land factor inputs. The research results show the following: Firstly, the AVC has a significant positive impact on the behavior and area of farmers' land transferring-in, which helps guide farmers towards large-scale land operation. Secondly, the AVC significantly improves farmers' production efficiency and promotes land transfer through differences in production efficiency, representing the "second-round effect" mechanism of the AVC on land factor inputs. Moreover, the AVC will increase farmers' net land production income by 48.74%, which is the "second-round effect" of the AVC on farmers' agricultural income and also the motivation for farmers' land factor inputs. Finally, the expansion of land area and the improvement of production efficiency jointly increase farmers' agricultural income, among which production efficiency plays a partial intermediary effect in increasing agricultural income if farmers join the AVC. This paper believes that we should further promote the market-oriented reform of land factors, support the innovation of the benefit linkage mechanism of the AVC, and promote appropriate areas of land operation by farmers, thereby achieving common prosperity and promoting agricultural modernization in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific and reasonable division of geographical units of cultivated land reserve resource areas is an important foundation for comprehensive land consolidation (CLC). Saline–alkali land is an important cultivated land reserve resource, and is significant for ensuring food security. This paper constructs a two-level land consolidation index system for cultivated land reserve resource areas. The Kruskal graph theory clustering algorithm was used to divide the study area into four types of ecological zones. On the basis of ecological zones, the study area was further divided into three types of consolidation units. Finally, the spatial relationship between ecological zoning and land use types was clarified, and the classification distribution of land consolidation potential was determined through an analysis of the CLC of two-level geographical units. Da'an City, Jilin province, China, was selected as the study area. The results of this study show the following: (1) In Da'an City, the conservation priority areas are concentrated in the north, the development priority areas are concentrated in the central and southern areas, and the comprehensive upgrade areas and adjustment rebuilding areas are in the transition zones. (2) The CLC potential trend is low in the north but high in the south in Da'an City. This paper proposes a framework for a geographical unit delineation method for saline–alkali-enriched cultivated land reserve resource zones, and analyzes the spatial layout of ecological protection demands and land consolidation potential in Da'an City. The results and conclusions of this study will provide a reference for CLC in cultivated land reserve resource areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector, as a source and a sink of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is critical for achieving carbon neutrality. Many academic journals have published papers on land use carbon emission or sink (LUCES), but LUCES reviews are relatively rare, which poses great challenges in accurately understanding the research progress and future prospects. This work analyzes the research characteristics, hotspots and future perspectives of LUCES research by using a bibliometric analysis (such as DDA, VOSviewer, CiteSpace software) and a review based on the data (6115 scientific papers) during 1991–2023 from the Web of Science (WoS) platform. We found that (1) over the past 33 years, it first presented a steady growth, then fluctuating growth, and finally a rapid growth trend in the yearly number of publications in LUCES research. The USA (17.31%), China (14.96%), and the UK (7.37%) occupy a dominant position in this research field. (2) The related LUCES research is interdisciplinary, which mainly cover science and technology, meteorology and atmospheric sciences, geology, and environmental sciences and ecology disciplines. (3) The research hotspot analysis on LUCES shows that these articles mostly covered the follow three aspects: ecosystem services, climate change, and carbon neutrality. (4) A review of the past LUCES literature suggests that it is mainly focused on exploring the forefront issues in terms of the definition and boundaries, evaluation method and influencing factors, etc. This work suggests that further research could explore the main scientific problems on quantification of land-based carbon neutrality, quantitative analysis of the impact mechanisms, as well as interdisciplinary research and collaborative governance needed for carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drylands are vast and face threats from climate change and human activities. Traditional reviews cannot capture interdisciplinary knowledge, but bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights. Our study conducted bibliometric research of scientific production on climate change and land degradation in drylands using remote sensing. We examined 1527 Scopus-indexed publications to identify geographic and thematic hotspots, extracting leading authors, journals, and institutions. China leads in publications, followed by the US, Germany, and Australia. The US has the highest citation count. Collaboration networks involve the US, China, and European countries. There has been an exponential increase in remote sensing of land degradation in drylands (RSLDD) publications since 2011. Key journals include "International Journal of Remote Sensing" and "Remote Sensing of Environment". The analysis highlights the growing interest in the field, driven by Australia, the US, and China. Key areas of study are vegetation dynamics and land use change. Future perspectives for this scientific field involve promoting collaboration and exploring emerging technologies for comprehensive land degradation and desertification research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation infrastructure is essential to regional innovation systems, and the high-speed railway (HSR) is reshaping China's regional innovation pattern. Previous research lacks an analysis of the impact of opening an HSR on urban traditional and green innovation. This paper uses urban panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2019 to study the impact and mechanism of opening an HSR on urban innovation from a comparative perspective. The results of a multi-period difference-in-difference (DID) model show that opening an HSR can promote both traditional and green urban innovation, especially impacting urban green innovation. A further analysis of the mechanism of action found that high-quality talent and communication infrastructures are two crucial mechanisms of transmission for the opening of an HSR to affect urban innovation. In addition, heterogeneity analysis showed that opening an HSR promotes traditional urban and green innovation for cities in general. However, for central cities, the opening of an HSR has no significant impact on green innovation and has little effect on promoting traditional innovation. The policy inspiration of this paper is that, in the face of an innovation gap and the inequality of regional innovation and development, the construction of HSRs should be promoted according to local conditions. Construction and layout resources should be shifted from central cities to general cities to narrow the regional innovation gap. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the roles of the flow of high-quality talent and communication infrastructure in promoting urban innovation and sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agricultural development is a fundamental requirement and a crucial goal of modern agriculture. It is also a significant means of enabling farmers to increase their incomes. This paper analyses the evolutionary characteristics, regional differences and spatial convergence of the level of sustainable agricultural development using kernel density estimation, Dagum's Gini coefficient and the spatial convergence model based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2021.The results show that: (1) At the level of development, the level of sustainable agricultural development at the national level and in the three major regions has shown an upward trend with fluctuations, with the average level of development in the eastern and central parts of the country higher than the national average, and in the western part of the country lower than the national average; however, the growth rate in the western part of the country is the highest among the three major regions. (2) In terms of evolutionary characteristics, the level of sustainable agricultural development in the country and the three major regions is characterised by spatial agglomeration, with varying degrees of polarisation. (3) In terms of regional differences, the Gini coefficients for the country as a whole, within the three major regions and between regions, generally show a downward trend, with interregional differences remaining the main source of overall differences. (4) In terms of spatial convergence, there is σ-convergence and β-convergence in the level of sustainable agricultural development across the country and the three major regions, and there is a positive spatial spillover effect. The conditional β convergence results show that the eastern region has the fastest rate of convergence. The above findings provide a scientific basis for the formulation of policies related to sustainable agricultural development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Territorial spatial planning involves fixability and flexibility in different driving factors related to control and development orientation, and they play an important role in regional sustainable development, especially in developing countries such as China. With rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, China has been impacted by conflicts between development and protection in territorial space. To integrate the contradictions among different territorial spatial planning measures, planners and scholars have started to focus on studies regarding fixability–flexibility relationships and integration. However, the relationship between and integration of fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning have yet to be clearly summarised. This paper explores an innovative research direction for the fixability–flexibility relations in territorial spatial planning from a new perspective, the Food–Energy–Water Nexus, which is a dynamic and comprehensive framework for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) studies. This paper covers the existing research on fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning. Moreover, after summarising the conflicts of fixability and flexibility, the dialectical relationship between and the integration of fixability and flexibility are researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different choices of living space for urban residents are concrete reflections of a social class divide. Emerging residential space differentiation is a critical issue in Chinese cities. This paper aims to explore the current situations and mechanisms of residential spatial differentiation, and reveal its social responses in Chinese cities. Taking Wuhan, the largest city in central China, as an example, this research divides the residential space based on social resource structures. It analyzes and compares spatial differentiation and influencing factors of different residential areas and houses with different prices in Wuhan by spatial differentiation indicators and geographic detector. The results show that residential areas are divergent due to differences in urban resource spatial structure, with few and concentrated high-quality residential areas. The spatial differentiation level of different residential areas also varies, with central location, landscape, educational resources, and other dominant scarce resources being the key to residential spatial differentiation in most of China's big cities. In addition, residential spatial differentiation can lead to issues including housing wealth inequality, resource deprivation, and class identity solidification. In the end, this paper puts forward policy implications on alleviating residential spatial differentiation and optimizing allocation of residential resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions are critical to climate change, and land-use change is an essential source of growth in carbon emissions. Research on land-use carbon emissions has become one of the hotspots in academic research. To explore the research hotspots and development trends of land-use carbon emissions in the last 20 years, CiteSpace software was used to conduct a quantitative analysis of relevant literature. This paper was based on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science (WoS) database literature on land-use carbon emissions from 2001 to 2020. The scientific research cooperation network CiteSpace software, with keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst word detection, was used to systematically analyze the main research strengths, hotspots and frontiers and clarify the research progress. The research results are as follows: (1) the amount of literature and the depth of research on land-use carbon emissions have increased yearly. However, there is little cooperation between research institutions and scholars, and there is still a lack of large-scale and stable research teams. (2) At the research hotspot level, the English literature focuses on building models and theoretical frameworks to study the internal mechanisms and driving factors of carbon emissions and climate change. The Chinese literature focuses on achieving regional carbon emissions reductions and carbon cycle goals and optimizing a low-carbon economy, transportation and land-use structure. (3) Research frontiers and trends show that the English literature first explored carbon sequestration, organic carbon, and carbon accounting. In China, the research frontiers are gradually becoming focused on influencing factors, decoupling analysis, and the built environment. The study will strengthen the intensity and depth of global carbon emission research and provide a reference for improving global climate change, protecting ecology and balancing economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), known as the "Third Pole of the Earth", contains fragile ecosystems and is sensitive to global environmental changes. With the intensification of climate change and human activities, the land cover of the QTP is changing significantly, which affects its function as an ecological security barrier. This paper searched 379 papers in the Web of Science core database, conducted a bibliometric analysis, and proposed potential future research directions to gain a macroscopic understanding of the impact of land use and cover change (LUCC) on the regional and global ecological environment of the QTP. The results are as follows. (1) The period from 1995 to 2022 witnessed an overall increase in the number of publications in this field with a high development potential. (2) Climate change, land use, China, impacts, conservation, and management were high-frequency keywords in the field; among these, climate change has received increasing research attention since 2018. (3) The field included three main research directions: the impact of LUCC on biodiversity, the impact of land degradation on ecosystems, and the impact of climate change and land use changes on ecosystem services. (4) The development and evolution of research hotspots were mainly focused on three aspects: the impact of cultivated land expansion and deforestation, the impact of land use management and conservation, and the impact of climate change and human activities on LUCC. (5) Future research should focus on improving the accuracy of land use and cover data on the QTP, assessing and preventing the ecological risks of LUCC, investigating the impacts of human activities on LUCC and the ecological environment, and exploring the interactions between climate change and human activities on the ecological environment. The findings of this paper will help researchers and stakeholders gain a rapid and comprehensive understanding of this research area and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the QTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the reform and opening up, the socioeconomic status of women in rural China has risen rapidly. However, unlike men, women have not been able to earn higher wages by "working in all directions". Based on the interview data of 2064 migrant workers, this paper explores the nonlinear interaction of individual characteristics and urban geographic factors with gender differences in migrant workers' wages with the help of random forest regression models. The results show the following: (1) migrant workers' wages show obvious gender differences in different dimensions, but in general, men's wages are higher than women's wages; (2) there are also gender differences in the influencing factors of migrant workers' wages. Work experience is more important for male migrant workers' wages, age is more important for female migrant workers' wages, and there is a variable effect of each factor on migrant workers' wages. This paper is of great help in understanding the travel trajectories of migrant workers and gender differences in wages and holds reference value for guiding migrant workers in choosing jobs and places and increasing their income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the Internet and digital technology, digital infrastructure has become an important part of urban infrastructure. Many cities are enacting smart policies to promote the development of digital technology infrastructure. However, what are their mechanisms? There is currently a shortage of literature on the subject. This paper tried to solve this problem and used China as an example. Using panel data from cities in China, this paper used the spatial multiple-period difference-in-difference (SDID) method to investigate the impact of smart city policy (SCP) on digital infrastructure. First, we found that SCP significantly promotes the construction of digital infrastructure, with strong positive spatial spillover effects. This result remained valid after a series of rigorous robustness tests. Second, we discovered that the indirect effects of policy implementation outweigh the direct effects. Furthermore, smart city development enhances local government investment in digital infrastructure, attracts more high-tech enterprises, and consequently drives improvements in urban digital infrastructure levels. Lastly, we observed that the effectiveness of smart city policies is stronger in cities with good fiscal conditions, strong economic development, and a thriving digital economy. This research will not only enrich research on smart cities but also provide policy recommendations for strengthening digital infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmland loss in drastically urbanizing landscapes has long been a research concern for resource management, landscape planning, and spatial governance, especially in the context of China. In recent years, the issue of urbanization-associated farmland loss (UAFL) seems to be increasingly recognized as relevant to sustainability. To date, however, existing studies have not yet comprehensively addressed the research gap between UAFL and sustainability. Here, we aim to help fill this knowledge gap by considering UAFL research as an example of the broader land/landscape-related literature, in a hope of informing future studies to better advance sustainability through land-related approaches. Specifically, we combined bibliometric