Assessing the fragmentation of construction land in urban areas: An index method and case study in Shunde, China

The fragmentation of construction land due to decentralised urban development, disorderly mixed land use, and large-scale transportation infrastructure poses a threat to urban integrity. There is a need to quantify the fragmentation level in a consistent way for inclusion in planning-related decisions. In the context of China's urban sprawl, this study develops a quantitative and intuitive index approach that planners can use to analyse multiple fragmentation features of construction land within urban areas. The approach can be used in planning policy reviews for timely land-use assessment and can be integrated into urban planning processes for developing strategic land-use scenarios. The method was applied in Shunde, a typical urban area in southern China, and construction-land fragmentation and its impacts on environmental quality were analysed. The results show that the entire built-up area in Shunde displays a high level of fragmentation. Patches of industrial and rural residence have been identified specifically higher fragmentation level. The shortage of available construction land makes land consolidation within built-up areas very important in planning Shunde's future development. Moreover, the land shortage requires the progressive reduction of construction land fragmentation. The results of the study also indicate that although land fragmentation has been affected by transportation infrastructure and the existence of rivers and hills in this region, decentralised decisions from hierarchical local governance regimes have greatly exacerbated this situation. Shunde provides examples of typical land-use problems associated with quasi-urbanised regions in China; construction-land fragmentation is a greater determinant for the sustainable development of urban and rural areas than construction-land growth.     

Uncertainty awareness in urban sprawl simulations: Lessons from a small US metropolitan region

Land use change modeling and simulation is a popular tool in land use planning and policy formulation. However, the outputs of land use change simulation are not always accompanied with information on uncertainty. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the inherent uncertainty in sprawl simulation, which is attributable to error in the input parameters and to limitations in our understanding of land use systems. To reach this goal, the paper determines sprawl simulation accuracy and uncertainty for a small US metropolitan region as produced by the CLUE-S modeling framework. The model simulates sprawl location in the region accurately, but the certainty of sprawl location projections decreases with time. This uncertainty in the simulation suggests that modelers should report uncertainty with their output over all time horizons so that, on the one hand, land use planners and decision makers do not place too much confidence in any single sprawl simulation (which could lead to unwarranted and expensive urban growth management policies) and, on the other hand, do not place too little confidence in sprawl models (which could have severe socioeconomic and environmental consequences). Thus, reporting uncertainty with simulation output provides planners and decision makers with a platform for more informed land use policy.     

构建城乡土地自由流动的政策工具——以换地权益书保障土地要素返流的探索

研究目的:探索如何以换地权益书作为土地要素返流的保障手段,以期构建城乡土地自由流动的政策工具.研究方法:政策分析法和规范分析法.研究结果:当前统筹城乡发展中的土地要素流动存在诸多困境,不仅包括土地多重负担造成流动困难,还包括土地单向流动为主、缺乏双向流动的保障,以及土地规模化经营和流动中面临的空间和位置障碍.研究结论:要大胆创设新的政策工具,采用"换地权益书"的形式来构建土地要素自由流动的保障,这在当前既是必要的,也是可行的.     

Land use regulation and social regulation: an unexplored link. Some reflections on the origins and evolution of sprawl in the Veneto “città diffusa”

While the question of social and political regulation (in Polanyi’s sense) in areas characterized by industrial districts and systems of SMEs is well-known, alongside the effects of globalization in such situations, the role of land use regulation as a public policy has been underestimated. The sprawl that connotes these situations (and in particular our case-study, the Veneto region) has usually been intended as the product of a laissez-faire orientation. In our paper, we try instead to demonstrate that sprawl, in the golden age of development, has been intentionally pursued, through specific technical mechanisms and widely accepted policy discourses. The “planned sprawl” has been largely socially shared, and significantly contributed to, by a peculiar embeddedness of the public action in market and reciprocity mechanisms, to social integration and economic effectiveness, until the change of international division of labor, social and cultural transformations, and the rise of severe negative externalities as unintended consequence of the “planned sprawl”. Moreover, the paper discusses the lack of effectiveness of the recent regional reform of territorial planning in coping with the new social and economic requirements, compared to the variety of urban projects based on a governance style.     

