What Affects the Level of Rural Human Settlement? A Case Study of Tibet, China

Abstract

Rural human settlement is an important factor in the sustainable development of the rural economy and society, and improving rural human settlement is an important task for China’s rural revitalization strategy. Based on the human settlement framework, this study constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system to evaluate the rural human settlement by calculating the rural human settlement index (RHSI) in Tibet. The results showed that: (1) The natural subsystem is extremely vulnerable. In recent years, the anti-interference ability and natural restoration ability of the ecosystem have gradually increased. Changes in population size, structure, and scale have made the level of the human subsystem lower. From the perspective of drinking water, communication and housing, the human settlement level of the residential subsystem was gradually improved. The construction of rural infrastructure was increasingly improved, driving the level of the supporting subsystem to improve. Furthermore, income and livelihood diversity were the key to improving the social subsystem; (2) From the perspective of the comprehensive index, the level of rural human settlement in Tibet showed a trend of significant improvement; (3) In terms of the explanatory power, the explanatory power of the five subsystems were quite different. The basic dimensions (natural subsystem, human subsystem, residential subsystem) lagged behind the development of the dominant dimensions (supporting subsystem, social subsystem). There were inconsistencies and mismatches. The recommended measures involve strengthening the top-level design of the planning of rural human settlement in farming and pastoral areas, and improving and strengthening the construction of rural infrastructure to improve the responsiveness of rural human settlement in Tibet.