analyses with code-based content analysis to reveal the knowledge base, thematic evolution, and historiographic paths of the literature on UAFL across China and the empirical case studies' relevance to sustainability. Our main findings include: (1) the examined literature barely draws insights from sustainability science and sustainability only started to arise as a notable topic at around 2016; (2) over half of the empirical studies show awareness in advancing sustainability and interest in understanding the social-environmental drivers and processes underlying landscape dynamics, yet few demonstrate methodological transdisciplinarity; (3) those sustainability-relevant studies either frame UAFL as depletion of the farmland resource that may threat China's food security and consequently hinder sustainable urbanization or frame UAFL as part of widespread landscape dynamics that affect the environmental outcome(s) or social–environmental tradeoffs of landscape multi-functions; and (4) existing empirical studies are disproportionately focused on 1991–2006, national, regional, and city scales, and some of China's most developed areas. Our findings provide an overview of this specific research avenue on UAFL and, more importantly, point to the imperative for land/landscape scholars to break out of their disciplinary silos, especially in the natural sciences, to generate more actionable sustainability insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrinking cities suffer from a decreased level of resident activities. As a result, areas with low levels of resident activities may become breeding grounds for social issues. To ease and prevent social issues, it is important to deploy physical space optimisation strategies to effectively guide the distribution of resident activities in shrinking cities. To support the development of such spatial strategies, this paper introduces machine learning-based methods for analysing the nuanced non-linear relationship between resident activities and physical space in shrinking cities. Utilising dual-scale grids, this study calculates multi-source spatial elements, which are subsequently integrated with resident activity data to construct a gradient boosting decision tree model. It then analyses the weight of different spatial elements' impacts on resident activities and their nonlinear relationships. The model proposed in this study demonstrates good precision in construing the relationship between resident activities and physical space. Based on the research findings, strategies for different types of spatial development in shrinking cities are drawn out. This paper advocates for the application of this analytical approach before conducting spatial planning in shrinking cities to maximise the effectiveness of spatial development in guiding resident activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasingly complex global climatic environment and the rapid development of China's urban construction, China's historical and cultural cities are experiencing an external impact as well as internal fragility. Representing the capacity of the urban system to address impact and pressure, resilience can effectively guarantee the sustainable development of historical and cultural cities. A scientific and reasonable resilience assessment system can guide the resilience construction of historical and cultural cities in an effort to effectively counter the impact and pressure they face. Therefore, it is necessary to research the resilience of historical and cultural cities. On the basis of the complex adaptive system (CAS), and by applying multiple assessment indicators, this paper established a resilience assessment system for China's historical and cultural cities, comprising 38 indicators in six dimensions, to analyze the characteristics and the influencing mechanisms of the resilience of the historical and cultural cities and to reveal the inherent logic underlying their complex presentation. Using six historical and cultural cities in east China as an example, the study applied the assessment system to assess and analyze the different resilience levels of the cities. The comprehensive resilience of Changzhou City obtained the highest score at 0.64, indicating a higher degree of resilience; the scores of Yantai City, Huzhou City, and Nantong City were 0.59, 0.54, and 0.50, respectively, representing moderate degrees of resilience; the scores of Zhongshan City and Quzhou City were 0.44 and 0.40, respectively, exhibiting a lower degree of resilience. Moreover, the factors that result in an unbalanced development of urban resilience were explored from the perspectives of economy, system, and culture. The paper contains some significance in guiding the development of the resilience of historical and cultural cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China's urbanization process continues to accelerate and the price of traditional commercial property continues to rise, a number of small property rights houses without construction permits and approvals have appeared on rural land. Although small property rights housing does not have the validity of property rights or the legal attributes of ordinary commercial housing, and the Chinese government has repeatedly introduced corresponding laws and regulations to regulate its purchase and sale, small property right housing is still purchased by many consumers because of its price advantage, and the number of disputes arising from its purchase and sale is on the rise every year. In addition, the phenomenon of developers building on rural land in violation of the law and real estate agents guaranteeing property without authorization has led to a waste of judicial resources and the infringement of property rights. This paper analyzes the actual situation and the main problems surrounding the governance of small property rights housing and constructs a quadrilateral evolutionary game model with the government, consumers, developers, and real estate agents as the main players. By analyzing various equilibrium points corresponding to different stages of small property rights housing governance, a simulation analysis is conducted using Matlab2016a software to examine the strategic choices of each stakeholder. By adjusting and simulating various parameters, this study investigates the key factors influencing the governance of small property rights housing. This study revealed the following points: (1) at different stages in the governance of small property rights housing, the choice of a strategy by each subject is affected by the expected benefits and costs; (2) the relevant government fines will regulate the strategic choices of developers and real estate agents; (3) consumers' purchasing tendency is affected by the price of small property rights housing and the risk estimation; (4) the governance of small property rights housing needs a long-term standardization of practice, and the government not only needs to improve the reward and punishment mechanism but also needs to provide positive guidance to the consumers. Through numerical simulation, we explore the impact of the main parameters of the current small property rights housing governance process on the strategic selections made by the game players, which is of great significance for the current policy and future governance of small property rights housing. This paper contributes additional insights to the existing body of theoretical literature through quantitative analysis. Nonetheless, there is a need for the further refinement of the parameter settings used in the study. Additionally, while the simulation analysis provides valuable perspectives, it is somewhat subjective and possesses certain limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the carbon emission pattern of "peak carbon and carbon neutrality", the policy of crop rotation and fallow system (CRFS) is regarded as an important initiative to promote the green, low-carbon, and high-quality development of agriculture. Focusing on balanced panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2010 to 2021, this paper empirically examines the impact of CRFS on agricultural carbon emissions (ACEI) and its internal mechanism using a multi-temporal difference-in-differences model. The benchmark regression results show that CRFS can significantly reduce ACEI, and the results remain robust after validation by multiple methods. Mechanism results show that CRFS is able to reduce ACEI by reducing factor mismatch and promoting the level of agricultural services. Heterogeneity analysis results show that the arable land fallow rotation system is more conducive to promoting the reduction in agricultural carbon emission intensity in the main grain producing areas, main grain marketing areas, high land transfer areas, and plantation areas than in the grain production and marketing balanced areas, low land transfer, and animal husbandry areas. