Search

High-Speed Rail (HSR) stations can influence the expansion of the surrounding construction land. However, relevant studies face three main limitations: influence scope estimation lacking a theoretical foundation, less focus on whether the impacts of HSR stations on construction land expansion vary, and misjudgment of the drivers of HSR stations on construction land expansion. To address these research questions, this study first conducts a literature review to theoretically analyze the influence of HSR stations on the surrounding construction land expansion and then identifies the ideal curve for the influence distance of HSR on construction land expansion based on location theory and distance decay theory. Using the 24 stations of the Hainan Roundabout Railway (HRR) as an example, we revealed differences in the influence of various HRR stations on construction land expansion through GIS technology, buffer analysis, and nonlinear fitting to quantitatively analyze the expansion of construction land around HRR stations, identifying the impact range and direction of different HRR stations on the expansion of construction land. Building on the identification of heterogeneous impact results, the study further employed Geodetector to analyze the factors and reasons for the differentiated results of construction land expansion around different HRR stations from four dimensions: attributes of the socioeconomic environment, location conditions, HRR station attributes, and natural conditions. The results show that: (1) after the construction and operation of each HRR station, the surrounding construction land has expanded; the Hainan Eastern Ring HSR (the East Ring) has increased 1.70 km2 around each station per year and the Hainan Western Ring HSR (the West Ring) has increased 1.25 km2 around each station per year. (2) The changing trend of construction land expansion around 20 of 24 HRR stations conforms to the ideal curve, with the impact range of construction land expansion concentrated within 0.5-3.5 km, and the influence intensity of impact ranging from 0.06 to 6.64 km2. (3) The impact directions of construction land expansion around 20 HRR stations are mainly in three types of directions: "HSR-main urban area," "HSR-town center," and "HSR-scenic spot." This is because the expansion of construction land around HRR stations is not only influenced by the spillover effects of the stations, but also by the traction effect of the main urban areas, town centers, or tourist areas where the HRR stations are located. The stations along the East Ring of Hainan mainly expanded towards the main urban areas, whereas the stations along the West Ring of Hainan mainly expanded towards town centers. (4) Differences in the scope of the influence of each HRR station on the surrounding construction land expansion were mainly related to several variables, ordered as follows: socioeconomic environment, location conditions, attributes of the HRR station, and natural conditions. The GDP density of the towns where the HRR stations were located had the highest impact intensity at 0.51, followed by population density at 0.49, whereas the average elevation had the lowest impact intensity at 0.12. This study analyzed the mechanism and ideal curve of construction land expansion around HSR stations, establishing a logical basis for studying the spillover effects of HSR stations. In addition, this study analyzes the various impacts of HSR stations on the expansion of surrounding construction land and the reasons for these differences, providing a scientific basis for the current operation and future location of HSR stations. This study also offers methodological insights into the impacts of other infrastructures on the expansion of construction land in surrounding areas.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the differential impact of Taiwan High-speed Railway (T-HSR) and Hainan East Ring High-speed Railway (HER-HSR) stations on the surrounding construction land expansion, reveal the underlying institutional reasons, and then provide policy recommendations for coordinating the rational development of land resources and ecological environment protection around high-speed railway (HSR) stations. The research methods include the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, buffer analysis, and GIS spatial analysis. The results show that (1) The spillover impact of HSR stations on the surrounding construction land expansion is the result of the game between different actors around the development and protection of land around HSR stations under the action scenarios of various external factors. The surrounding construction land of 12 stations of T-HSR increased by 269.98 km2 within the study scope and period, while the surrounding area of 10 stations in HER-HSR increased by 187.61 km2. (2) There are nine stations in T-HSR that affect the expansion of surrounding construction land within 1.0–3.0 km and lead to the expansion of construction land of 22.44 km2, while there are six stations in HER-HSR that affect the expansion of construction land within 1.5–3.5 km and lead to the expansion of construction land of 24.20 km2. Other stations cannot effectively identify their areas of influence due to other reasons. (3) Each station of HER-HSR has a stronger influence intensity and degree on the expansion of surrounding construction land than that of T-HSR, which is closely related to institutional factors such as land planning, land property rights, and public participation. In conclusion, the differences in land planning, land property rights, public participation, and other basic