Satisfaction Evaluation of Rural Human Settlements in Northwest China: Method and Application

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

Rural settlements are the spatial carriers of rural multifunctionality, and various issues related to livability are the main manifestations and causes of unbalanced and insufficient rural development. In the new era, it is imperative to promote the livability of rural settlements with the implementation of rural revitalization. However, compared with urban settlements, there are still fewer studies on the livability of rural settlements, especially those in disaster-prone areas; thus, this paper takes the upper reaches of the Minjiang River as the study area. It adopts GIS spatial analysis and the model of minimum cumulative resistance, etc., to conduct a livability evaluation and construct an optimization model by innovatively taking five aspects into account including site security and resource endowment. The results show that: (1) The overall livability of the region is relatively good, and the main factors affecting the livability are site security and economic affluence; (2) The location of rural settlements was highly livability-oriented, and the area of rural settlements in the moderate- and high-livability zones accounted for more than 90%; and (3) The key to improving the livability of rural settlements lies in the construction of development synergy, disaster management, cultural preservation and industrial upgrading, and thus, four types of settlement livability enhancement are proposed. The research results provide theoretical support for the construction of livable villages in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River and similar mountainous areas.

Villagers' Satisfaction Evaluation System of Rural Human Settlement Construction: Empirical Study of Suzhou in China's Rapid Urbanization Area

Continuous improvement of rural human settlements is a major realistic requirement of China's economic and social development in the context of rural revitalization. Tracking and evaluating the phased progress of human settlement construction in stages represent important techniques for ensuring continual improvement. To improve the current objective data-based index system, this paper focuses on the villager-centered evaluation system at the village level. Factor analysis is used to screen the original data from the questionnaire and minimize the dimensions to synthesize common factors on the basis of empirical results. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) according to weight, the satisfaction evaluation system includes five common factors: living support facilities, nonagricultural industry income, agriculture production income, transportation infrastructure, and comprehensive ecological improvement. The results show that construction investment is beneficial, but not directly proportional to the villagers' satisfaction. Actual improvement is not keeping up with the demand for public fitness, cultural, and recreational facilities. On the other hand, changes in villagers' lifestyles may reduce the need for commercial facilities; (2) according to the evaluation model, the indicators can be classified into four categories on the basis of the weight assessment score, all of which can provide differentiated construction strategies to avoid duplication and inefficient resource waste. The survey data's indicators of major differences between villages, such as public transportation and sanitation, need further discussion; (3) the gap between actual improvement actions and villagers' needs gives an optimization path for rural construction. The experiences of sample villages in well-developed areas can be used as a model for policy formulation in other regions, and a long-term follow-up investigation should be included in future studies.

How Do the New Residential Areas in Bucharest Satisfy Population Demands, and Where Do They Fall Short?

In recent years, Bucharest’s residential dynamics have thrived, fueled by growing demand and an insufficient housing fund. This study aimed to analyze the residential satisfaction of those living in newly built dwellings. Its objectives were to identify the characteristics of three new residential areas and analyze the satisfaction level among residents regarding both their dwellings and neighborhoods. The investigation employed direct observations during the fieldwork phase (through observation sheets and mapping methods) and surveys (through questionnaires with residents and interviews with developers). Its results highlighted spaces that exhibit an increase in residential constructions, with a tendency to expand toward suburban areas, without necessarily meeting legislative requirements. When measuring the population’s residential satisfaction level, the study observed a general satisfaction regarding dwellings’ modernity and price but noticeable differences within the sample residential nuclei. The solutions proposed by residents mainly target authorities, who were held responsible for developing the urban infrastructure prior to granting building permits, as well as for vetting developers better and requiring them to respect the legislation. Hence, scientists, local authorities, real-estate developers and the local population represent the beneficiaries of the current study’s results.

GIS-Based Modeling of Human Settlement Suitability for the Belt and Road Regions

(1) Background: Human settlements are a basic requirement for human survival and development. The natural suitability of human settlements directly affects human health and their quality of life and, to some extent, also dictates the size of the regional population and economy, as well as the level of urbanization. (2) Methods: This study presents a kilometer grid-based comprehensive human settlement suitability (HSS) evaluation model (containing the relief degree of the land surface (RDLS), the temperature–humidity index (THI), the land surface water abundance index (LSWAI), and the land cover index (LCI)). (3) Results: Based on the correlations between the four factors (i.e., the normalized RDLS (NRDLS), normalized THI (NTHI), LSWAI, and LCI), the NRDLS and NTHI were determined to be the leading factors, and the LSWAI and LCI were considered to be the auxiliary factors. The auxiliary factors were used to enhance the comprehensive HSS model determined by the leading factors. Based on this logic, spatial and index models were established separately. The HSS index for the BRI regions ranged from 0.07 to 1.00. Six levels of HSS were determined—namely, unsuitable, critically unsuitable, critically suitable, generally suitable, moderately suitable, and highly suitable conditions. In particular, the human settlements suitability is dominated by critically suitable and suitable conditions that accounted for 63% of the BRI. (4) Conclusions: The evaluation results of human settlements showed that topographic and climatic conditions are important limiting factors for the suitability of human settlements. Due to the renewability and manmade adjustability of hydrological and land cover conditions, the comprehensive suitability of human settlements shows differences in different geographic spaces along the BRI. The results provide a decision-making basis for the research on the resource carrying capacity and reasonable distribution of populations in the BRI, so as to realize the sustainable development along the regions.