Urban spill over vs. local urban sprawl: Entangling land-use regulations in the urban growth of China's megacities

Rather than a bad case of urban sprawl, the physical expansion of China's megacities may be viewed as a combination of ‘urban spill over’ and ‘local urban sprawl’. This paper reviews land use regulations in their institutional context and argues that conflicts in land use regulation are related to ideologies of land ownership and embedded in different planning doctrines. These hypotheses are investigated with special reference to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province in southern China. The evidence suggests that entangled land use regulations for “urban” and “rural” land have imposed serious constraints on urban growth, while the contradictions of different policies and regulations in the use of rural lands for urban construction have led to intensive and unhealthy competition among stakeholders. As a result, not only have the costs of land conversion from rural to urban uses increased, but the spatial development of Guangzhou has been distorted. The implications of these failures for future policy are discussed with emphasis on the reform of the land use regulation system.     

农地确权、差序格局与新型城镇化

农地流转的差序格局化特征会怎样影响我国新型城镇化进程?本文以农地制度改革为着眼点,利用2015年CHFS微观数据,将农地确权、农地流转差序格局与新型城镇化三者置于同一框架下进行系统性分析。研究发现,农地确权与农地流转的亲缘化特征显著促进农业转移人口城镇化。进一步检验作用机制发现,二者在促进农业转移人口城镇化作用方面并行不悖,农村内部整合型社会资本能够弥补正式制度不足带来的农地产权风险。因此,本文认为应着力提升农地确权政策的执行效果,在构建起高效、合理、规范的农地流转制度的同时,促进农户间相互合作,加大力度培育以农户为主体的新型农业经营项目,平稳推进新型城镇化,实现城乡融合发展。     

How do centrality,population growth and urban sprawl impact farmland conversion in Norway?

A strong link has been observed between urbanization processes and conversions of farmland to built-up land. Most previous research has addressed such conversion of farmland in relation to the expansion of larger cities. However, broader analysis of both rural and central areas is needed to increase the empirical basis for these claims. Based on GIS analysis of farmland conversions, this paper aims to expand our understanding of how urban sprawl affects conversion of farmland. We find that most farmland in Norway is converted to built-up areas in relation to existing urban settlement areas. In line with population growth, urban areas in the most central municipalities experience the most significant urban sprawl and loss of farmland. Moreover, the remaining farmland is located in the same areas that already have converted the most. These areas also experience significant pressure for continued land take. Assuming current trends continue, future urban sprawl will pose great challenges for the preservation of farmland in land-use planning. New research and policies are required to handle these challenges more effectively.     

农村宅基地使用权流转的公平与效率分析

研究目的：分析现行的禁止农村宅基地流转制度对农村宅基地利用效率与公平性的制度绩效。研究方法：文献资料法、对比分析法。研究结果：禁止农村宅基地流转的制度导致了农村宅基地超标利用、居民点布局分散和村容村貌差,存在严重的宅基地利用效率损失;同时在城乡居民市场主体地位、城乡土地产权地位、农民土地权益等方面也存在严重的不公平性。研究结论：基于对农村宅基地流转公平与效率的改进出发,取消限制农村宅基地流转的相关规定,允许农村宅基地入市交易,并严格管理农村宅基地。     

The adaptive efficiency of land use planning measured by the control of urban sprawl. The cases of the Netherlands,Belgium and Poland

The paper aims to position the concept of adaptive efficiency in planning theory, by providing insights on the conditions that explain why land use planning in some institutional contexts is able to adapt and improve more efficiently than in others. This is done by focusing on a specific planning goal: the control of residential sprawl. The paper presents a theoretical framework based on two models, one on the coordinating mechanisms regarding the use of land and one to explain institutional changes. This framework is exploited with empirical case studies where we compare the control of sprawl in the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland. The analysis diagnoses a duality of planning practices. Even though planning failures occur in the Netherlands as well, we provide evidence that Dutch land use planning has been able to efficiently adapt regulatory instruments and collaborative practices to societal changes. By contrast, Belgian and Polish planners face huge difficulties to incorporate new initiatives to control urban sprawl or, in more general terms, to reinforce their influence on land uses.     

