Interpreting What is Rural and Urban for Western U.S. Counties

The paper examines how rural and urban are interpreted and applied to counties in eleven states in the western United States. After reviewing various conceptual approaches, we turn to a three-part analysis of county commissioners' perceptions and census data to identify characteristics associated with urban-ness and rurality. The analysis involves comparing qualitative and quantitative survey and interview data, using a multiple regression analysis to correlate census variables with commissioners' perceptions of their home counties, and using cluster analysis techniques on census variables to identify patterns and unevenness in rurality and urbanness. Three characteristics mentioned by the widest range of commissioners and found to be statistically significant in the regression analysis were population concentration, total population, and the agricultural land base. Population concentration, in particular, was identified most frequently by interviewees as the single most important variable in characterizing an urban county and had the most meaningful contribution to predicting commissioners' perceptions of their home counties in the regression analysis. The cluster analysis identified five county types: largest urban centers, growing regional hubs, high growth rural, dispersed rural, and stable rural agriculture. These county types were widely distributed, reflecting the spatial unevenness of macroscale processes operating across eleven western states.     

Dynamic mechanism and present situation of rural settlement evolution in China

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the factors influencing the evolution of rural settlements, including natural environmental constraints, infrastructure, regional cultural inheritance and integration, urbanization and rural industrial transformation, land use reformation and innovation, rural household behavior conversion, macro-control policy factors, and so on. Based on differences between the ways and degree of effect on rural settlement evolution, these factors are classified into basic factors, new-type factors and mutation factors. The drive of basic factors mainly focuses on the traditional inheritance of rural settlements, the new-type factors mainly affect rural settlement transition, and the mutation factors may bring about sudden changes. All these factors constitute a “three-wheel” driving mechanism for the evolution of rural settlements, and shape three typical driver paths: slow smooth path under the basic factors, new path to rapid development under the new-type factors, and the sudden change path under the mutation factors. The paper also investigates the overall situation of rural settlement evolution in the aspects of settlement system, settlement scale, settlement morphology, settlement function, settlement culture, settlement environment, etc. The general process of rural settlement evolution is divided into four stages: initial, transitional, developmental, and mature stages.     

生态补偿方式对农户可持续生计影响分析

对长汀县2000年以来的生态补偿措施进行分类,总结出各生态补偿方式的具体形式和补偿客体;并基于可持续生计分析框架,系统阐述了各生态补偿方式对农户生计资本、生计策略和生计结果的影响．结果表明,现金补偿部分缓解了因封山育林等措施对农户生计造成的不利影响;实物补偿增强了主要参与农户的物质资本,并确定了以农业为主的生计策略和相对稳定的纯收入;政策补偿主要使主要参与农户获得具有稳定产权的山地资源;技术补偿和产业补偿的作用相对较弱．最后,为增强今后各类农户可持续生计,提出技术补偿、政策补偿和产业补偿方式方面的具体对策．     

基于扎根理论的乡村人居环境系统脆弱性-恢复力整合研究——演化特征、路径与理论模型

面对无处不在且不可预测的变化,减轻乡村人居环境系统脆弱性,增强恢复力成为实现乡村可持续发展与振兴的必要途径。基于田野调查与扎根理论方法,以黄土高原佳县为研究区,自下而上建构了乡村人居环境系统脆弱性-恢复力的演化路径与理论模型。研究发现：(1)自然生态系统、社会经济系统、设施与服务系统范畴形成了7组典型脆弱性-恢复力演化路径。其中,地形与生态、气候变化与灾害、农业农村市场、人口发展等范畴为演化路径中的扰动来源,政策与工程、家庭行为范畴为应对扰动的行动策略,每条路径表现出相应的脆弱性、恢复力演变特征。(2)聚焦乡村人居环境系统的现实困境,政府与家庭两大利益主体做出了减轻脆弱性、建立恢复力的响应行动。家庭响应聚焦于生计及公共服务领域,缺乏应对生态风险、人口空心化与文化淡化的行动。政府层面侧重于响应经济与生计困境、生态风险,而在建立文化恢复力与应对公共服务供给脆弱性的广泛行动较为缺乏。(3)提出了“三足式”系统脆弱性-恢复力演化理论模型。“三足”分指扰动、行动、脆弱性-恢复力演化结果,三足之间交互耦合,且行动内部政府层与家庭层相互适应。最后,文章基于热点范畴、脆弱性与恢复力联合、家庭行为方面提...     