Social Network, Cognition and Participation in Rural Health Governance

Rural health governance is an important part of low-carbon green life, which is also related to the sustainable development and population health project in rural areas. Based on the survey data of 2343 rural residents in China, this study adopted a binary logistic regression model to explore the effects of rural residents’ social network and cognition on their participation in rural health governance. The research results show that only less than 30% of the respondents participated in rural health governance, and the proportion of rural resident participating is not high. Both their social network and cognition have a significant impact on their participation in rural health governance. Introverted communication helps strengthen the connection between rural residents, form the network and structure of rural social communication, build emotional links and common interests, and form a common cultural understanding paradigm and action framework. The extraverted communication means that rural residents gradually break away from the social network of acquaintances, which is not conducive to building a rural community. Rural residents’ understanding of behavior begins to deviate from rural culture, customs and emotional values, and the binding force of traditional culture is reduced, making it difficult to motivate them to participate in rural public life. Policy cognition can improve rural residents’ recognition of the value and significance of health governance. Responsibility awareness is the internal driving force for rural residents to participate in health governance, which can also reduce the governance cost of rural managers. Based on this, increasing rural residents’ introverted communication and cultivating their sense of responsibility are key to promoting their participation in rural health governance.

Practical Village Planning Strategy of Different Types of Villages—A Case Study of 38 Villages in Shapingba District, Chongqing

Practical village planning is not only an important guide for implementing the rural revitalization strategy but also an important support for building a sustainable rural development model. The scientific measurement of rural development potential to effectively identify the future development direction and mode of rural areas is of great significance to realize the implementation of “hierarchical and key points” of village planning. Taking 38 villages in Shapingba District of Chongqing as the study area, this study comprehensively measures the rural development potential from four dimensions: location advantage, resource endowment, economic vitality, and development constraint. Results reveal the following: (1) the spatial distribution pattern of rural development potential in the study area is centered on the central and southern urban development area, gradually decreasing toward the peripheral area. The village development potential tends to be balanced overall, but differences are observed in advantage and development obstacles of villages in the district, and the four sub-dimensions show a large spatial heterogeneity;(2) the 38 administrative villages were divided into four types, namely, core planning area, important planning area, general planning area, and basic control area. Their percentages were 13.16%, 52.63%, 23.68%, and 10.53%, respectively; (3) differentiated planning contents and strategies for different types of areas are adopted to prepare well-detailed and clearly focused village plans to promote sustainable rural development.

Analysis on the Evolution of Rural Settlement Pattern and Its Influencing Factors in China from 1995 to 2015

Since the early 1990s, China has experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization. As cities have expanded rapidly, the spatial patterns of rural settlements also changed significantly. This study uses land use data from satellite imagery interpretation, socioeconomic statistics, and field survey data, together with techniques including landscape pattern analysis, kernel density estimation, and spatial measurement models, to analyze the evolving spatial patterns of rural settlements influencing factors in China from 1995 to 2015. The results indicate the following: First, China’s rural settlements experienced significant changes in the period 1995–2015, as 88.92% of Prefectural-level administrative district units saw an increase in rural settlement area, with total settlement size increasing by 1.35 million hectares, and settlement area sprawl index values can be summarized as “high in the west and low in the east”. Second, in the two-decade study period, the population agglomeration capacity of rural settlements in China continuously weakened, and the shape and structure of rural settlement became more complex and irregular. The scale and scope of the disappearance of rural settlement areas in the northeast and southeast regions was relatively drastic, and the kernel density value of settlements dropped significantly. Third, the increase in rural settlement land area is concentrated in low-altitude and low-slope areas, with a significant tendency to be near water and roads. Fourth, social and economic factors, such as per capita net income of rural residents, the proportion of the population employed in agriculture, the size and structure of the permanent rural population, local fiscal revenue, and urbanization level, are the main factors that cause changes of rural settlement patterns. The results of this study can serve as a reference for promoting regional rural sustainable development policies and advancing rural spatial governance and comprehensive revitalization.