Multifunctional peri-urban agriculture—A review of societal demands and the provision of goods and services by farming

Peri-urban areas around urban agglomerations in Europe and elsewhere have been subject to agricultural and land use research for the past three decades. The manner in which farming responds to urban pressures, socio-economic changes and development opportunities has been the main focus of examination, with urban demand for rural goods and services representing a driving factor to adapt farming activities in a multifunctional way. Working within the peri-urban framework, this review pays particular attention to the relevance of multifunctional agriculture. Academic discourses and empirical insights related to farm structure and practices beyond conventional agriculture are analysed. Diversification, recreational and environmental farming, landscape management and specialisation, as well as direct marketing are all taken into consideration and discussed within the context of landscape functions. The provision of rural goods and services is contrasted with societal demands on peri-urban agriculture. This review finds that multifunctional agriculture has been commonly recognised in peri-urban areas – a phenomenon that includes a large variety of activities and diversification approaches within the context of environmental, social and economic functions of agriculture. In response to the post-productive, consumption-oriented requirements of the urban society, peri-urban farmers have intensified their uptake of multifunctional activities. Nevertheless, not all multifunctional opportunities are being fully developed when one considers the large and growing urban demand for goods and services provided by agriculture carried out near the city. This paper discusses policy and planning approaches to support multifunctional agriculture in peri-urban areas.     

Spatio-temporal pattern and driving forces of construction land change in a poverty-stricken county of China and implications for poverty-alleviation-oriented land use policies

Sustainable land use, targeted poverty alleviation (TPA) and integrated urban/town development are key issues for the poverty-stricken counties of China. This paper explored the spatio-temporal pattern and driving forces of construction land change in Longzhou, a typical poverty-stricken border county in southwest China, based on high-resolution remote sensing images and field investigations. The results showed that, from 2011 to 2016, the construction land in Longzhou increased by 10.08%. The largest increase shown by urban built-up areas (37.74%) followed by rural residential (25.48%), industrial and mining (20.96%), and transportation areas (15.49%) as well by tourist facility areas (0.33%). The accelerated urban development, rural housing construction, and construction of industrial parks and transportation facilities are main factors driving construction land expansion, while the implementation of TPA strategy and the booming of border trade activities are important policy drivers of the construction land expansion. Some of the major implications for improving poverty-alleviation-oriented land use policies were further discussed. The authors argue that land use policy innovation could play a key role in breaking the Matthew effect (poor get poorer, rich get richer) of China's uneven regional development and generating and accelerating the transformation development of poverty-stricken counties. It is fundamental to meet the demand of construction land for TPA, meanwhile raise the intensive level of land utilization. The authors suggest that the government need to further improve and implement preferential land use policies for poverty-stricken counties from the provincial level, appropriately increase the quotas of construction land, and effectively strengthen the rational, efficient and intensive use of the quotas of construction land, and provide solid land policy support for poverty alleviation and thus achieve the Sustainable Development Goals with higher quality.     

Strategic use of land policy instruments for affordable housing – Coping with social challenges under scarce land conditions in Swiss cities

For decades, many cities have introduced densification policy objectives to stop urban sprawl or to promote efficient use of natural resources. In the urban housing sector, however, densification projects often intensify social challenges. Due to rising rents after modernization of existing housing stocks as a consequence of densification, low-income tenants are forced to leave their apartments. Risks of social exclusion and segregation increase simultaneously.In this article, we analyze how municipal planning authorities cope with affordable housing shortages in a context of urban densification. Specifically, we ask: How do municipal planning authorities promote affordable housing in densifying cities? To answer this research question, we apply a neoinstitutional analysis approach to better understand (1) the basic mechanisms of how land policy instruments impact affordability, and (2) why specific instruments are activated to defend affordable housing objectives. Through qualitative case study analysis of four Swiss urban municipalities, our results show that the mere availability of land policy instruments is not sufficient but that the strategic activation of specific instruments matters.     

