Spatial Distribution Of Rural Settlements Research Articles

Assessment of the Spatial Distribution of Rural Settlements in the Tambov Region

Relevance. With the rapid industrialization and continuous socio-economic progress of Russia, the spatial distribution of rural settlements is undergoing significant changes. The globalization of the economy, regional differences, changes in agriculture and the characteristics of villages, as well as the sustainable recovery of rural social economy are becoming important areas of research around the world. The purpose of the study is to search for opportunities for the development of rural settlements in the Tambov region based on their spatial distribution. Objectives: analysis of the density of rural settlements and population density; calculation of the average nearest neighbor ratio for each district and the Tambov region as a whole; formation of measures for the economic development of rural settlements of the Tambov region. The methodology of the study includes an analysis of the density of rural settlements and population density, determining the type of distribution of rural settlements in the Tambov region through the calculation of the average distance index to the nearest neighbor. Results. A combined grouping of village councils of the Tambov region was carried out according to the density of rural settlements and population density. The vast majority of rural councils belong to the group with an average density of settlements and a low population density (143 units), as well as to the group with two low indicators (69 units). For rural settlements of the Tambov region, the average ratio of nearest neighbors (R) was 0,733, which indicates a clustered type of distribution of settlements in the region. Conclusions. Based on the type of distribution of rural settlements in the Tambov region, the author proposed a model of a territorial production complex (TPC). The model was developed taking into account the categories of the population living in rural areas of the Tambov region. This model is based on a group of manufacturing enterprises, often farms, which are the foundation of the TPC.

Evolution and spatial reconstruction of rural settlements based on composite features of agglomeration effect and ecological effects in the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China.

Rural reconstruction plays a pivotal role in the revitalization of rural areas and the development of regions. Understanding the pattern and direction of rural settlement reconstruction is crucial for effectively coordinating urban and rural development, as well as promoting regional rural revitalization. The present study proposes a novel approach to elucidate the evolution and spatial reconstruction of rural settlements by integrating features of agglomeration effect and ecological effect. By employing GIS spatial analysis technology and ecosystem service value modeling, the research analyzes the combined spatial agglomeration and ecological value characteristics of rural settlements in an arid oasis area, specifically focusing on the Hexi Corridor. Based on the analysis, the study identifies specific rural settlement reconstruction zoning and directions for optimization, considering rural settlement accessibility. The study reveals three key findings: (1) There are significant differences in the scale density and spatial distribution of rural settlements across the Hexi Corridor. (2) The overall ecological environment quality is good, and there is significant spatial differentiation in the ecosystem service value, influenced by topographic factors. (3) The optimal layout mode for rural settlements in the Hexi Corridor is the combination type of 'higher-ecological higher-density'. Based on the combined agglomeration effect and ecological effect features, the research determines the reconstruction scope of alienated rural settlements. Additionally, four predominant reconstruction modes are identified: urban agglomeration type, central village construction type, internal coordination type, and ecological protection type. The study proposes viable reconstruction paths for rural settlements based on these modes.

Impact of selected land fragmentation parameters and spatial rural settlement patterns on the competitiveness of agriculture: Examples of selected European and Asian countries

Existing methods of assessing land fragmentation (LF) are mainly based on analysis of parameters at the level of plots and individual farms. However, existing methods appear to be insufficient in the assessment of the spatial structure of land at the regional and national levels.The aim of the research is to propose an effective way of comparing the land fragmentation parameters that determine the profitability of agriculture. To estimate the parameters of large-area land fragmentation, data on the spatial distribution of rural settlements and on average land fragmentation parameters were used. A grid-based structure was employed. The grid cell size represents the average size of plots, whereas the numerical values associated with grid cells represent the minimum distances of plots from farm buildings. Using the aforementioned grid and data on the impact on operating costs of plot size and distance from settlements, spatial indicators were obtained that show the diversity of economic costs related to the examined land fragmentation parameters.The obtained results showed a very large variation in the operating conditions of the farms, depending on the LF parameters. The average size of cultivated fields ranges from 0.5 ha (Pakistan) to 67.2 ha (Slovakia), while the average distance of plots from farm buildings ranges from 334 m (China) to 2781 m (Turkey), although the maximum observed values for straight-line distances significantly exceed 7 km, and this value increases to 10 km when the orthogonal layout of roads is taken into account. The density of field boundaries varies from 250 m/ha to over 3500 m/ha, and the associated estimated loss of cultivated area may reach 1.5% of the total cultivated land area (Pakistan). In economic terms, the variability in land cultivation costs related to the size of plots and their distance from buildings varies from 535 EUR/ha/year (Slovakia) to 1412 EUR/ha/year (Greece), which indicates a nearly threefold difference in this aspect.The proposed approach should facilitate an assessment of the competitiveness of agriculture in individual countries. It can also be used when planning land consolidation projects, assessing the risks associated with land abandonment, estimating the negative impact on the environment of fossil fuel combustion effects in agriculture, and determining the impact of land fragmentation parameters on poverty and migration phenomena in rural areas.