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the CRFS policy implementation, provides a doctrinal basis for expanding the scope of CRFS implementation, and provides policy recommendations for relevant departments to improve the CRFS policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major ecological project with the largest investment scale, strongest policy support, most extensive involvement, and the highest level of public participation in the world, the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) implemented by China is important for protecting the ecological environment and achieving long-term stability. Consolidating the SLCP's achievements is key to its sustainable operation. Based on a sample of 612 farmers in Guizhou Province, this paper discusses the impact of value perception and government regulation on farmers' behavior in terms of their continued SLCP maintenance. The results show that (1) value perception and government regulation are important factors affecting the sustainability of farmers' behavior of continuing to maintain the SLCP. Perceived economic value and perceived cost input, as dimensions of value perception, and policy publicity and economic incentives, as dimensions of government regulation, have important influences on farmers' continued SLCP maintenance. (2) There are complementary effects between value perception and government regulation. Policy publicity and perceived ecological value, technical guidance and perceived economic and social value, and economic incentives and perceived economic value can have complementary effects on farmers' continued maintenance behavior. (3) Value perception and government regulation heterogeneously impact different groups of farmers. In terms of intergenerational differences, perceived cost inputs and punitive measures significantly affect only new-generation farmers. In terms of farmer type, perceived economic value does not significantly affect nonfarmers; perceived cost input significantly affects part-time farmers engaged mainly in off-farm employment, and technical guidance and economic incentives have the greatest impact on pure farmers. In terms of tree species, perceived cost input and policy publicity significantly impact only ecological forest farmers, while technical guidance has a greater impact on economic forest farmers. The findings provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanism underlying farmers' behavior in maintaining the SLCP and offer a reference for promoting the goals of forestry ecological policies against the background of rural revitalization and green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change and persistence are often richly entangled facets of landscapes. While many studies use land use/land cover (depicted as polygons) to illustrate landscape evolution, this paper draws on approaches from landscape archaeology to investigate how lines and points can also be used to examine landscape morphologies. The study uses three distinct spatial elements: points (graves), lines (field boundaries), and polygons (land use) to represent landscape transformations and reflect time depth in the landscape. The paper aims to identify the most enduring landscape elements within the region and uncover the underlying mechanisms of persistence. It is suggested that the time depth exhibited in field boundaries surpasses that of land use in this case. Field boundaries provide a useful way to examine agricultural intensification, whereas land use is more sensitive to agricultural commercialization and urbanization. In addition, the Chinese Feng Shui funeral culture emerges as a stabilizing force that encourages landscape persistence. This cultural driver ensures the persistence of field patterns surrounding graves, making these fields the most ancient plots within the study area. In conclusion, representing the time depth of landscapes through linear features and points can serve as an important supplement to the study of landscape change based on land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new gridded spatio-temporal big data fusion method is proposed for the organization and management of cropland big data, which could serve the analysis application of cropland quality evaluation and other analyses of geographic big data. Compared with traditional big data fusion methods, this method maps the spatio-temporal and attribute features of multi-source data to grid cells in order to achieve the structural unity and orderly organization of spatio-temporal big data with format differences, semantic ambiguities, and different coordinate projections. Firstly, this paper constructs a dissected cropland big data fusion model and completes the design of a conceptual model and logic model, constructs a cropland data organization model based on DGGS (discrete global grid system) and Hash coding, and realizes the unified management of vector data, raster data and text data by using multilevel grids. Secondly, this paper researches the evaluation methods of grid-scale adaptability, and generates distributed multilevel grid datasets to meet the needs of cropland area quality evaluation. Finally, typical data such as soil organic matter data, road network data, cropland area data, and statistic data in Da'an County, China, were selected to carry out the experiment. The experiment verifies that the method could not only realize the unified organization and efficient management of cultivated land big data with multimodal characteristics, but also support the evaluation of cropland quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban development boundary (UDB) has always served as a crucial aspect of urban sprawl research. The objective of this paper is to investigate boundary delineation and carbon emission effects. Firstly, we examined the patterns of land use changes. Additionally, this paper utilized the FLUS model and land use carbon emission calculation model to delineate UDB and calculate carbon emission effects within UDB under typical scenarios. The research results are as follows: (1) Xuzhou city witnessed a significant increase in both forest land and construction land from 2010 to 2020. (2) Under the CPS, the area of cultivated land increased by 217.05 km2 compared to the NDS. The UDB area under the NDS and CPS was 971.50 km2 and 968.99 km2, respectively. (3) Compared to the NDS, the CPS led to a net carbon emission increase of 4759.93 t within the UDB. Therefore, we should enhance the carbon sequestration and emission reduction capacity of the agricultural system. This study is beneficial for expanding the depth of research on the UDB and guiding the low-carbon urban development. We sincerely encourage readers to download this paper to improve this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the spatial differentiation and driving mechanism of labor flow can effectively promote the flow of urban and rural factors and provide a basis for rural revitalization. This paper used the theory of push and pull for reference to explain the role of push and pull in the process of labor migration. On this basis, the paper analyzed the social space characteristics of labor in Longxi County and explored the impact mechanism of local quality on labor migration. It was found that the characteristics of labor migration in Longxi County had a distance attenuation effect and gravitational effect, and the spatial agglomeration of labor attributes was obvious. This was closely related to local quality differences. The labor migration was conducted under the comprehensive effect of the local quality of the source and destination. The local quality of the source was the basic power of the labor migration. The difference in the local quality between destinations was the main reason for the spatial difference in the number and attributes of the labor force. Specifically, the degree of interconnection and cooperation affected the labor migration distance, and the relatively poor employment income-generating capacity and regional livability in the western underdeveloped regions affected the labor quantity. The young and middle-aged labor force was greatly affected by the regional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change is the most important driving factor of terrestrial carbon stock change. Soil is the largest carbon reservoir of terrestrial ecosystems, and the impact of land use change on soil carbon sequestration is related to major issues such as the global warming process and food security. The research can provide a basis for land managers and policy makers to develop appropriate planning strategies for soil carbon sequestration management. Despite the widespread attention of relevant studies, macro reviews are still lacking. In order to objectively reveal the current situation of the research field, firstly this paper conducted a bibliometric analysis based on relevant papers in the Web of Science Core Collection database from 1985 to 2021. Secondly, we conducted a review study of land use change on soil carbon sequestration. The research results showed that: (1) the overall amount of the published literature in related fields showed an upward trend, and the development could be divided into three stages, growing slowly from 1985 to 1999, steadily from 2000 to 2009, and rapidly from 2010 to 2021. (2) From the perspective of national distribution, the published papers were mainly from the United States and China, which were much higher than those in other countries. There was mutual cooperation between research institutions in different countries and on a certain scale. (3) Since 2000, soil carbon sequestration has been more frequently mentioned in articles on land use change. Related research was mostly focused on exploring the impact of different land use types and different farming methods on soil organic carbon content in the context of global warming. Land use change and management among agricultural land, woodland, and grassland are the focus of research. The conversion of woodland to agricultural land and grassland is an important reason for the decrease in soil carbon sequestration. Corresponding management measures can be taken to improve soil carbon sequestration. Future research should use multidisciplinary technical means and methods to further explore the interaction mechanism between climate change, land use change, and soil carbon sequestration, so as to carry out more accurate prediction and assessment of different climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the urban development trend of sprawl, improving energy use efficiency is a proper way to promote green and low-carbon construction in cities. This paper uses panel data from 283 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2008 to 2019 to measure the urban sprawl index, and analyze the spatial-temporal evolution law of urban sprawl and electricity consumption. The relationship between urban sprawl and electricity consumption is empirically examined, and the differential effect of urban sprawl on electricity