Identification and Optimization of the Spatial Structure of Urban and Rural Settlements from a Hierarchical Network Perspective

Abstract

China has entered a new era of comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization and integrated urban–rural development. The identification and optimization of the spatial structure of urban and rural settlements are of great significance to the realization of rural revitalization and integrated urban–rural development. This study proposes a method framework for identifying and optimizing the spatial structure of urban and rural settlements from a hierarchical network perspective. This framework includes three parts—namely, the identification, analysis, and optimization of the hierarchical network structure of these settlements. The identification of this structure is the foundation of this study. To realize the identification, for each settlement, this study finds and retains its strongest interaction with other settlements which have a stronger capacity for development. This study used Hua County in Henan, China, as an example to verify the method framework. Results showed that the spatial structure of the urban and rural settlements in Hua County identified in this study was complete and continuous, with significant hierarchical and community characteristics. Based on this, a five-level optimization system of these settlements was constructed. This study expands the method used to study the spatial structure of urban and rural settlements from the network perspective and has a theoretical and practical significance for the optimization of the spatial structure of these settlements.

Measuring the Level of Urban–Rural Integration Development and Analyzing the Spatial Pattern Based on the New Development Concept: Evidence from Cities in the Yellow River Basin

“…Starting from the perspective of the regional policy context and a summary of practice patterns, the local diversity and specificity of URIs in Latvia, Europe, was analysed [31]. The research on China's URID mostly adopts quantitative methods for evaluation, including the comprehensive index method [27], coupling coordination degree model [32], fuzzy comprehensive analysis method [33], geographical weighted regression analysis method [25], and social network analysis [34], etc. In terms of the frequency used for quantitative evaluation, the integrated index method and the coupled coordination model were mostly used, which reflects the concepts of system theory and binary structure theory.…”

Roadside Vegetation Functions, Woody Plant Values, and Ecosystem Services in Rural Streetscapes: A Qualitative Study on Rural Settlements in Western Slovakia

“…The following species were identified: Acer campestre L. ( 4), Betula pendula Roth (5), Fraxinus excelsior L. ( 5 3), Prunus laurocerasus 'Nana' (10), Rosa canina L. (10), Rubus idaeus L. (2), Spiraea x vanhouttei 'Renaissance' (2), and Swida sanguinea (L.) Opiz. (18). Six woody plant species are in accordance with the potential natural vegetation of this area: Acer campestre L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Tilia cordata Mill., Corylus avellana L., Rubus idaeus L., and Swida sanguinea (L.) Opiz., see Figures 8 and 9.…”

“…Functional zones dedicated to mobility and transportation include streetscapes, pedestrian paths, cycle trails and objects of static and dynamic transportation [17]. An efficient spatial organisation of these functional zones is of crucial importance [18]. Transportation corridors connect different functional zones throughout the settlement structure, and they belong to open spaces with the highest frequency of use.…”

Evaluation and Optimization Model of Rural Settlement Habitability in the Upper Reaches of the Minjiang River, China

“…In order to address the problems of construction land expansion encroaching on surrounding villages, the scattered layout of rural settlements, and low efficiency of rural land use, relevant scholars often classify rural settlements into different upgrading types and propose corresponding optimization and upgrading strategies. The optimization of rural settlements can take two directions: one is to optimize the spatial hierarchical relationship of settlements and their governance system to form a clear hierarchical functional positioning [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]; the other is to explore the reasonable regulation and coordination of regional tertiary and biological space to identify various patterns of settlement development [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Long and Liu [ 24 ] divided the types of rural settlement reconstruction into three aspects, namely, spatial structure, economic structure and social structure reconstruction, which emphasized the key points of rural structural adjustment in China.…”