The Influences of Various Factors and Interest Demands on Linpan Landscape Evolution in the Chengdu Plain: A Qualitative Study based on Oral Histories

Traditional rural homegarden agroforestry systems in the Chengdu Plain of China are often referred to as “Linpan” in Chinese, which integrates the landscape of ecological functions and human production activities. In recent years, due to the influences of urbanization and the aging population, the Linpan landscape has changed dramatically. Clarifying the factors which influence Linpan landscape evolution is a critical way to improve rural landscape renovation. Through oral history interviews, the deep-seated factors driving the evolution of the Linpan landscape form from 1949 to 2020 are explored using the grounded theory. The results show that in the process of Linpan landscape evolution, beneficiary groups, the material basis, and cultural characteristics are the prerequisites for changing the Linpan settlement landscape. The demand of production and life and government-led behavior are the two main influencing factors, and landscape change is the final result. The demand of production and life from the residents is the primary internal driving force of landscape change, while government-led behavior is the main external driving force of settlement development and evolution. The nature of the main driving forces behind the evolution of the Linpan landscape in the Chengdu Plain can be divided into three stages. (1) From 1949 to 1980, it was characterized as a balancing of government forces and social forces. (2) From 1981 to 1993, it was characterized by social forces suppressing government forces. (3) From 1994 to 2020, it was characterized as a stalemate between the government and social forces. From the perspective of the evolution of the Linpan settlement landscape, the traditional Linpan form and settlement layout have been unable to meet the new requirements of the rural social and economic transition period. They are facing the challenges of rural reconstruction and rural revitalization. In the future, village and town planning and the design of new settlements need to comprehensively consider the demands of different interest groups.     

The look of agricultural landscapes – How do non-crop landscape elements contribute to visual preferences in a large-scale agricultural landscape?

ABSTRACT

Efficiency in agricultural food production has long been in focus and this has affected the spatial structure of agricultural land use. One outcome has been extensive criticism based on a wide range of negative consequences, such as for biodiversity, accessibility, cultural heritage, and aesthetics. In line with the European Landscape Convention (ELC), management of people’s everyday landscapes is important. In Norway, agricultural landscapes are the ‘everyday landscape’ for a large proportion of the population. The aim of the article is to contribute to the understanding of landscape changes perceived as positive or negative by the inhabitants. The authors focused on grain-crop dominated landscapes and the impact of smaller non-crop elements on people’s landscape preferences. They administered a photo-based questionnaire using manipulated photos to assess preferences for different agricultural landscapes. Additionally, people’s perceived objectives for the agricultural sector and agriculture’s primary functions were assessed. The results documented positive perceptions of added landscape elements and that people were both aware of and agreed on the multifunctional role of agriculture. The authors conclude that if the public’s preferences are to be taken into consideration, such as during policymaking, it is important to maintain various landscape elements in the large-scale grain field landscapes of Norway.     

Effects of Social Learning on Rural Farmers’ Adaptive Capacity: Empirical Insights from the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

Abstract

Environmental challenges in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta characterized by adverse impacts of climate change, upstream hydropower development and localized dyke expansion present imperatives for rural farmers to “learn to adapt.” However, little is known about how learning contributes to improving their capacity in adapting to these “wicked” problems. This study investigates potential effects of farmers’ learning on their adaptive capacity, utilizing nine focus group discussions, 33 interviews, and a structured survey of 300 farmers. The exploratory factor analysis produced two factors for social learning: (1) learning through social interactions and (2) self-reflection, and one factor for adaptive capacity. The regression results show that the social learning factors have significantly positive effects on adaptive capacity. Farmers with a higher level of social learning are likely to demonstrate higher adaptive capacity. The findings call for policy considerations to promote learning in a broader context of the delta to enhance local capacity.     

景观美学视角下的农村土地整治探讨

在建设美丽中国的背景下,农村土地整治不仅要增加耕地、节约集约利用建设用地和保护生态环境,发挥其经济价值、社会价值和生态价值,还要发挥其美学价值,为建设美丽乡村做出贡献。该文探讨了景观美学与农村土地整治的关系,探索了农村土地整治的景观美学要素及其内涵,从宏观、中观和微观尺度分析了农村土地整治的主要内容,以期为丰富土地整治理念、内容等提供有益借鉴。     

无人机航测遥感技术在农村土地承包经营权登记试点中的应用

简要介绍农村土地承包经营权登记试点工作概况和无人机航摄技术的特点,结合工程实例介绍了利用无人机航摄影像制作DOM的作业过程,描述其中的航拍、像片控制测量、空三加密及DOM制作。     

Competing Perceptions of the Rural Idyll: responses to threats from coal seam gas development in Gloucester,NSW, Australia

Threats to rural livelihoods and rural landscapes have increased over time as developed nations in particular look for cheaper and more locally based alternatives to traditional energy sources to drive national economies. In New South Wales, through the expansion of coal mines and coal seam gas (CSG), small towns such as Gloucester on the edge of the Upper Hunter are faced with competing visions which seek to redefine their future. Powerful and competing discourses over land use threaten not only the sustainability of the region but the integrity of its sense of place, centred on community, rurality, agricultural production and confrontation of risk from mining. The different discourses of local groups such as ‘tree-changers’, established residents and farmers conflict with those of external organisations such as the State government and mining/CSG companies which envisage Gloucester as a ‘balanced’ space of co-existence and position it as a new node in the carbon supply chain.