Spatial Differentiation and Driving Force Detection of Rural Settlements in the Yangtze River Delta Region

As an economically developed region, the Yangtze River Delta region has undergone earth-shaking changes in its rural settlements due to rapid urbanization. For the optimization and adjustment of rural settlements, it is crucial to disclose their distinguishing spatial features and impelling factors. Taking 307 county-level administrative regions in the Yangtze River Delta region as the research object, this study comprehensively uses the landscape index, nearest neighbor index, Moran index, and spatial hot spot detection system to analyze the spatial differentiation characteristics of rural residential location-scale morphology and reveals its driving factors using the optimal parameters-based geographical detector model. According to the findings, rural settlements in the Yangtze River Delta region exhibit an average nearest neighbor index of 0.7417, a Moran’s I of 1.2993 for the number of patches (NP), and a maximum patch density (PD) of 17.25 villages per square kilometer. It has significant characteristics of large-scale village cluster distribution, and the morphology of rural settlements in the southern and northern regions shows apparent differences. The natural environment and social economies, such as elevation, slope, precipitation, and population density, mainly drive the location-scale morphological spatial distribution of rural settlements. At the same time, the interaction between the natural environment, social economy, and location condition factors has a synergistic enhancement effect on the spatial distribution of location-scale morphology of rural settlements.

Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Regional Settlements under the Background of Rapid Urbanization: A Case Study in Sishui County, China

China’s urbanization has achieved rapid development in the past 20 years, with towns expanding in size and the population increasing, while rural society has also undergone dramatic changes. An in-depth study on the evolution process of rural settlements in the context of rapid urbanization is beneficial to the rational planning of villages and the promotion of green and sustainable urban development. Located in East China, Sishui County is in the transition area between three types of landforms: hills, plains, and mountains. The spatial distribution of rural settlements in the urbanization process shows obvious regional differences. To our best knowledge, research on the spatio-temporal evolution of regional settlements in Sishui County is rare. In this study, we chose Sishui County as the study area, utilized Landsat5 (TM) and Landsat8 (OLI) satellite data as remote sensing data sources, and applied Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis methods, central place theory, and core–periphery theory to explore the evolution process for the pattern, scale, and structure of rural settlements in this region from 2000 to 2021 and to investigate the influencing factors. The results show that: (1) in terms of the evolution of the rural settlement pattern, its distribution shows a gradual increase in the degree of dispersion, which indicates an overall development trend in the region of Sishui County in recent years and that the trend is gradually increasing; (2) in terms of scale evolution, the degree and speed of expansion in rural settlements of Sishui County have gradually decreased, and the scale grade has gradually increased; (3) in terms of structural evolution, the hierarchy system in rural settlements of Sishui County is constantly being improved and optimized from a simple to a complex core–periphery structure. These results will provide data support for the rational planning of villages and sustainable, high-quality urban development. They will also help local governments take appropriate measures to achieve coordinated and sustainable socio-economic and environmental development in the region.

