Spatial Pattern Of Rural Settlements Research Articles

Spatial distribution patterns of rural settlements in the multi-Ethnic gathering areas, southwest China: Ethnic inter-embeddedness perspective

ABSTRACT This study examines the distribution patterns of rural settlements from a new perspective of ethnic inter-embeddedness. The Shannon-Wiener Index (SWI) and Moran’s I methods were employed to identify the spatial distribution characteristics of rural settlements in a typical multi-ethnic gathering area. The study results are as follows: Firstly, the distribution patterns of rural settlements of different ethnic groups exhibit significant heterogeneity and remarkable differences in ethnicity and region. Each ethnic group has its core settlement areas in geography. Secondly, the results of Moran’s I evident clustering characteristics and gradient variations of spatial distribution. All ethnic groups exhibit significant aggregation characteristics except for Hui. The Global Moran’s I of Han, Yi, Tibetan, Mongolian, Qiang, and Hui ethnic groups are 0.771, 0.726, 0.646, 0.225, 0.123, and 0.037, respectively. Thirdly, the SWI results are classified into five categories: very high, high, medium, low, and very low, accounting for 23.53%, 23.53%, 19.60%, 15.69%, and 17.65%, respectively. Finally, the study found a negative correlation between the equilibrium of the minority population and the degree of inter-embeddedness of rural settlements. The study provides significant implications for promoting ethnic integration and connection, as well as optimizing the spatial patterns of rural settlements in multi-ethnic gathering areas.

Evolution and its driving forces of rural settlements along the roadsides in the northeast of Jianghan Plain, China

With the unprecedented rate of urbanization and industrialization in China, the spatial pattern of rural settlements has undergone tremendous change. The spatiotemporal characteristics of rural settlements in various regions have been explored. However, the distribution evolution of rural settlements along the roadsides has been overlooked. To address this issue, we first used remote sensing images to extract and quantify the evolution of rural settlements’ spatial distribution along the roadsides from 1987 to 2020 in the northeast of Jianghan Plain, China. Then we employed the time series landscape metrics and the GIS buffer analysis to investigate the typical distribution evolution pattern of rural settlements from aspects of scale and density. Lastly, the driving factors of this evolution pattern were assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Our results indicated that the spatial distribution showed the recent evolution path-Villages on the Roadsides (VoR). That is, rural settlements tended to change from clustering around farmlands or water sources to distributing along the roadsides. The rural settlements near national roads were more concentrated and denser, and their scale was more extensive than those near provincial and county roads. Additionally, provincial roads attracted more residents, making them the largest area and the most fragmented patches. Furthermore, there are strong positive correlations between the total area of rural settlements and peasant's income, the change in demands of agricultural production and daily life, and the road investments, respectively, indicating the significant impact of these factors on the evolution of the spatial pattern of rural settlements. This study may shed light on China's rural planning and revitalization.

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.

Simulating the Impacts of the New-Type Urbanization Policy on Rural Settlement Changes: A Case Study in Dingzhou, China

To cope with the difficulties of integrating migrant workers into urban life and inefficient land use caused by conventional urbanization, China has proposed a new type of urbanization policy. This policy may have a significant impact on the spatial patterns of rural settlements in China. Exploring this potential impact is conducive to the proposal of scientific plans for the spatial patterns of rural settlements. Therefore, this paper chooses Dingzhou, one of the pilot cities of this new-type urbanization, as the research area to carry out a simulation study on the impact of the new-type urbanization policy. Dingzhou has invested heavily in the new-type urbanization construction in recent years, but the influence of the policy on rural settlements remains unclear. Based on the theoretical framework of previous studies, this paper set up three scenarios, namely “conventional urbanization”, “new-type urbanization”, and “counter-urbanization”. This paper used FLUS (Future Land Use Simulation) Model and various spatial data to simulate the spatial patterns of rural settlements in Dingzhou in 2030 under the different scenarios. By comparing the different scenarios, the impacts of the new-type urbanization policy on the spatial patterns of rural settlements in Dingzhou were evaluated. The results indicated that: (1) From 2000 to 2015, the area of rural settlements in Dingzhou increased by 11.12%. Spatially, the density of rural settlements around the cities and towns increased, and rural settlement areas were mainly converted from cultivated land. Rural settlements were mainly transformed into urban land and cultivated land. (2) The overall simulation accuracy of FLUS was 0.89, so it can be well applied to the simulation of rural settlements. (3) In all three scenarios, rural settlements expanded along their edges, and the closer they were to towns, the more obvious the expansion was. In the counter-urbanization scenario, the change of rural settlements was most dramatic. (4) The new-type urbanization policy makes the spatial patterns of rural settlements in Dingzhou more stable and more intensive.

