Abstract
Based on multiple remote-sensing image interpretation and classification, and economic and social data, this study focused on rural settlement and land use change amidst rapid urbanization. Rural settlements, spatial and temporal patterns of land use and influencing factors in the Bohai Rim were explored within 5×5 km grid cells, as per GIS spatial analysis and geostatistical analysis. Results show that the spatial distribution of rural settlements in the Bohai Rim is remarkably varied. The number of rural settlement sites in a 5×5 km grid cell exceeding 5.0 are distributed in a six-area pattern in the Bohai Rim; rural settlement dispersion is particularly high in agricultural regions in south Hebei and southwest Shandong, suggesting rural settlement density keeps increasing from northeast to southwest, characterized by high density and dispersed spatial distribution in traditional agricultural regions. Furthermore, rural settlements show dramatic spatial differences in terms of distribution and dynamic change degrees in the Bohai Rim. In terms of spatial distribution, rural residential land is always extensive in plains, with a high density of rural settlements, on the North China Plain in particular, and rural residential land in the south of Shandong province is also extensive, with most rural settlement land use areas in the 5×5 km grid cells exceeding 3 km2. However, traditional agricultural regions have underdeveloped economies, industrialization and tertiary industries, characterized by low urbanization rates, with farmers not feeling assimilated in rural or urban areas. In terms of the temporal sequence, urban expansion rapidly promotes the transformation of rural residential lands in rural-urban transitional belts of provincial capital or prefecture-level city into urban lands, and in traditional rural areas, residential lands are growing. The natural environment, transportation conditions, economic development and farmers’ incomes all have effects on type of land use change and pattern of rural settlements. It is a core objective for future rural development to reconstruct a rational spatial pattern of villages or towns and well-organized village-town systems, build central villages, key towns or central towns, optimize or reconstruct production, living and eco-space of rural areas. It is of significance for rural geographical research to further interpret and explore spatial reconstruction theory.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bai X M, Shi P J, Liu Y S, 2014. Realizing China’s urban dream. Nature, 509: 158–160.
Giuseppina Siciliano, 2012. Urbanization strategies, rural development and land use changes in China: A multiple-level integrated assessment. Land Use Policy, 29(1): 165–178.
Guo L Y, Yang R, Wang D L, 2012. A study on the spatial difference of farmland nitrogen nutrient budget in the Bohai Rim region, China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 22(4): 761–768.
Guo X D, Ma L B, Zhang Q Y, 2013. The spatial distribution characteristics and the basic types of rural settlement in loess hilly area: Taking Qin’an county of Gansu province as a case. Scientia Geographica Sinica, 33(1): 45–51. (in Chinese)
Han F, Cai J M, 2011. The evolution and reconstruction of peri-urban rural habitat in China. Geographical Research, 30(7): 1271–1284. (in Chinese)
He R W, Chen G J, Liu S Q et al., 2012. Research progress and tendency of Chinese rural settlements geography, Progress in Geography, 31(8): 1055–1062. (in Chinese)
Jin Q M, 1988. The history and current trend of research on rural settlement geography in China. Acta Geographica Sinica, 43(4): 311–317. (in Chinese)
Liu Y S, Liu Y, Cheng Y F, 2010. The process and driving forces of rural hollowing in China under rapid urbanization. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 20(6): 876–888.
Liu Y S, Liu Y, Zhai R X, 2009. Geographical research and optimizing practice of rural hollowing in China. Acta Geographica Sinica, 64(10): 1193–1202. (in Chinese)
Liu Y S, Yang R, 2012. The spatial characteristics and formation mechanism of the county urbanization in China. Acta Geographica Sinica, 67(8): 1141–1150. (in Chinese)
Liu Y S, Lu S S, Chen Y F, 2013a. Spatio-temporal change of urban-rural equalized development patterns in China and its driving factors. Journal of Rural Studies, 32: 320–330.
Liu Y S, Yang R, Li Y H, 2013b. Potential of land consolidation of hollowed villages under different urbanization scenarios in China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 23(3): 503–512.
Liu Y S, Yang R, Long H L et al., 2014. Implications of land-use change in rural China: A case study of Yucheng, Shandong province. Land Use Policy, 40: 111–118.
Long H L, 2014. Land consolidation: An indispensable way of spatial restructuring in rural China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 24(2): 211–225.
Long H L, Li Y R, Liu Y S et al., 2012. Accelerated restructuring in rural China fueled by’ increasing vs. decreasing balance’ land-use policy for dealing with hollowed villages. Land Use Policy, 29: 11–22.
Long H L, Liu Y S, Li X B et al., 2010. Building new countryside in China: A geographical perspective. Land Use Policy, 27(2): 457–470.
Long H L, Liu Y S, Wu X Q et al., 2009. Spatio-temporal dynamic patterns of farmland and rural settlements in Su-Xi-Chang region: Implications for building a new countryside in coastal China. Land Use Policy, 26(2): 322–333.
Mathera A S, Hillb G, Nijnik M, 2006. Post-productivism and rural land use: Challenge for theorization. Journal of Rural Studies, 22(4): 441–455.
Shan Y B, Ma X D, Qiu F D, 2012. Distribution patterns characteristics and type classification of the rural settlements in central Jiangsu province. Scientia Geographica Sinica, 32(11): 1340–1347. (in Chinese)
Tian G J, Qiao Z, Zhang Y Q, 2012. The investigation of relationship between rural settlement density, size, spatial distribution and its geophysical parameters of China using Landsat TM images. Ecological Modelling, 231(24): 25–36.
Woods M, 2005. Rural Geography: Processes, Responses and Experiences in Rural Restructuring. London: Sage, 3–26.
Woods M, 2007. Engaging the global countryside: Globalization, hybridity and the reconstitution of rural place. Progress in Human Geography, 31(4): 485–507.
Wang J F, Li X H, Christakos G et al., 2010. Geographical detectors-based health risk assessment and its application in the neural tube defects study of the Heshun Region, China. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 24(1): 107–127.
Xi J C, Zhao M F, Ge G S, 2011. The micro-scale analysis of rural settlement land use pattern: A case study of Gouge village of Yesanpo scenic area in Hebei province. Acta Geographica Sinica, 66(12): 1707–1717. (in Chinese)
Yang R, Liu Y S, Chen Y F, 2012. Comprehensive measure and partition of rural hollowing in China. Geographical Research, 31(10): 1876–1882. (in Chinese)
Yang R, Liu Y S, Chen Y F et al., 2013. The remote sensing inversion for spatial and temporal changes of multiple cropping index and detection for influencing factors in the Bohai Rim in China. Scientia Geographica Sinica, 33(5): 521–527. (in Chinese)
Yin H T, Chen Z X, 1995. Spatial distribution and evolution of the rural settlements in Shaanxi province. Human Geography, 10(4): 17–24. (in Chinese)
Zhou G H, He Y H, Tang C L et al., 2013. Dynamic mechanism and present situation of rural settlement evolution in China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 23(3): 513–524.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Foundation: National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 41401190; No.41130748; No.41101165
Author: Yang Ren (1984–), PhD and Lecturer, specialized in rural reconstruction, rural-urban transformation and land use optimal allocation.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yang, R., Liu, Y., Long, H. et al. Spatio-temporal characteristics of rural settlements and land use in the Bohai Rim of China. J. Geogr. Sci. 25, 559–572 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-015-1187-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-015-1187-6