Spatial Pattern Evolution and Driving Mechanism of Rural Settlements in Rapidly Urbanized Areas: A Case Study of Jiangning District in Nanjing City, China

Rural settlement is an important part of studying the relationship between humans and land; it is highly significant in revealing the evolution, driving mechanism and reconstruction scheme of rural settlement pattern. In this paper, Jiangning District, a rapidly urbanized area, was selected as a typical case. Using remote sensing image data, the landscape pattern index, the rank-scale law, the local hot spot-detection model, and the geographical-detector were comprehensively used to analyze the rural settlements pattern evolution and driving mechanism in the rapidly urbanized areas. The results are as follows: (1) From 2010 to 2020, the number of rural settlements showed a trend of large-scale reduction, and the settlements scale system was relatively uniform in Jiangning. The settlements scale had the autocorrelation characteristics of spatial agglomeration, and the local hotspot agglomeration pattern was significant. (2) The spatial distribution of rural settlements in Jiangning showed an “agglomeration” pattern, and the settlements density showed a “multi-core” distribution characteristic. (3) The pattern of rural settlements in Jiangning was shaped by natural environmental factors such as topography, water system and cultivated land resources; economic social factors such as agricultural population, per capita GDP, distance from town, and policy and system were the leading factors that promoted the settlements’ pattern evolution in Jiangning, and the interaction between the factors could enhance the interpretation of the settlements’ pattern evolution. The research can provide a reference for optimizing the spatial layout of settlements in rapidly urbanized areas.

Spatial Coupling Pattern and Driving Forces of Rural Settlements and Arable Land in Alpine Canyon Region of the Maoxian County, China.

For mountainous areas in different regions, the study of the spatial coupling relationship between rural settlements and arable land resources is a key aspect of coordinated rural development. In this study, a spatial coupling relationship model and a Geodetector are introduced to explore the spatial coupling relationship and driving factors of rural settlements and arable land in the alpine canyon region. The nearest neighbor index, Voronoi diagram, and landscape pattern index system based on the geographic grid are used to analyze the spatial differentiation characteristics of rural settlements in the alpine canyon region, and the spatial coupling relationship model is introduced to explore the spatial coupling relationship between rural settlements and arable land. Finally, the driving factors of the coupling relationship are detected based on Geodetector. The results show that (1) the spatial distribution of rural settlements in the study area is "T-shaped" with a relatively regular settlement shape; (2) the population in the alpine canyon region is relatively small, and the conflict between people and land is not prominent in most areas, so the overall coupling situation between rural settlements and farming land is dominated by fewer people and more land; and (3) the spatial coupling between rural settlements and arable land in the alpine canyon region is mainly affected by four types of factors: terrain topography, meteorology, soil and population, and economy. The interaction between the factors has a synergistic enhancement effect. The results of the study provide theoretical support for the development of rural settlements in the alpine canyon region.

The Landscape Pattern Characteristics and Spatial Distribution of the Rural Settlements in the Hejiang River Basin

Analyzing the landscape pattern of rural settlements is an important way to reveal the relationships between landscape change and human activities. Based on Landsat TM/ETM/OLI satellite remote sensing images as data sources and Hejiang River Basin as the research area, this paper expounds the information on the spatial distribution of rural settlements at four time points in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. Using the methods of landscape pattern analysis, GIS spatial analysis and spatial statistics, this paper analyzes the spatial characteristics of the rural settlements, such as scale, distribution and shape, and then discusses the influences of terrain, rivers, location and policy factors on the spatial characteristics of the rural settlements. The results show that with the advance of time, the number of rural settlement patches in Hejiang River Basin is decreasing, the patch area and average patch area are increasing, the patch density is decreasing, and the settlement pattern tends toward cluster development. In addition, the shapes of settlement patches tend to be complicated and irregular, so it is necessary to strengthen planning and guidance in order to promote the regular layout of the settlements. The overall distribution of settlements is dense in the Northwest and Southeast, but sparse in the Middle and West, with a high density in the plains and a low density in hills and mountains. This study found that the terrain, river and location factors have significant influences on the spatial pattern of settlements.

