Geomorphological change and rural settlement patterns: Study of the formation mechanisms of strip villages in Jiangsu, China

Abstract

AbstractAs a morphological type of rural settlement, the strip village, first defined by European scholars, is a typical research object that results from the interaction between human cultural activities and natural topographies. By mapping and the quantitative analysis of the village and water systems of three typical strip village samples in multiscale and multilayer, combined with an examination of historical documents, the specific roles of water construction, agricultural systems, land policies, and local living culture on the formation of the strip villages in Jiangsu, China were, analyzed. Based on the results, two main conclusions were drawn. First, the strip villages are distributed on relatively new lands along the rivers, lakes, and coasts, where the geometry of the dense water network is the result of the artificial construction of irrigation canals, with natural rivers providing only a large skeleton. This distinguishing feature of the formation mechanism of strip villages separates them from other village types. Second, a strong morphological correlation is between the strip villages and the artificial water system. Morphological differences in the strip villages are related to the structure and orientation of the water network, the density of the population, and the habits of the regional settlement. These results reveal the unique pattern of human–land relations during the period of large‐scale agricultural production in New China and provide a morphological basis for further rural regeneration and development.