Analysis on the Evolution of Rural Settlement Pattern and Its Influencing Factors in China from 1995 to 2015

Since the early 1990s, China has experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization. As cities have expanded rapidly, the spatial patterns of rural settlements also changed significantly. This study uses land use data from satellite imagery interpretation, socioeconomic statistics, and field survey data, together with techniques including landscape pattern analysis, kernel density estimation, and spatial measurement models, to analyze the evolving spatial patterns of rural settlements influencing factors in China from 1995 to 2015. The results indicate the following: First, China’s rural settlements experienced significant changes in the period 1995–2015, as 88.92% of Prefectural-level administrative district units saw an increase in rural settlement area, with total settlement size increasing by 1.35 million hectares, and settlement area sprawl index values can be summarized as “high in the west and low in the east”. Second, in the two-decade study period, the population agglomeration capacity of rural settlements in China continuously weakened, and the shape and structure of rural settlement became more complex and irregular. The scale and scope of the disappearance of rural settlement areas in the northeast and southeast regions was relatively drastic, and the kernel density value of settlements dropped significantly. Third, the increase in rural settlement land area is concentrated in low-altitude and low-slope areas, with a significant tendency to be near water and roads. Fourth, social and economic factors, such as per capita net income of rural residents, the proportion of the population employed in agriculture, the size and structure of the permanent rural population, local fiscal revenue, and urbanization level, are the main factors that cause changes of rural settlement patterns. The results of this study can serve as a reference for promoting regional rural sustainable development policies and advancing rural spatial governance and comprehensive revitalization.

An analysis of the spatial evolution and influencing factors of rural settlements along the Shandong section of the Grand Canal of China

AbstractSince 1980s, the weakening of the transportation function of the Grand Canal and rapid urbanisation have generated significant changes in the spatial pattern of rural settlements along the Grand Canal. Analysing the changing characteristics of this spatial pattern, and exploring the natural, social, and economic factors influencing these changes are key to understanding the regional spatial structure and development law, and grasping the degree of influence of these factors. This study selected approximately 13,000 rural settlements in 27 county‐level units in the Shandong section of the Grand Canal, from 1980 to 2018, as the research object. The Grand Canal's distance buffer zone is divided into canal‐side, near‐canal, far‐canal, and further‐canal settlements. The correlation model with the canal is constructed through the controlled experiment. The distribution, scale, and form of the settlement are analysed quantitatively by applying the change of gravity centre model (CGC), average nearest neighbour analysis (ANN), landscape metrics (LM), and other methods. The quantitative analysis of geographic detectors in spatial pattern differentiation factors shows the relative importance and interaction within them. This study indicates that the spatial distribution shows ‘large dispersion and small concentration’ and ‘small‐scale agglomeration’ characteristics. The larger the scale of the settlement expands, the more the number of settlements decreases. The closer the settlement nears the river, the more complex the shape clusters. The total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, the total power of agricultural machinery, and the effective irrigation area are the main influencing factors. The grain area and the per capita disposable income of rural residents are the main auxiliary influencing factors.