Evaluation of Suitability and Spatial Distribution of Rural Settlements in the Karst Mountainous Area of China

With the acceleration of urbanization and the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, the spatial pattern of rural settlements in China has changed significantly. The suitability of rural settlements is a requirement for rural revitalization. The objective of this paper is to quantitatively depict, analyze, and evaluate the suitability of rural settlements in karst mountain areas to eliminate poverty and accelerate the process of new urbanization by constructing rural settlements. Taking 525 rural settlements in Songtao Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, in the karst mountainous area as the research object, the distribution of rural settlements is studied using point mode spatial analysis and neighborhood analysis. The impacts of natural and regional environmental factors are detected using Geodetector. To make the evaluation results more scientific and reasonable, a suitability evaluation model based on Geodetector and AHP was constructed to solve the subjective problem of the weight assignment of the AHP method and reflect the interaction between the influencing factors. The results demonstrate the following. (1) The variation coefficient of the Thiessen polygon area in the Voronoi diagram shows that the spatial distribution of rural settlements is mainly random. The spatial distribution of kernel density in rural settlements presents multiple nuclear centers, with obvious spatial differentiation, with Changping Township being the densest and Waxi Township the sparsest. (2) Rural settlements are mainly distributed below a 15° slope, 800 m above sea level, within 6 km from rivers, 4 km from roads, and 7 km from the township center. Slope and distance from the river are the main driving forces of spatial differentiation. The spatial distribution of rural settlement areas is affected by natural and regional environmental factors, and the interaction between slope and distance from the river is the strongest explanatory power. (3) The results of suitability evaluation show that 87.40% of the rural settlement areas are categorized as “suitable” and “relatively suitable” for living. The “suitable” rural settlement areas are mainly concentrated in the hilly and low mountain areas and river valleys, with relatively gentle terrain in the middle and east, distributed in two north–south trending strips. The “relatively suitable” rural settlements are mainly scattered in the surrounding livable areas. This study could provide a reference for the planning and reconstruction of rural residential areas in karst mountain areas and expand the research means of suitability evaluation of rural residential areas, and it is applicable to other settings.

Spatial and temporal distribution of rural settlements and influencing mechanisms in Inner Mongolia, China

Revealing the patterns and influencing mechanisms of spatial and temporal distribution of rural settlements is crucial for rural revitalization and sustainable development. However, our limited understanding of the rural settlements in China's ethnic minority border areas has hindered the process of their agricultural and rural modernization. Based on data on rural settlements in Inner Mongolia, China in four periods between 1990 and 2020, this study reveals its spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and describes the dynamic transformation process of settlement. Using a geographical detector approach, 17 factors are explored to identify the influencing mechanisms of each factor on the distribution of rural settlements in different regions. The results show obvious regional differences in the spatial distribution of rural settlements in Inner Mongolia, with the largest kernel density values in the west (Hetao irrigation area) and higher kernel densities in the central (Hohhot) and the east (Chifeng and Tongliao). While rural population decreases, rural settlements expand into cultivated land, grassland, and unused land resources. Its spatial distribution is significantly influenced by the factors of distance to cultivated land, distance to towns, and population density. The east of the study area is mainly controlled by temperature, while vegetation type and vegetation coverage have a greater impact in the west. The interactions between two influencing factors possess bilinear or nonlinear enhancement relationships. This study enriches the understanding of the rural settlements in ethnic minority border areas, which provide reference for the improvement of rural human settlement environment in Inner Mongolia.

Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Rural Settlements in Metropolitan Fringe Area: A Case Study of Nanjing, China

Rural settlement is the core content of rural geography research. Exploring the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of rural settlements can provide reference for the optimization of rural settlements. This paper selected Nanjing as a typical case, based on remote sensing image, using R statistics, kernel density analysis, hot spot detection analysis and semi variogram function; the paper analyzed the spatial, scale and morphological distribution characteristics of rural settlements; and preliminarily analyzed the influencing factors of rural settlements distribution in the metropolitan fringe area. The results showed that: (1) The spatial distribution of rural settlements generally presented a “multi-core” center, and a spatial distribution trend of stepwise decline from the core to the periphery, showing a typical “core-edge” structure. (2) There was a significant spatial difference in the scale distribution of rural settlements, which was characterized by a gradual decrease in the scale of rural settlements with the increase in the distance from the central urban area. (3) The morphological distribution of rural settlements showed spatial differentiation, and the morphological types of settlements mainly included strip, arcbelt, cluster and scatter. (4) The distribution of rural settlements was affected by such factors as terrain, river system, traffic, economic and social development, cultural and policy. The distribution of rural settlements had the location orientation of “low altitude, water affinity and road affinity”. The increase in agricultural population, rural economic development, cultural and policy factors played an important role in the distribution of rural settlements in the metropolitan fringe area.