consumption is analyzed. Finally, the impact of urban sprawl on electricity consumption based on a spatial perspective is explored in depth by establishing a spatial error model. We found the following: (1) The levels of urban sprawl and urban electricity consumption are on the rise. The spatial distribution of urban sprawl is more dispersed, and cities with high electricity consumption levels are mostly concentrated in the eastern coastal areas. (2) Urban sprawl exacerbates electricity consumption, and this conclusion is still robust after a series of robustness tests were conducted and endogeneity issues were taken into account. In terms of the influence mechanism, urban sprawl mainly affects electricity consumption by changing the allocation of land resources, increasing the dependence on private transportation, and inhibiting green technology innovation. (3) The incremental effect of urban sprawl on electricity consumption is more pronounced in cities with high sprawl levels, weak environmental regulations, and low green innovation levels, as well as in west cities. (4) Urban sprawl and electricity consumption both have a significant positive spatial correlation. Electricity consumption of cities is not only related to their own regions but also influenced by the adjacent regions, and the spatial correlation is mainly reflected in the random error term. This paper deepens the understanding of the basic laws of urban sprawl affecting urban low-carbon development, which also has implications for new urbanization strategies and green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately identifying the matching relationships between territorial space evolution and the resources and environment carrying capacity will directly guide the sustainable use of territorial space. Based on the evaluation of the territorial space dynamics of the lower Yellow River, this paper evaluates the suitability of territorial space development by focusing on ecological protection, agricultural development, and urban construction. Specifically, the resources and environment carrying capacity is estimated by identifying and mediating potential conflicts in the development of territorial space. The matching relationship between the evolution of territorial space and the resources and environment carrying capacity is identified using the matching degree model. The results demonstrated that: (1) Between 2000 and 2020, the agricultural space of the lower Yellow River was relatively stable, while the ecological space was generally shrinking, and the urban space continued to increase; (2) The characteristics of suitability for the agricultural development and urban construction of the lower Yellow River are characterized by landform and land-sea differentiation. The carrying scale of resources and the environment is based on agricultural space and is increasing yearly, followed by ecological space, which is gradually decreasing, and urban space, which first increased and then decreased; (3) Between 2000 and 2020, the matching index of the ecological and agricultural space evolution and the resource and environmental carrying capacity in the lower Yellow River exhibited a downward trend, while the regional difference increased. Furthermore, the matching index of urban space and the resources and environment carrying capacity indicated an upward trend, while the regional difference decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few decades, human activities have caused the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide, which has severely impacted the Earth's ecosystem and human health. Therefore, carbon reduction has become the focus of global attention. In this study, the Zhouyuan region of China, which is rich in ancient remains, is taken as an example. Based on the land use characteristics in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, the spatial-temporal evolution of land use and carbon storage in the Zhouyuan region is simulated using four methods, including land use classification, land use transfer maps, patch-level land-use simulation (PLUS), and the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) models under three scenarios, including the natural development scenario, urban development priority, and heritage conservation priority in 2030. According to the results, the carbon storage in the area in 2030 under all three scenario simulations has decreased compared with 2020, indicating that the region faces great challenges in achieving its targets of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The paper points out four causes for the decrease in carbon storage, and five suggestions for increasing carbon storage are proposed, such as developing a carbon storage master plan, applying energy-saving technologies, establishing an ecological substitution mechanism, and so on. Through the study of carbon storage in the Zhouyuan region, this paper hopes to establish a mechanism to balance urban development, heritage conservation, and carbon sinks on the one hand, and encourage more scholars to participate in the study of carbon sinks in areas rich in ancient remains, so as to to jointly promote their healthy development on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientifically measuring the level of environmental governance (EGL) and understanding its spatial convergence has important reference value for ecological governance. In this paper, the global entropy method is applied to measure the EGL of 284 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2019, which are divided into three major river basins, including the Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Pearl River, to observe the spatial–temporal evolutionary characterization through a standard deviation ellipse model. The coefficient of variation and the spatial econometric model are the tools used to conduct the spatial convergence test. The results are as follows: (1) China's EGL is low overall, though it is fluctuating upward at low magnitude, and the three major river basins follow the ranking: The Pearl River Basin > The Yangtze River Basin > The Yellow River Basin. (2) Spatially, the distribution pattern of China's EGL changes from "scattered and sporadic" to "multipolar core". (3) The center of China's environmental governance was concentrated in the east from 2007 to 2019, and the EGL in the midstream and downstream regions of the three major river basins increased rapidly. (4) Environmental governance in China has significant absolute and conditional β-convergence characteristics, as do the three major basins, while the ranking of convergence speed remains "Yangtze River Basin > Yellow River Basin > Pearl River Basin". Of these, economic development accelerated the convergence rate of environmental governance in China and its three major river basins; financial pressure significantly inhibited the convergence of the EGL of the Yellow River Basin. The improvement of the EGL in the Pearl River Basin was also negatively influenced by the industrial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban park green areas are part of territorial space planning, shouldering the mission of providing residents with high-quality ecological products and public space. Using a combination of several measurement models such as the BCG (Boston Consulting Group) matrix, ESDA (Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis), MLR (Machine Learning Regression), GWR (Geographically Weighted Regression), and GeoDetector, this paper presents an empirical study on the changes in Urban Park Green Areas (UPGAs) in the Grand Canal of China. By quantitatively measuring the spatio–temporal evolution patterns of UPGAs, this study reveals the driving mechanisms behind them and proposes policy recommendations for planning and management based on performance evaluation. The spatio–temporal evolution of UPGAs and their performance in China's Grand Canal are characterized by significant spatial heterogeneity and correlation, with diversified development patterns such as HH (High-scale–High-growth), HL (High-scale–Low-growth), LH (Low-scale–High-growth), and LL (Low-scale–Low-growth) emerging. The evolution performance is dominated by positive oversupply and positive equilibrium, where undersupply coexists with oversupply. Therefore, this paper recommends the implementation of a zoning strategy in the future spatial planning of ecological green areas, urban parks, and green infrastructure. It is also recommended to design differentiated construction strategies and management policies for each zoning area, while promoting inter-city mutual cooperation in the joint preparation and implementation of integrated symbiosis planning. Furthermore, the spatio–temporal evolution of the UPGAs in the Grand Canal of China is influenced by many factors with very complex dynamic mechanisms, and there are significant differences in the nature, intensity, spatial effects, and interaction effects between different factors. Therefore, in the future management of ecological green areas, urban parks, and green infrastructure, it is necessary to interconnect policies to enhance their synergies in population, aging, industry and economy, and ecological civilization to maximize the policy performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermountain basins are the granaries of the karst mountains of southwest China. Revealing the process and trend of land-use transformation in typical mountainous "granaries" is of great significance to optimizing land-use, food security, and rural revitalization in the karst mountains of southwest China. Lianjiang basin in Huishui County is the largest in Guizhou Province of southwest China, and a typical mountainous "granary" is used as a case study area. Based on seven periods of high-definition remote sensing images from 1966 to 2020 and on-the-spot investigation, we adopt the analysis methods of landscape pattern, moving window, and buffer zone and conduct an in-depth study