Pattern of spatial evolution of rural settlements in the Jizhou District of China during 1962–2030

Rapid urbanization has led not only to the expansion of urban areas but has also greatly influenced rural development and the natural environment. When proposing schemes for rural settlement, and promoting sustainable development and living conditions in rural areas, it is important both to explore long-term trends of evolution and predict trends of development. Remote sensing images are useful to this end, but most date no further back than the 1980s, thus making it difficult to describe the spatial evolution of rural settlements over longer periods. In view of this, this paper uses decrypted remote sensing data from the KeyHole military satellite on the Jizhou District of China, and pushes the interval back by 20 years (to 1962) to study the long-term evolution of the spatial pattern of rural settlements over a longer time scale. By setting different development scenarios, we use the Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small Region Extent (CLUE-S) model to simulate and predict the evolutionary trends of rural settlements in Jizhou District in 2030. The results show that the evolution of the spatial pattern of rural settlements in this area during 1962–2015 can be divided into three stages: From 1962 to 1980, the number of rural settlements decreased continually, their boundaries gradually became more regular, and they were randomly distributed throughout the study area. However, from 1980 to 2000, the number, area, and spatial morphological features of rural settlements did not change much compared to the other two periods. From 2000 to 2015, the number of settlements increased drastically, and the boundaries became irregular and were somehow centralized. The evolutionary trend of rural settlements was found to be different under different scenarios of development. In the new-type urbanization scenario, the total area of rural settlements was projected to decrease by 2.23%, and regions where urbanization had a strong influence on rural settlements were concentrated in the southern-central part of Jizhou District. Moreover, the rural settlements are converted mainly into urban land and other construction land. In the tourism development scenario, the total area of rural settlements increased by 7.89%, and regions where tourism had a strong influence on rural settlements were concentrated in the northern mountainous areas of Jizhou District.

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.

Study on the Evolution of Spatial Forms of Rural Settlements in Xiangjiang River Basin

The spatial pattern of rural settlements in the Xiangjiang River Basin has changed greatly in both boundary and internal spatial forms. The spatial form of rural settlements has expanded or abruptly evolved, and the internal pattern has changed to varying degrees. This is the natural environment at that time. The economic environment and the social environment are closely related. This paper summarizes the rural settlements and takes the Xiangjiang River Basin as an example. Through the literature analysis and case analysis method, the general situation of the Xiangjiang River Basin and the spatial form of rural settlements are studied. At the same time, the evolution of the settlement form of the Xiangjiang River Basin is quantified. The analysis shows the diversified settlement evolution mechanism. Finally, it discusses the future of the rural settlements in the Xiangjiang River Basin and hopes to promote the sustainable development of the village

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.

Differentiation of spatial morphology of rural settlements from an ethnic cultural perspective on the Northeast Tibetan Plateau, China

Rural settlements are carriers of ethnic culture, and their spatial morphology is restricted by the natural environment and ethnic culture, especially in areas where ethnic consciousness is strong. In this study, we selected multi-ethic communities in northwest China to analyze spatial morphology of rural settlements, and we described the relationship between ethnic culture and spatial morphology from the perspective of different ethnicities, leading industries, religious beliefs, and modern education. There were obvious geographical clustering characteristics and gradient variations in morphological structure of rural settlements in Qinghai Province, China. Spatial morphology of rural settlements in different multi-ethnic communities highlighted the ethnic characteristics of this unique nation, and it had an obvious relationship with their leading industries, modern education, and religious beliefs. The relationship between the spatial morphology of rural settlements and the leading economic activity revealed regular change in characteristics, from farming towns (F) to farming and animal husbandry towns (F-AH) to animal husbandry and farming towns (AH-F), and finally to animal husbandry towns (AH). The spatial morphology of other industrial towns (OI) did not show the coordinated regulation as did the other four categories, which showed the particularity of spatial morphology. All ethnic rural settlements had a significantly higher dependence on primary education than on religious beliefs. We concluded that educational resources will become an important factor in the future for optimizing the spatial pattern of rural settlements of multi-ethnic settlements in Northwest China.

