Spatiotemporal dynamics and influencing factors of rural settlement reclamation in China from 2000 to 2020

Abstract

To address the imbalances in rural human-land relationship amid rapid urbanization, the Chinese government has been undertaking extensive rural settlement reclamation efforts across the country since the 2000s. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics and influencing factors of these efforts remain unclear. This study analyzes the spatiotemporal distribution and influencing factors of rural settlement reclamation in China from 2000 to 2020 using spatiotemporal land use data and the Geographical and Temporal Weighted Regression (GTWR) model, achieving a satisfactory adjusted R² of 0.8037. The research reveals significant progress in rural settlement reclamation, with approximately 34,589 km² of rural settlement area reclaimed, primarily in the North China Plain, Northeast Plain, and northern Xinjiang. The regression results show that the key factors influencing reclamation include per capita rural settlement area, geological hazards density, rural population change, and per capita cultivated land area. This study also highlights the significant spatiotemporal non-stationarity of influencing factors such as per capita rural settlement area and geological hazards density across different regions and time periods. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal evolution of rural settlement reclamation while offering crucial insights for policymakers. They highlight the importance of adaptive, region-specific strategies for rural land consolidation to promote sustainable development by harmonizing human-land relationships with population dynamics and economic considerations in rural areas.