Identification of Villages’ Development Types Using a Comprehensive Natural–Socioeconomic Framework

Yaqiu Liu,Tingting Zhang,Xinyang Yu,Can Guo,Jian Liu,Ailing Wang

doi:10.3390/su13137294

Abstract

The establishment of a comprehensive framework to identify village development types is crucial to formulate plans for rural development and promote rural revitalization. This study proposed a natural–socioeconomic framework to identify the types of villages based on field survey, statistical data, and multi-source remote sensing images. The framework was constructed by combining the two-dimensional natural suitability/restriction evaluation and the four-dimensional socioeconomic development level evaluation. Then, the modified multiplication-weighted summation method and the coupling coordination degree algorithm were employed to identify the villages’ development types. A total of 774 villages of the Laiyang County, eastern China were used as the study areas to examine the framework. The results demonstrated the following. (1) There were 243,318 and 151 villages with high, moderate, low natural suitability, and 62 villages with natural restrictions; and 158,366 and 250 villages with high, moderate, and low economic development level, respectively. The distribution characteristic of natural evaluation was “high in the southwest and low in the northeast”, and the socioeconomic development level was generally centered on the urban area, which presented a “high–medium–low” circle-layer distribution structure. (2) There were 247 villages with high-level coupling coordination, 464 villages with intermediate coupling coordination, 1 village with low-level coupling coordination, and 62 villages with disordered coupling. (3) Based on the coupling coordination evaluation results, villages in the study area were grouped into five types: urbanization development (31%), construction development (16%), agglomeration linkage development (27%), decrease and improvement development (18%), and relocation and integration development (8%). The framework of villages’ development types identification established in this study can enrich the theory of rural geography, and the applied research results can provide a basis for rural revitalization and development planning.

Highlights

The rural village is a natural and social complex formed over time that couples the ecological environment and socioeconomic systems [1]
They are close to the stream course or reservoir, and they are prone to flooding
The proposed framework can provide a basis for rural revitalization and development planning

Summary

Introduction

The rural village is a natural and social complex formed over time that couples the ecological environment and socioeconomic systems [1]. Sustainable development is determined by a set of socioeconomic and natural environmental factors for rural areas. Different countries and regions have different policies for rural development due to different levels of development. In order to improve the rural living environment and the living standard of rural residents as well as reduce the gap between urban and rural development, many countries developed sustainable development strategies [2] and programs using different methodological approaches. In China, rural villages are experiencing prominent population loss and socioeconomic recession, especially those with harsh natural environments and remote locations [3]. Imbalanced development between urban and rural areas and inadequate rural development have become two major societal concerns.

Methods

Results

Conclusion