Study on Spatial Pattern of Rural Settlements in Wuling Mountainous Area Based on GIS

Rural settlement is a living space of various people in rural area and it is the carrier of rural population spatial distribution. Taking Pengshui County of Wuling Mountainous Area in China as an empirical research object, the spatial pattern of rural settlement in Pengshui County was studied by using GIS spatial analysis method, including spatial clustering features, topographic spatial differentiation features, along the river system and along the road spatial differentiation characteristics. The results show that firstly, the distribution of rural settlements in Pengshui County is relatively scattered, and it is still in the early stage of aggregation. And secondly, for 92.81% of the rural settlements, the distance between rural settlements is < 100 m in Pengshui County, showing that rural settlements in the local space are relatively concentrated. Thirdly, the distribution of rural settlements in Pengshui County is largely affected by topography. There are significant differences in the number and area of the settlement patches on different elevation and slope. The patch plots are normal distribution with elevation and slope, showing a obvious spatial agglomeration. Fourthly, in Pengshui County, rural settlements have a obvious trend to distribute along the road and river. With the increase of distance from the water system and water, the number of settlements decreased rapidly, showing an exponentially decreases. And comparing with settlement along road, settlement along river has a faster descending speed.

Exploration on the Spatial Assembling Pattern of Contemporary Rural Settlements Based on GIS --- Taking Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as an Example

Rural settlements of China are in the era of rapid information development, experiencing revolutionary changes and cultural breakthroughs. This article takes the main rural settlements in Diqing as examples and uses GIS technology as the main method, analyses spatial distribution and assembling characteristics of rural settlements. Based on this, the article extracts the spatial assembling pattern of Diqing rural settlements. Take the topography, rivers, roads and other factors, this article analyzes the causes of the spatial distribution pattern of contemporary rural settlements. The article argues that it has a great theoretical and practical significance to study the spatial pattern of rural settlements, and points out the necessity of using modern GIS technology in the rural settlement research. This method cannot be only maximum the precise analytical ability of contemporary traditional rural settlement space, but also better serve the adjustment, control and optimization design of contemporary settlements.

Spatial Patterns and the Regional Differences of Rural Settlements in Jilin Province, China

The spatial patterns of rural settlements are important for understanding the drivers of land use change and the relationship between human activity and environmental processes. It has been suggested that the clustering of houses decreases the negative effects on the environment and promotes the development of the countryside, but few empirical studies have quantified the spatial distribution patterns of houses. Our aim was to explore the regional differences in rural settlement patterns and expand our understanding of their geographic associations, and thus contribute to land use planning and the implementation of the policy of “building a new countryside”. We used spatial statistical methods and indices of landscape metrics to investigate different settlement patterns in three typical counties within different environments in Jilin Province, Northeast China. The results indicated that rural settlements in these three counties were all clustered, but to a varied degree. Settlement density maps and landscape metrics displayed uniformity of the settlement distributions within plain, hill, and mountainous areas. Influenced by the physical environment, the scale, form, and degree of aggregation varied. Accordingly, three types of rural settlements were summarized: a low-density, large-scale and sparse type; a mass-like and point-scattered type; and a low-density and high cluster-like type. The spatial patterns of rural settlements are the result of anthropogenic and complex physical processes, and provide an important insight for the layout and management of the countryside.

Spatial Pattern Analysis of Rural Settlements in Connection with the Earthquake Vulnerability (Case Study: Central District of Marand County)

Spatial Pattern Analysis of Rural Settlements in Connection with the Earthquake Vulnerability (Case Study: Central District of Marand County)