Theoretical Development Model for Rural Settlements against Rural Shrinkage: An Empirical Study on Pingyin County, China

China’s rural areas face population loss and expanded residential land in the context of rapid urbanization. The increasing hollowing of villages leads to extensive land use, making it necessary to optimize and consolidate rural settlements immediately. Therefore, how to choose an appropriate development model for rural settlements is at issue. This article builds a theoretical development model for rural settlements based on their primary development conditions and spatial patterns. It determines the development model according to the classification matrix formed by interweaving different elements in each dimension. Finally, it demonstrates the model through a case study on Pingyin County, China. The empirical findings for Pingyin County are as follows. (1) The scale of rural settlements increased from 2010 to 2020, and the agglomeration and spatial correlation intensified, but they tended to be irregular. (2) The various elements of the development foundation showed apparent spatial differentiation, and the spatial distribution of rural settlements at different levels presented a core–edge structure. (3) The development of rural settlements was reduced to six models: in-situ urbanization, satellite urbanization, competitive-industry-driven, characteristic-tourism-driven, modern-agriculture-driven, and village relocation. Finally, the article proposes different development paths for different development models.

The Spatial Distribution and Evolution of Traditional Villages Based on Remote Sensing Technology

With the rapid progress of the era and the intensification of urbanization, the traditional villages in the fringe areas have become empty villages. Based on the protection of China’s long-standing farming culture, the state preserves the traditional Chinese rural characteristics with the support of advocating the development of urbanization in villages; the proposal of the revitalization strategy with Chinese rural characteristics pays great attention to and supports the development of rural characteristics to a great extent. However, China’s vast land and resources and the lack of observation technology make most people do not know enough about traditional villages. Based on the rapid development of drones and remote sensing technology in recent years, this article observes the administrative area of A county in the province of A with the support of big data technology. The DEM data taken by drones is the basic data source; that is, within a certain degree of restriction, elevation data (DEM) can realize effective digital simulation. And the current situation of rural settlement space in County A is analyzed through comprehensive technologies such as GIS technology, parametric analysis technology, and landscape pattern index grading; GIS technology can transform data from multiple sources into geographic graphics. And from the perspective of the ecological environment, the geographical, land use, and settlement spatial pattern of the rural settlements in County A are analyzed, revealing that the spatial distribution of rural settlements in County A is affected by the ecological environment. The results of the study show that the classification statistics table of rural residential areas in County A shows that the base number of independent courtyards is particularly large, accounting for about 83% of the total residential areas. The rural residential areas in County A are dominated by single-family clusters and small clusters, which together account for more than 99.1% of the total area. Large- and medium-sized gathering points are relatively small, accounting for only about 0.87% of the number of village gatherings.

Quality Analysis on Spatial Planning Pattern of Rural Area in Southern Shaanxi, China

There have been many studies that have only focused on factors affecting the spatial distribution of rural settlements, without paying attention to their function and scale. China’s mountainous rural area has many problems, such as a fragile ecological environment, poor infrastructure and limited public service facilities. As a result, mountainous rural settlements demonstrate a disorderly and scattered layout. This research takes southern Shaanxi as its research area and uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to analyze the field survey data, revealing the spatial format of rural settlements and its influencing factors. The research results show that: (1) The spatial structure of mountainous settlements can be summarized as falling into three types—agglomeration type, belt type, and dispersion type. The individual settlements are discrete, and the spatial structure of the settlement groups exhibits small-scale clustering in a large area. (2) The influencing factors of spatial structure are ranked thus—geomorphological conditions > population quantity > land use scale. (3) The number of settlements in the study area is constantly decreasing, and their boundaries are gradually shrinking, showing randomly distributed characteristics. (4) A radius of 284.12 m can be used as a measure of the development scope of the village to control the scope of settlement construction. The objective of the research is to classify the spatial structure and propose the most optimal spatial mode in mountainous rural areas.