on the spatial evolution of land-use and the land-use transformation law of the typical "granaries" of karst mountainous areas in southwest China from the perspectives of changes in the quantity of land-use, changes in the types of land-use, and changes in the landscape pattern. The results showed that the transformation of land-use in the basin was mainly manifested in the transformation of the function of cultivated land and the diversification of the function of cultivated land. The landscape pattern of the basin was gradually transformed from traditional rural landscape to modern agricultural landscape. The gradient effect of land-use evolution and transformation in the study basin was obvious. Traffic, location, and land resources significantly affect land-use transformation in the basin. Based on the above analysis, this paper proposes that the "granary" basins in karst mountainous areas should optimize the land-use of the basin by the trade-off between regional socio-economic development, ecological protection, and food security. The results of this paper provide a reference for land-use optimization and rural development in the granary-type basins and other similar areas in the karst mountains of southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metropolitan area serves as a vital catalyst for advancing the new urbanization strategy and remains a focal point of current academic research in China. This paper endeavors to explore the developmental mechanisms of China's metropolitan areas, centering on the circulation of regional production factors within these urban conglomerations. Additionally, it introduces the hypothesis of various spatial governance models for these metropolitan areas. Drawing upon theoretical research, the paper substantiates the hypothesis regarding the development mechanisms and spatial governance model of metropolitan areas through several case studies. Finally, we present the principal research findings concerning the development mechanisms and spatial governance models of China's metropolitan areas, along with issues in need of further examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai–Xizang Plateau is one of the important units of the major project of ecosystem protection and restoration in China's "three zones and four belts"(2021–2035), and balancing its ecological security with rational regional development is the basis for ensuring China's ecological stability. In this paper, the coupling mechanism between regional development intensity and ecological security is explained, and a measurement system of the relationship is designed, from which the coordination degree and type division of the coupling between regional development intensity and ecological security on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau from 2011 to 2020 is measured. The results show the following: (1) During the study period, the regional development intensity of the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau has been increasing, with Xining and Lhasa as the "core" that drives the development and expansion of the surrounding areas. The ecological security index has been also on the rise, showing a pattern of "belt-shaped depressions in the central and western parts of the Plateau, and vertical clusters in the eastern part of the Plateau". The depression moves toward the southern part of Xinjiang. (2) The degree of coupling and coordination between development intensity and ecological safety in each city (prefecture) on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau has increased by different degrees, but many cities (prefectures) still show a lag in development intensity or ecological security. (3) The evolution of the pattern of coupling and coordination between regional development intensity and ecological security on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau varies significantly, forming a pattern of "high in the east and low in the west, with multiple clusters side by side". To some extent, this paper reveals the correlation between the spatial and temporal distributions of regional development intensity and ecological security on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau, which can provide a basis for the regulation of human activities in the construction of ecological security barriers at the city (prefecture) level on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing total factor productivity is the key to promoting high-quality economic development. This paper starts with land supply as an institutional source factor and discusses the impact of the regional differentiation of land supply on total factor productivity in China. Based on the panel data of 273 cities in China from 2003 to 2017, this paper measures total factor productivity (TFP) using the DEA-Malmquist index, decomposes it into technical progress (TE), pure technical efficiency (PE) and scale efficiency (SE), and analyzes the effect of the regional differentiation of land supply on TFP using the spatial Durbin model and mediating model. This study finds the following: (1) At the national level, the tilting of land supply to the central and western regions leads to a contradiction between land supply and demand, which hinders TFP by suppressing TE, PE and SE. (2) At the regional level, the reduction in land supply in the eastern region expands the technological substitution rate, induces the substitution effect of enterprise innovation, and thus promotes TE, but inhibits PE and SE under the resource constraint and congestion effect, which hinders the improvement of TFP. The estimates for the central and western regions are generally consistent with the national results; again, as land supply increases, this hinders TFP by suppressing TE, PE and SE. (3) In terms of the mechanism of influence, the decrease in land supply in the eastern region promotes TE and TFP by promoting urban innovation and inhibiting SE through productive services agglomeration; the increase in land supply in the central and western regions hinders TE and TFP by inhibiting urban innovation, and hinders SE through manufacturing agglomeration. The conclusion of this paper has great significance for deepening the structural reform of land supply and promoting high-quality economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural e-commerce is rapidly expanding in rural China, profoundly affecting the agricultural and rural development of China. This paper focuses on the impact of farmers' e-commerce adoption on land transfer, aiming to reveal the role of farmers' e-commerce adoption in promoting rural transformation. Based on the 2020 Comprehensive Survey of Rural Revitalization in China conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this study employs the method of least squares and propensity score matching to evaluate the impact of farmers' e-commerce adoption on land-transfer behaviors in China. The results indicate that farmers' e-commerce adoption promotes farmers' participation in land transfer, significantly facilitating farmers' land transfer in and increasing the area of land acquired. Additionally, farmers' e-commerce adoption also promotes the trend of standardization and contractualization in land transfer, significantly increasing the probability of farmers signing formal agreements, clarifying lease terms, and renting land to strangers when acquiring land. This study can provide some theoretical inputs for policies to promote the development of agricultural land markets in developing countries and for policy formulation to promote e-commerce development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization in China has shifted the logic and needs of rural resource allocation, prompting a transformative approach toward rural revitalization and sustainable development through comprehensive land consolidation. This paper offers a theoretical framework for understanding the driven adjustments in rural power, capital, and social structures facilitated by comprehensive land consolidation. It discusses how the construction of pastoral complexes influences the diversification of rural land use and ecological restoration through dynamic adjustments in power structures. This study illustrates that in Guangzhou, comprehensive land consolidation is indispensable for ensuring food security and fostering diverse rural industries. Furthermore, it facilitates the resource and commercialization of land, balances governmental social responsibilities with rational capital pursuits, and enriches the livelihood structures of social entities to ensure rural social equity. The pastoral complex model achieves a harmonious integration of rural socio-economic and natural systems. Innovations in paths of social participation help eliminate the effects of social inequality within the environment, while the theory of political ecology clearly analyzes the internal reasons for the interaction and strategic plays among diverse actors under this model. The case studies of the pastoral complex present the practice of national–capital–land–social relationships and changes in land benefits, showcasing a Chinese approach to rural development and social justice. This provides a new perspective for political ecology research and enriches its empirical content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers' attitude plays a crucial role in the success of land acquisition. To add new insights and theoretical support for the effective governance of land acquisition, this paper examines the effectiveness of administrative power on farmers' attitude and the mediating role of perceived fairness based on asymmetric dependency theory. The hypotheses were verified using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis conducted with data gathered from 250 questionnaire samples in rural areas of China. The results reveal that the coercion and transparency of administrative power have a significant positive impact on farmers' attitude while normality's