Urban population looking for rural landscapes: Different appreciation patterns identified in Southern Europe

In the context of the peripheral European rural landscapes, the role of the urban population, generally referred to as the ‘outsiders’, has shown to be influential in the dynamics of rural space. This influence occurs namely through the demand for non-productive functions leading to the emergence of new modes of occupancy. In addition, the emerging policy framework concerning policies and planning in rural landscapes call for an improved understanding of the diversified social demands for these landscapes. We argue that a more profound knowledge on the urban demand for rural landscape is needed to better integrate the urban interests into rural policy and planning. The present paper aims to gain greater insight on this demand by identifying landscape preferences of urban users, framed by the multifunctional transition theory, and using a photo-based survey with contrasting land covers derived from CORINE Land Cover classes. Furthermore, the use of land cover classes as the main landscape component, and thereby relating preferences to specific land covers, offers a sound basis for a territorial approach, able to integrate landscape into rural policy and land use planning practice. A case-study in Southern Portugal was developed at the regional scale and results showed different appreciation patterns for rural landscapes varying from humanised and more naturalised landscapes according to the different functions sought by urban users. Another prominent result is that urban demand for rural landscapes, even if driven by consumption, is strongly influenced by both protection and production values. A deeper knowledge on the interests of urban population can be a step forward for rural communities, land managers, and sectoral policy decision-makers to better define investment strategies in rural-urban partnerships facing the growing urban demand over rural space.     

The role of public participation in encouraging changes in rural land use to reduce flood risk

Changes in rural land use to reduce flood risk are encouraged by governments in many countries, but they may face considerable opposition by land managers. Local participative processes are thought to help overcome opposition. This article presents an evaluation of an intensive participative process set up between land managers and governmental agencies following two severe floods in the transboundary Bowmont–Glen catchment in Scotland and England. A combination of interviews and documentary analysis is used. The research demonstrates that the participative process contributed to greater uptake of rural land use change and improved compliance with existing environmental policies. There were nevertheless low levels of social learning amongst participants. Two institutional designs for improving policy implementation are presented.     

Testing the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis on land use: The case of Romania

The aim of the present study is to test empirically the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for 42 Romanian counties over the 2000-2014 period. Specifically, we investigate the existence of an inverted U-shaped curve relationship between residential built-up land and economic development in a low-income EU country undergoing rapid and profound transition. We do so by making innovative use of spatial panel econometric techniques. Contrary to our expectations, the results indicate an inverted EKC, implying that higher levels of residential built-up area occur for higher levels of wealth. Moreover, we find that the built-up land in Romania mainly reflects processes of urban expansion, such as sprawl or suburbanization, that may have harmful environmental and social consequences. Spatial spill-overs in terms of built-up land arise and spread, albeit to a limited extent, to neighbouring locations. These findings are of potential significance for policy makers, because they highlight the need for coordination among neighbours. Furthermore, strengthening the institutional framework and local tax management, and planning urban regeneration better could curb and even reverse the extensive built-up land expansion and real estate speculation.     

Population trends and desertification risk in a Mediterranean region, 1861-2017

The relationship between population dynamics and desertification risk in advanced economies is increasingly dependent on the mutual interplay of socioeconomic forces at regional and local scales. Assuming that specific, long-term demographic dynamics are associated with a given level of desertification risk, the present study investigates population trends between 1861 and 2017 and the spatial linkage with the level of desertification risk in Southern Italy, a European region where more than 20 % of land is exposed to degradation processes. Areas classified at the highest risk of desertification experienced intense population growth between 1951 and 1981. Reflecting the latest stage of the first demographic transition in Italy, such dynamics have caused an increasing human pressure on coastal districts, peri-urban areas and flat rural land. Since the early 1980s, population growth was less intense and more heterogeneous over space. Such dynamics led to a discontinuous urban expansion and the formation of a ‘third space’ – neither urban nor rural – with a consequent increase in the rate of land take. These outcomes, typical of the early stage of the second demographic transition, were mostly uncorrelated with the level of desertification risk. The spatial association between population dynamics and desertification risk characteristic of the first demographic transition in Southern Italy outlines the importance of regional developmental policies aimed at rebalancing territorial disparities for land degradation mitigation in the Mediterranean region.     