Spatial pattern evolution of rural settlements from 1961 to 2030 in Tongzhou District, China

Rural settlement is an important land use type in China due to the country’s large rural population. In recent years, China's social economy has undergone dramatic transformation, and the land use pattern of rural settlements has also significantly changed. Against this background, it is important to reveal the evolution rules of rural settlements to provide references for rural settlement rearrangement. Based on interpreting high-precision military satellite remote sensing images, we selected Tongzhou District of Beijing as a case to discuss the evolution process of rural settlements during 1961–2015. Tongzhou has a history of rural settlement construction for more than 2000 years and will face rapid changes in rural settlement patterns due to the new urbanization policies. The land transformation model (LTM) was employed to simulate the spatial expansion of rural settlements in 2030. The results showed that the number of rural settlement sites in Tongzhou continuously decreased during the past 50 years, with a total decrease by 43.30 %, whereas the total area continuously increased during 1961–2015 (146.64 %). The spatial pattern of the rural settlements was regularized continuously, but the spatial distribution of density varied in different stages. In total, spatial density first presented a decreasing trend, followed by an increase. For over 50 years, there were mainly four evolution modes for the spatial distribution of rural settlements in Tongzhou, namely the extinction, the diffusion, the infilling, and the merging mode. The simulation results obtained by the LTM showed that the rural settlements of Tongzhou all expanded, albeit to varying degrees, and that their expansion mostly followed the diffusion mode, based on the existing rural settlement sites.

Spatial distribution characteristics of rural settlements under diversified rural production functions: A case of Taizhou, China

Over the past forty years, rural China has undergone dramatic spatial restructuring, and its production functions have gradually become diversified. However, although several studies have examined factors affecting the distribution of rural settlements in recent years, few have focused on rural production functions. To fill this gap, this paper proposes an analytical framework to understand the impact of rural production functions on the spatial distribution of rural settlements and quantitatively analyzes the rural areas of Taizhou municipality by using the bivariate Moran's I method at the township level. In general, the results show that the spatial distribution of rural settlements has different correlations with each type of rural production functions. The distribution has the strongest correlation with agricultural production functions, followed by the industrial manufacturing and service supply functions, while the weakest correlation is with the ecological leisure function. Further, in the high-value areas of the agricultural production function and the ecological leisure function, the distribution of rural settlements is discrete, with low density, a large scale, and a long distance. In contrast, in the high-value areas of the industrial manufacturing function and the service supply function, the distribution of settlements is clustered, with high density, a small scale, and a short distance. Based on the correlations, this paper sketches four types of ideal town-villages construction pattern to guide the optimization of rural settlements layout, including the productivist-oriented evenness pattern, the transit-oriented axis pattern, the idyll-oriented corridor pattern, and the urbanization-oriented integration pattern. This research provides scientific guidance for developing countries in the spatial planning of rural territories and the optimization of rural settlements.

Evolution of rural settlements in the Tongzhou District of Beijing under the new-type urbanization policies

In 2014, China launched its latest urbanization strategy, the National New-type Urbanization Plan, to promote scientific and reasonable urbanization modes. China's new-type urbanization policy not only affects urban development, but will also have significant impacts on the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers as well as on the use modes of rural settlements. A thorough analysis of the impacts of new-type urbanization policies on the pattern evolution of rural settlements is therefore critical for developing and proposing a science-based layout scheme of rural settlements and for guiding the development and evolution of rural settlements in a reasonable manner. In this paper, we use the Tongzhou District of Beijing, one of China's new-type urbanization pilot areas, as an example. Applying the CLUE-S model to analyze the impacts of new-type urbanization policies, we simulate the potential influences of the implementation of these policies on the pattern evolution of rural settlements. Based on the results, the implementation of new-type urbanization policies has significant influences on both urban and rural population migration, mainly through the reform of the household registration system. The results further suggest that these policies have significant impacts on the land use scale as well as on the spatial patterns of rural settlements. By 2030, under the scenario of new-type urbanization, the land use scale of rural settlements in Tongzhou District would increase by 0.79% compared with that under the scenario of conventional urbanization. In terms of spatial distribution under new-type urbanization, land use of rural settlements would mainly compete with that of urban land and grassland. We conclude that the spatial distribution of rural settlements in Tongzhou District can be improved and better regulated via reasonable planning.