城镇化过程中福建省山区县农村聚落景观格局变化特征

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 城镇化过程中福建省山区县农村聚落景观格局变化特征 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201410302126 作者: 作者单位: 中国科学院城市环境研究所,中国科学院城市环境研究所,中国科学院城市环境研究所,福建师范大学地理科学学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金资助项目(41301621);中国科学院城市环境研究所青年人才领域前沿项目(IUEQN201302);厦门市重点实验室滚动资助项目(3502Z20130037);厦门科技计划项目(3502Z20122001) Mountain county rural settlement landscape pattern change and spatial characteristics in rapid mountain urbanization process in Fujian province Author: Affiliation: Institute of urban environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institute of urban environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Institute of urban environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:农村聚落是农村居民与其周围环境相互作用的现象与过程,是城乡二元关系发展的重要一环,科学评估山地型农村聚落景观时空变化及影响因素对山地城镇化发展具有重要意义。选取了城镇化迅速发展的福建省上杭县作为案例,使用2004年与2014年高分辨率遥感影像、DEM等数据,运用RS、GIS及Fragstats技术,定量分析了上杭县农村聚落景观变化过程、格局趋势。研究表明:(1)2004-2014年上杭县农村聚落数量出现大幅下降,空间分布态势并没有发生太大变化,主要集中在西部汀江水系与东北部,并有进一步加强的趋势,Voronoi模型Cv值结果表现出这一趋势,但最近邻分析结果却显示出2014年相对2004年略微分散。(2)Ripley's K函数显示山地型农村聚落集聚与分散存在尺度效应,65km以内都表现出集聚趋势,2004年在35km处出现最高集聚状态,2014年则在15km集聚达到最高之后出现缓慢下降,并且在30km尺度范围内集聚程度大于2004年。(3)坡度、水系与道路对山地型农村聚落有显著影响,坡度5°是最为关键的因素,10°是一个阈值,80%的农村聚落都分布在10°以内;67%以上的农村聚落分布在距河流湖泊2km范围内;交通对农村聚落影响愈发显著,98.28%聚落分布在交通道路500m范围,未来推进山地城镇化应更加重视交通的作用。(4)乡镇政府所在地中心村镇面积扩大了4.59倍,远高于一般聚落,是山地城镇化过程中景观变化最剧烈的地区,也是为来应重点发展的地区。研究可为山地型农村聚落建设、山地型城镇化村镇规划理论与决策提供一定借鉴。 Abstract:Rural settlements form an important aspect of the urban-rural relationships because of the interactions between rural dwellers and surrounding environment. The activities in the mountainous rural settlements are restricted by a variety of natural and social factors, therefore, a scientific assessment of the spatial and temporal processes is urgent for the urbanization of these regions. For this reason, we selected Shanghang county, which is experiencing rapid urbanization, as a case study for our work. We used high-resolution remote sensing images and DEM data form the years 2004 and 2014, and extracted data on rural settlements, rivers, roads, and slope information, among others. RS, GIS, and Fragstats techniques were used to quantify the spatio-temporal variability in rural settlements. The findings of our study are as follows: (1) spatial pattern of rural settlements did not show a significant change, and these settlements were found to be mainly concentrated in the west and northeast of the Tingjiang River watershed; this was confirmed by the Voronoi model. However, nearest neighbor analysis showed different results, which is more concentrate in 2004 than 2014. (2) Ripley's K function revealed existence of scale effect in the rural settlement pattern: settlements at a height of less than 65 km showed gathering trends; highest concentrations were found to be at heights of 35 km and 15 km in 2004 and 2014 respectively, and spatial scaling within 30km is more concentrate in 2014. (3) The slopes, river systems, and roads can significantly affect the distribution of the rural settlements. Slope of 10° is the threshold and 80% of rural settlements are spread within 10°, slope of 5° is the most important factor within 10°; more than 67% of the rural settlements are distributed within the 2km buffer zone from the river system; more than 98.28% of the settlements are distributed within the 500m buffer zone of the roads, which implies that greater attention should be paid to the role of roads in the urbanization of mountainous regions in future. (4) The rural settlements located in the government township were found to have expanded 4.59 times than in the past, which is the most dramatic change area of town-village landscape in mountainous urbanization. Besides, we proposed that center town-village settlement is the most critical area, and also key development region. We expect our research to provide a methodological reference for the management and evaluation of rural settlements, and theoretical planning, and decision-making for mountainous urbanization in the future. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Analysis on the Relationship and its Dynamics Between Rural Settlements and Linear Features Using Gis and Rs