systems will lead to differences in the expansion of surrounding construction land for HSR stations. This research aims to provide institutional adjustment suggestions to achieve coordinated economic development and ecological protection around HSR stations in two Chinese islands with different institutional environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protecting arable land is to protect the foundation of development and ensure the food safety in China. To formulate a scientific and reasonable protection scheme is an important guarantee for arable land under the tendency of hierarchical and fine management. Taking Guangning county of Guangdong Province as an example, the paper conducted a study on the protection zoning of arable land. The actual study process and content were based on the quality evaluation of arable land, and combined the Moran scatter plot and local spatial autocorrelation analysis together to explore the spatial structural characteristics and agglomerate regulation of arable land quality by taking the arable land quality index as the spatial variable and taking the administrative village as the spatial unit. On the basis of it, we put forward the protection zoning of arable land. The main results of the study were as follows: Firstly, the arable land quality exhibited an agglomerate regulation to some extent in spatial distribution in Guangning county. From the point view of natural quality of arable land, the eastern of county was higher than the western, while the high quality arable land which mostly gathered at the central and western of county was higher than the northern and eastern of county from the point view of use quality and economic quality of arable land. Besides that, the positive spatial autocorrelation of arable land quality which contained the High-High type and the Low-Low type emerged as the shape of cluster and had a powerful agglomeration, while the negative spatial autocorrelation which included the High-Low type and Low-High type barely had a concentrate region, and most of them distributed dispersedly with barely outstanding regular pattern. Secondly, different kinds of protection zoning scheme were put forwarded based on the local spatial autocorrelation analysis of arable land quality indexes. According to the spatial agglomerate characteristics of natural quality of arable land, the protection zone of arable land was divided into four sub-regions which included the restrict construction region, the comprehensive improved region, the moderate improved region and the key improved region. Each sub-region of arable land natural quality had its distinctive agglomerate attribute and distribution property, therefore kinds of protection measures and advices were proposed in a line with it, for example, the High-High type of arable land natural quality located at the north of Paisha town, the central of Jiangtun town and the south of Luogang town in a great measure, the best way to protect it was to sustain the existing natural level and forbid non-farming construction. Besides, from the perspective of utilization level and output effect of arable land, kinds of using region and productivity region were also proposed too. Thirdly, the protection zoning were put forwarded through the local spatial autocorrelation analysis of arable land quality indexes in accordance with different connotations of arable land which contain the natural quality, use quality and economic quality, the corresponding spatial agglomerate types of arable land include the High-High type, Low-Low type, High-Low type and Low-High type. Traditional zoning pattern of arable land was most likely to take the natural endowments, utilization level and economic affordability into account, while in the paper, the protection zoning scheme of arable land not only think about those factors, but also take the spatial agglomerate characteristics of that into account, and treat the spatial factor of arable land as the 'fourth dimension' which break though the traditional zoning pattern. The local spatial autocorrelation analysis expanded the regionalization basis of arable land protection and can provide a new thought for the hierarchical and fine management of arable land. At last, kinds of protection measures were put forwarded according to the sub-region schemes which based on the local spatial autocorrelation analysis of arable land quality index, those will provide a reference for arable land protection in Guangning county. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have attempted to investigate the impact of airports on the ecological environment. This paper compares the effects of airports in China and Germany on the surrounding ecological environment and discusses the underlying institutional mechanisms that lead to these impacts. We used remote-sensing ecological indicators to assess ecological environment quality. A buffer analysis was used to determine the influence scopes of airports on the ecological environment. The institutional analysis development framework was adopted to investigate the functions of different institutions on the influence scopes and intensities. The results showed that the Chinese airport had obvious negative effects and that its impact scope was wide, while the impact intensity of the German airport was weaker. These significant differences stem from the distinct institutional systems that structure the two airports. Our findings ultimately provide insight into how to improve the relationship between infrastructure construction and environmental protection in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]