influence is not significant. The coercion and transparency of administrative power have a significant positive impact on fairness while normality's impact is not significant. The mediating effect of perceived fairness was insignificant. Therefore, local governments could encourage farmers to embrace a cooperative attitude in land acquisition negotiations by fostering a constructive interaction between the government and the public and pursuing a high-level institutional balance driven by a service-oriented government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst escalating global policy uncertainties and the painful transformation phase of the Chinese economy, studying the time-varying characteristics of risk spillover among the real economy, real estate market, and financial system holds substantial practical relevance for preventing and resolving significant systemic risks. This paper employs the TVP-VAR-DY model, selects indices from the real sectors to construct a risk spillover index for the real economy, and incorporates indices from the real estate and financial sectors to develop a trivariate SV-TVP-VAR model for empirically analyzing the time-varying nature of risk spillover relationships among these variables. This study reveals that risk spillover among different sectors of the real economy exhibits asymmetry and volatility, with the industrial sector experiencing the highest degree of risk spillover. The prosperity of the real estate market consistently aligns with that of the financial system; however, shocks during periods of risk accumulation in the real estate market significantly amplify risks in the real economy. The financial system serves the real economy, which suffers lesser impacts. Nonetheless, post-2008, the financial system's support for the real estate market has gradually diminished. Crises exacerbate the extent of risk spillover, but the causative factors and socio-economic context create heterogeneity in fluctuations. Based on these findings, in response to the current real estate shock, the Chinese government should discuss the real economy, the real estate industry, and the financial system within the same research framework. Policies should primarily focus on fiscal measures to promote the recovery of the real economy more rapidly. Additionally, by allowing local governments to implement tailored policies based on local conditions, potential homebuying demand has been effectively stimulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The smart city concept has taken center stage as a paradigm shift in urban governance, promising innovation, sustainability, and strategic upgrades, and drawing the attention of researchers globally. However, existing frameworks for assessing smart cities remain incomplete and simplistic. This paper aims to address the following question: what is the process and current situation of 30 capitals in China after the implementation of smart city construction, especially from the new perspective of social, physical, and informational space development? To this end, we focus on 30 national and provincial capitals in China, proposing a novel, tri-dimensional SPI model—Social, Physical, and Information space—for smart city spatial development assessment. Employing a robust methodological approach, including entropy weighting, coupled coordination degree models, and the Dagum Gini coefficient, we conduct a spatial development and coordination analysis of these cities from 2011 to 2021. In addition, we utilize BP neural networks to evaluate the contribution of each indicator to the spatial coupled coordination. Our findings indicate a steady increase in the spatial coupled coordination development level of smart capitals in China, alongside a narrowing disparity in development speeds across regions, resulting in a staggered spatial distribution pattern. Specifically, the Information space subsystem represents the most influential driver of coupled coordination. The significance of this research lies in its unique tri-dimensional spatial perspective, offering valuable insights into the spatial development and coordination discrepancies in the smart city concept. These insights offer evidence-based support for regional planning and optimization strategies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural house is a fundamental component of rural settlements, and understanding its construction and development characteristics is crucial for rural land use and development planning. This paper focuses on the spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of Rural Houses Construction Development (RHCD) from 1980 to 2019 with a case study of Qingyuan Town in China. Based on the literature review and filed research, a set of evaluation indicators for RHCD was established. The article calculates RHCD indicators from temporal and spatial dimensions, uses the location entropy method to demonstrate the spatial distribution of indicators, and classifies the RHCD type of 14 villages in Qingyuan Town using clustering algorithms. It also analyzes the influencing factors of spatiotemporal distribution. The results show that the RHCD in Qingyuan Town exhibits typical characteristics of mountainous areas and aligns with the development trends of rural society in China. Population growth, geographical location, and economic development are the primary driving factors for the quantity indicator (Qi), while economic growth, construction technology, industrial development, and policy adjustments are the key factors influencing the form indicator (Fi). In future policy-making, greater emphasis should be placed on optimizing development strategies, improving data and monitoring systems, and integrating administrative strength with actual development needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystems are undergoing continuous degradation due to the dual perturbation of global climate change and human activities, posing unprecedented threats and challenges to the ecosystem services they provide. To gain a deeper understanding of the spatio-temporal evolution of ecosystem service value (ESV), it is essential to accurately capture the characteristics of its spatial and temporal changes and its influencing factors. However, traditional spatio-temporal statistical methods are limited to analyzing the heterogeneity of ESV in a single temporal or spatial dimension, which fails to meet the comprehensive analysis needs for spatio-temporal heterogeneity over an extended continuum. Therefore, this paper constructs a Bayesian spatio-temporal hierarchical model to analyze the ESV heterogeneity in both temporal and spatial dimensions in Northeast China from 2000 to 2020 to accurately identify the regions with unstable fluctuations in ESV and analyze the influencing factors behind them. It aims to comprehensively and systematically reveal the intrinsic laws of spatio-temporal evolution of ESV, and provide a scientific basis for relevant decision-making. The study found a continuous fluctuating downward trend of ESV in Northeast China from 2000 to 2020, with significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Notably, the distribution of hot and cold spots is regularly concentrated, especially in the transition zone from low hills to plains, which forms an "unstable zone" of spatial and temporal fluctuations of ESV. Natural factors such as NDVI and NPP exhibit a significant positive correlation with ESV, while social factors like population density and GDP show a strong negative correlation. Compared to traditional statistical methods, the Bayesian spatio-temporal hierarchical model, with its outstanding flexibility and accuracy, provides a new perspective and way of thinking for analyzing classical spatio-temporal problems. Firstly, the model examines time and space as a whole and fully accounts for the influence of spatio-temporal interactions on ESV. Secondly, the Bayesian spatio-temporal hierarchical model meets the needs of long-term continuous ESV outcome detection, which provides us with solid support for a deeper understanding of the evolution of ESV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate analysis of the relationship between humans and the land in oasis areas is essential for the formulation of policies for differentiated oasis urban development and resource management measures. Therefore, researchers have conducted numerous studies based on the linear relationship between "people and land" in oasis areas. To address this gap, this paper takes the Wuwei oasis as an example and re-examines the impact of human activities on the sustainability of natural capital from a new research perspective (nonlinear perspective). The study selected four variables, namely planted forests, scientific R&D investment, urbanization, and population density, as the main human activities affecting the Wuwei oasis area. The NARDL model, the nonlinear Granger causality test, is employed to investigate the interactions between the variables and the oasis natural capital in both the short and long term. The results indicate the following: (1) During the study period, the consumption of natural capital in the Wuwei oasis has been increasing annually and has long exceeded the local ecological carrying capacity. (2) In the short term, planting forests is the most beneficial human activity. The most beneficial human activity is the planting of trees, while in the long term, scientific R&D investment has the most positive effect on enhancing the oasis' resource reserves. (3) Urbanization, population density, and planted forest land all have a direct effect on the sustainable development of natural resources in the oasis. The findings of the study indicate that the application of scientific and technological innovation to promote the sustainable development of resources and the environment is a more reliable approach for oasis cities with a high degree of industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions and land use