Abstract The relationship between spatial patterns of rural settlements and environment and its dynamics were analyzed in Daxing District, Beijing in the recent 20 years using landsat TM images. Results showed that too much of land in total was used for the rural settlements in the study area with a rapid growth, and it had a great potential for land intensive utilization; the rural settlements were rather small, with weak aggregation and high random expanse in spatial distribution; highways, rivers and channels were important factors that affected the spatial distribution of rural settlements, while railways and expressways exhibited little influence. Accordingly, to guarantee the unified and balanced development of rural and urban construction, planning for villages and towns are required, and considering the convenience of road transportation and water use is an important principle for the selection of central towns and the systematic planning of rural settlements; on the other hand, areas along the hi...

Spatial pattern of rural settlements in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River

A quantitative analysis of the spatial pattern of rural settlements in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River was made with the major data sources being the relevant ETM image and the national geographical database of China (including contour line, river and road) at the scale of 1:250 000, and using image interpretation and field investigation to obtain spatial information on rural settlements. The results of the spatial analysis technique of GIS and correlation analysis showed that most settlements (78.2 %) were located in the mountain area at 1500 ∼ 2700 m altitude, and almost half in the arid valley area. More than 80.0 % of settlements had their slopes above 15°. Most settlements had good access to water resources, roads and communications, and tended to cluster close to the road network rather than the river. About half of the rural settlements in the study area were relatively concentrated, while the others were decentralized. Those with higher altitude usually had land with steep slope, inconvenient water and road accesses, and were located far apart from each other. In view of such a situation, further research should be done to make reasonable countermeasures on these settlements for better living conditions and ecosystem stability.

The Change of Community Group in Rural Settlement from the Viewpoint of Rural-Urban Relations

This paper attempts to clarify the change of present rural areas, emphasizing the functions of rural communities and their spatial structure.In former studies, the main objects of study were the regional units of rural settlements and their spatial structure, the spatial patterns of rural settlements in accordance with the distance from the city, and so on, and they were analyzed separately. In this study I try to understand qualitatively how the regional units of rural settlements and their spatial structures have changed in relation to urbanization.Cluster analysis was applied to clarify the positions of various rural settlements in the area between Hiroshima City in Hiroshima Prefecture and Iwami Town in Shimane Prefecture, and 4 regional divisions were obtained. The case study districts in each regional division are the following: Midorii District in Sato Town, Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima City (a suburbanizing rural area); Mita District in Shiraki Town, Asakita Ward, Hiroshima City (an urban fringe rural area); Hara District in Toyohira Town, Hiroshima Prefecture (an agriculture-continuing rural area outside the urban area); Hiwa District in Iwami Town, Shimane Prefecture (a rural community with a weakening agricultural base outside the urban area). In these districts, through the spatial and functional changes of three kinds of community groups (the fundamental community group, the wide community group and the inner settlement community group), the change of regional strcture in relation to the distance from the city was examined.As a result the following points were clarified:1) On the whole, rural areas experienced the phenomena of depopulation and increasing side work, and their regional differences were caused by differences in job opportunities and accessibility to the city. In the depopulated areas a long distance from the city, the community groups have been reorganized, and in the areas where population has increased and agricultural land use has decreased, rurality has suffeved.2) The reorganization of the fundamental community group has appeared according to population-increase or depopulation. In the populated areas the fundamental community group tended to divide, and in the depopulated areas is tended to unify. In both areas the self-governmental functions have been maintained, but agricultural functions retreated.3) The wide community group is characterazed by spatial expansion and the loss of agricultural functions. On the one hand, in the depopulated areas the schools tend to amalgamate but the Shinto shrines have maintained their traditional spatial units.4) On the whole, inner settlement community group are tending to disappear. They only function as the smallest units of the administrative organization in community groups. The functions of traditional mutual aid and the agricultural functions have been reduced. A primary factor in this process is the spread of the urban life style.