高质量发展视角下乡村旅游发展问题与对策

[目的]基于高质量发展视角,剖析我国乡村旅游发展的现状问题,从旅游用地、资源产权、服务水平、市场主体、人才队伍以及政策、机制等方面提出相应对策,以期推动乡村旅游高质量发展。[方法]文章通过文献梳理、实地调研和归纳总结等方法,总结乡村旅游发展的系列成就,分析乡村旅游发展中面临的问题,在理解高质量发展要求的前提下提出乡村旅游高质量发展对策。[结果]我国乡村旅游目前存在区域发展不平衡、产业结构较简单、市场主体较散弱、服务体系不完善、政策协同度不高等五大问题;资源与市场合理化配置、满足多样需求、产业结构优化、资源生态可持续、多维创新、发展成果共享等是乡村旅游高质量发展的基本要求。[结论]基于高质量发展要求,要实现乡村旅游高质量发展,解决用地、消防和产权等长期困扰乡村旅游发展的难题是乡村旅游持续性发展的基石,改善公共服务水平是实现城乡主客协调的途径,培育市场主体是实现乡村旅游有效供给的手段,人才队伍建设是乡村旅游实现分享性的路径,优化政策与机制是乡村旅游管理协同创新的保障。     

城市更新过程中的土地集约利用研究——以武汉市为例

城市的发展不仅是城市人口的增长，产业的聚集，经济的增长过程，而且还是城市空间的拓展和用地结构的调整过程。目前，我国正处于城市化加速发展的阶段，城市经济结构发生了明显变化，社会进行着全方位的深刻变革。本文以城市化发展较快的武汉市为例，运用土地区位理论、地租地价理论和聚集效益理论分析了城市更新与土地利用变化的互动过程，探讨武汉市土地利用中存在的问题，并研究土地低效利用的原因，最后提出在城市更新过程中实现土地集约利用的措施。     

城乡征地增值收益分配：农民的反应与均衡路径

研究目的：探索统筹城乡征地增值收益的可操作性措施,减少城乡利益冲突并增加利益互补,推进和谐社会建设。研究方法：问卷调查法、比较借鉴法、逻辑分析法。研究结果：通过对浙江省800位农民的调查,表明不同经济水平、不同年龄阶段、不同教育背景等各类群体农民对征地增值收益分配有不同的反应和需求,但他们对于失地后生活的担忧以及分享增值的要求则是共同的。借鉴美国等发达国家农地转用增值利益分配经验,提出减少城乡冲突、统筹城乡征地增值收益的可操作性途径。研究结论：农民有权参与分配土地转用增值、分享城市化发展成果,分享的比例应在30% — 50%之间。为与现行政策衔接,这30% — 50%的土地转用增值可以通过提高土地补偿费、安置补助费、社会保障补偿费、教育培训费等形式让农民分享,并从中划出一部分补贴新政实施前的被征地农民,确保纵向平衡。     

The impact of exurban development on forested areas in Kurgan City,Russia

Exurban communities—a significant form of urban sprawl—can transform natural land cover. Exurban development refers to an expansion of communities located outside a city and its suburbs. One of the main reasons these settlements develop is a desire by residents to live closer to nature and developers’ recognition of the profitability of addressing this desire. Additionally, exurbs can become prosperous regions settled by people with high income. However, exurban development not only directly affects community patterns, but also species patterns, habitat reduction and disconnection, as well as land cover and land use alterations. The purpose of this paper is a quantitative analysis of the land cover transformation and forest fragmentation in Post-Soviet Russia, based on an empirical case study of the city of Kurgan. This case study also contributes to the overall research of urban sprawl in Russian provinces by adding to the discussion of homeowners’ behavior, regional environmental policies, and their role concerning the impacts of exurban settlements on the natural environment. This paper uses remote sensing imagery, census data, and primary data to analyze land cover change due to the emergence of exurban communities around Kurgan, Russia, with specific emphasis on the changes to native vegetation resulting from human behavior and stakeholder preferences.