Toward improved land elements for urban–rural integration: A cell concept of an urban–rural mixed community

Abstract

As the frontier of urban expansion against rural reservations, the urban–rural fringe faces both urban and rural land use problems that result in traffic jams, environmental pollution, and low quality of life. The urban–rural fringe refers to a transitional region characterized by a combination of urban and rural elements. However, the optimum composition of land elements for urban–rural integration remains unknown. Therefore, to effectively express the micro dynamic development of urban–rural fringe areas and guide land use, we formulate essential elements that can be used to enhance urban–rural integration from the perspective of an urban–rural mixed community. This study establishes a theoretical framework to analyze the formation of the urban–rural mixed community and finds that the community is similar to a cell with urban and rural elements. Unlike other studies that consider the entire cell as a grid unit representing a particular land use type, this study aims to investigate intracellular elements based on the general internal structure of a biological cell. Thus, the elements between the urban–rural and biological cells are compared to illustrate the potential optimized path of inner land elements. A comparative case study of the Tangjialing and Erbozi areas in Beijing is conducted to demonstrate the empirical implementation of an urban–rural cell. Our analysis shows that the urban–rural mixed community can be regarded as a micro-unit in achieving urban–rural integration. The inner elements of an urban–rural cell can help provide a suitable concept and design for analyzing the formation and composition of the urban–rural mixed community and propose an applicable way to determine the law for effective land element optimization and urban–rural integration.