Exploring Spatial Variations in the Relationships between Landscape Functions and Human Activities in Suburban Rural Communities: A Case Study in Jiangning District, China

Abstract

There is a complicated and contradictory relationship between landscape functions and human activities, especially in the suburban rural communities of metropolises. Previous studies focused on human interference to landscape function, ignoring the impact of landscape functions on human activities. Hence, the present study is focused on the impact of landscape function (based on ecosystem services) on human activities in suburban rural communities of China. The study evaluated the intensity of human activities based on big data; furthermore, the authors analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics through spatial autocorrelation, and probed into the spatial variations in the relationship between human activities and landscape functions using ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models. The result indicates that there are obvious spatial distribution differences in the intensity of human activities in suburban rural communities; that is, the intensity decreases from the inner to the outer suburban areas. Positive influencing factors of human activities are construction area, bus station, road network density, and leisure entertainment, among which, construction area is the principal driver; cultural heritage, hydrological regulation, and provision of aesthetics are negatively or positively correlated with human activities in various regions. The results offer insights for the sustainable development of rural environment in suburban areas and the big data-driven rural research.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Extremadura (SW Spain) during the Period 2014–2020:New Opportunities for Economic Diversification in Rural Areas?

“…From a methodological point of view, the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model as a GIS-based spatial regression method has been used in tourism-related research aimed at assessing the tourism potential of rural areas [42,43] and urban areas [44]. At the same time, Molinero-Parejo et al and Zheng et al [45,46] have applied it to research on landscape and land use changes in suburban and rural areas due to urban sprawl and on the mechanisms and changes in agricultural areas [47]. Evans et al [48] have used GWR to analyze farms, seeking to determine, through this tool, how the use of digital technologies can improve farm profitability and sustainability.…”

Human Activity Intensity in China under Multi-Factor Interactions: Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors

“…We comprehensively evaluated HAI in China from 1980 to 2018. Unlike existing studies [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44], this paper comprehensively considers multiple dimensions of HAI changes and reveals the spatial heterogeneity of such changes. Although the HAI in the Yangtze River Delta in 2018 was slightly lower than that of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, its growth trend in the Yangtze River Delta was steeper.…”

Resident Willingness to Pay for Ecosystem Services in Hillside Forests

“…Well-maintained forests in hillside areas enable local residents to reap benefits from ecosystem services. Hillslope lands are vulnerable to climate change and human activities [16,17]. Human disturbance can aggravate landslides and water and soil pollutions [18].…”