intensity serve as crucial indicators of land management. This paper proposes a methodological framework to elucidate the sustainability of carbon emissions in rural areas via a coordination model, scrutinizes the correlation with land use intensity, and investigates the significance of influential factors. The study focuses on village-level units within Ningde City, and finds the pronounced spatial heterogeneity characterizing the distribution of carbon emissions across different villages: (1) Villages exhibiting high levels of carbon emissions are predominantly concentrated in the southeast region, whereas those with low carbon emission levels are primarily clustered in the northwest region. The majority of the villages serve as net carbon emission sources. (2) Spatial disparities exist in the impact of land use intensity on economic benefits from carbon sources, ecological benefits from carbon sinks, and carbon emission sustainability. (3) Significant variations exist in the influence of factors affecting land use intensity, economic benefits of carbon sources, ecological benefits of carbon sinks, and the sustainability of carbon emissions in rural areas. These findings could guide governments in implementing distinct land use control policies and provide a framework for assessing carbon emission sustainability within land management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban land use provides essential information about how land is utilized within cities, which is critical for land planning, urban renewal, and early warnings for natural disasters. Although existing studies have utilized multi-source perception data to acquire land use information quickly and at low cost, and some have integrated urban morphological indicators to aid in land use identification, there is still a lack of systematic discussion in the literature regarding the potential of three-dimensional urban morphology to enhance identification effectiveness. Therefore, this paper aims to explore how urban three-dimensional morphology can be used to improve the identification of urban land use types. This study presents an innovative approach called the UMH–LUC model to enhance the accuracy of urban land use identification. The model first conducts a preliminary classification using points of interest (POI) data. It then improves the results with a dynamic reclassification based on floor area ratio (FAR) measurements and a variance reclassification using area and perimeter metrics. These methodologies leverage key urban morphological features to distinguish land use types more precisely. The model was validated in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration using random sampling, comparative analysis and case studies. Results demonstrate that the UMH–LUC model achieved an identification accuracy of 81.7% and a Kappa coefficient of 77.6%, representing an 11.9% improvement over a non-morphology-based approach. Moreover, the overall disagreement for UMH–LUC is 0.183, a reduction of 0.099 compared to LUC without urban morphology and 0.19 compared to EULUC-China. The model performed particularly well in identifying residential land, mixed-use areas and marginal lands. This confirms urban morphology's value in supporting low-cost, efficient land use mapping with applications for sustainable planning and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a world-class urban agglomeration, the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration is significant for China's carbon neutrality strategy when calculating the carbon budget and dividing carbon compensation zones. This paper focused on 129 county-level cities in the core area of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, calculating the carbon budget for 2000–2020 using night-time light data and analyzing the evolution of spatiotemporal patterns. On this basis, a carbon compensation zoning model was constructed using the K-means algorithm; 129 cities were divided into different carbon compensation zones after combining this model with the main functional zones. The results showed that (1) the carbon emissions increased, with overall stabilization after 2012. The distribution of high carbon emission areas evolved from a "core-periphery" pattern into a "Z-shaped" pattern. Ecological carbon sinks showed a continuous decline, with the southern sinks performing better than the northern ones. (2) The carbon budget of the study area showed a deficit, gradually widening and exhibiting an unbalanced spatial distribution characterized by a "high in the south and low in the north" pattern. (3) Eleven types of carbon compensation zones were designated after overlaying the main functional zones. Low-carbon development suggestions were proposed for each zone type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is facing development challenges, such as the red line of arable land, resource shortage, and tightening ecological and environmental constraints. In this context, improving land green utilization efficiency (LGUE) is not only an important undertaking to optimize the spatial layout of the country and improve resource carrying capacity but also an inevitable choice for the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. China's energy-consuming right trading (ECRT) is an important energy transition demonstration policy; however, its effect on LGUE has yet to be scientifically evaluated in academic research. Using panel data of 260 prefecture-level cities in China from 2009 to 2021, this study first uses a difference-in-difference model to test the effect of ECRT on LGUE, analyze its transmission mechanism, and further examine the impact of urban characteristic heterogeneity on policy effects from multiple perspectives. Results show the following: (1) The pilot policy of ECRT significantly improves urban LGUE, as confirmed by robustness tests. (2) The ECRT pilot policy enhances urban technological innovation, promotes the upgrading of industrial structure, and thereby improves LGUE. (3) The ECRT has a more significant enhancement effect on the central and western cities, large-scale cities, and resource-based cities. (4) Government environmental protection assessment can have a positive moderating effect, that is, further amplifying the effect of ECRT on improving urban LGUE. In conclusion, we should solidly promote the construction of a unified national ECRT market, formulate policy implementation plans tailored to local conditions, and steadily improve LGUE. To a certain extent, this paper reveals the inherent logic of how ECRT affects LGUE, which provides opportunities for cities to improve LGUE through ECRT, and provides reference for promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rural industrialization, which flourished in the 1980s, has suddenly declined since the mid-1990s. Based on the perspective of institutional change of rural collective construction land, this paper discusses the reasons behind the rise and fall of China's rural industrialization. Using the empirical tests of China's provincial panel data from 1987 to 1997, it is found that from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, the government relaxed the regulation of collective construction land and allowed its transfer, which was the institutional basis for the rapid rise of China's rural industrialization with township and village enterprises (TVEs) as the main form. Furthermore, this paper takes the government's policy of prohibiting the circulation of collective construction land from the mid-1990s as the breakthrough point, and uses the "Land Administration Law of China" promulgated in 1998 as a quasi-natural experiment to examine the causal relationship between restricting the circulation of collective construction land and the decline of TVEs. It is found that the restrictions on the circulation of collective construction land caused by the implementation of the law significantly hindered the development of TVEs. After the implementation of the Land Administration Law, in areas affected more by the law, the development scale of their TVEs shrunk even more. The analysis of this paper shows that deepening the reform of the system of property rights on agricultural land and ensuring farmers' rights of land circulation are important ways to revitalize the rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using panel data from 275 prefecture-level cities in China spanning from 2003 to 2019, this paper employs the multiperiod difference-in-differences method to empirically analyze the policy effect of land negotiation policy on local governments' hidden debt. The paper also investigates the influence mechanisms of land finance, budget soft constraints, fiscal decentralization and government competition. The empirical results reveal that: (1) Land negotiations promote the expansion of local governments' hidden debt, which is counterproductive to the sustainable development of government finances. (2) The impact of land negotiation policy on local government's hidden debt is transmitted via its effects on land finance. (3) The greater the degree of soft budget constraint and the degree of government competition, the less the expansion effect of land negotiations on the hidden debt of the government. The greater the degree of fiscal decentralization, the greater the expansion effect of land negotiations on the government's hidden debt. (4) Land negotiation promotes the expansion of hidden debt in eastern China and inhibits it in central China, with no significant effect observed in western China. (5) Cities with larger urban scale and higher economic development levels experience stronger effects from land negotiation policies. Therefore, it is imperative to deepen the land negotiation system further, develop policy indicators and feedback mechanisms tailored to local conditions, and introduce a multiparty supervision system to enhance implementation of the land negotiation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]