Multi-objective spatial reconstruction of rural settlements considering intervillage social connections

One of the key factors affecting rural settlements distribution is intervillage social connections. However, most of the current studies ignored the effects of social connections on the spatial distribution of rural settlements. This study proposed a multi-objective spatial reconstruction model for rural settlements based on the particle swarm optimization algorithm. The model considers intervillage social connections as one of the reconstruction objectives together with land-use quantity, spatial compactness, land-use suitability and relocation distance. Based on a questionnaire survey, the social connection strength between villages was measured from spatial and nonspatial aspects. The model was calibrated for the Chengui Township of Hubei Province in Central China. Five modeling scenarios for rural settlement reconstruction were designed according to potential development modes used in practice. A comparison of the reconstruction results of the different scenarios was performed to verify the applicability of the model and to analyze the joint interaction of the spatial objectives and social connections during the restructuring of rural settlements. The results indicated that five scenarios were effectively and robustly implemented using the proposed model. Social connections had a direct effect by guiding the restructuring direction of rural settlements. This study advances our understanding of the influence of social connections on rural settlement reconstruction and provides a useful exploratory tool for policymakers and rural planners in formulating reasonable reconstruction plans.

Study on spatial tropism distribution of rural settlements in the Loess Hilly and Gully Region based on natural factors and traffic accessibility

The keys to realizing spatial restructuring in rural areas are the optimization of the spatial pattern of rural settlements and the integration of rural resources. Based on a 2015 Google Earth remote sensing image, this study employed kernel density estimation (KDE), the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) method, and a logistic regression model to apply quantitative analysis to the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of a rural area. The results revealed that the density of rural settlements is significantly spatially different in Baota District; the density core area in the district was located in the valley area with industrial agglomeration. Rural settlements in Baota District were located near the county seat and township seat, near a river, farmland and county-level road, on sunny slopes. Traffic accessibility to the townships had a greater impact on the spatial distribution of rural settlements than the traffic accessibility to the county. Thus, county-level road development plays a more important role in the optimization of town-village systems. Hence, we suggest constructing a complete transportation network system in the optimization of the town-village spatial pattern in the county, thereby improving the central service functions of towns to strengthen the spatial connection between townships and the central agglomeration effects of towns.

Rural settlement spatial patterns and effects: Road traffic accessibility and geographic factors in Guangdong Province, China

Based on land use classification data of remote sensing images, using kernel density, the minimal cumulative resistance model of road traffic accessibility, and a logistic regression model, the characteristics of the spatial pattern and the main factors influencing it were quantitatively examined in Guangdong Province from 1990 to 2013. The framework of the research concerning rural settlement evolution and its effect mechanisms were also discussed and generalized for the future. The results are as follows: (1) The spatial distribution of rural settlements showed spatial directivity of low altitude, low slope, and adjacent to rivers, as well as to villages and towns; thus a special pattern was formed, which was dense on the plains, sparse in mountainous areas, and included two core high density regions of rural settlements in the Chaoshan plain in the east and the Zhanjiang plain tableland region in the west. The spatial distribution of rural settlements was located along the rivers, valleys, and roads with traffic in the mountainous regions surrounding the Pearl River Delta region. (2) In addition to the spatial orientation of the open road, it was important to show that the accessibility of road traffic to the township has had the greatest influence on the spatial distribution of the rural settlements. The connected transport network between towns and villages is significant for rural transformation as a comprehensive increase in township production and service capacity will be the key to optimizing the town-village system in rural areas. (3) Elevation and slope were two basic but influential factors that have affected the distribution, scale, and form of rural settlements. The attributes of the physical geography are the first elements in optimizing village layout and planning spatial reconstruction. (4) In the current Internet and social media era, the reconstruction of market network system orders connects with the global market network system in rural areas. The rural life service circle will be constructed with the township at its core to explore the theory and practice of spatial reconstruction, including its production, life and ecology, and socio-cultural heritage and protection. It will also allow for exploration of the rural settlements’ evolution, rural spatial production, rural social networks, group behavior, social autonomy, and social and cultural fields, which will be the core focus of China’s rural spatial reconstruction research against a background of globalization.