Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-07DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107969
Qiufang Li , Wenxiong Wang , Lihong Yu , Zongbao Feng , Yongzheng Cui , Yihao Meng
{"title":"Unlocking fit-for-purpose institutional configurations for efficient collaboration: Evidence from China’s comprehensive land consolidation","authors":"Qiufang Li , Wenxiong Wang , Lihong Yu , Zongbao Feng , Yongzheng Cui , Yihao Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107969","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107969","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A key challenge for the sustainable development of fit-for-purpose Comprehensive Land Consolidation (CLC) is the design of institutional configurations that enable effective multi-subject collaboration. To identify the collaborative elements and the configurational pathways that produce efficient collaboration in CLC, this study develops a theoretical framwork comprising four dimensions: policy environment, collaborative capacity, collaborative motivation, and collaborative dependence. An empirical analysis is subsequently conducted using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) on typical CLC projects in Hubei Province, China, which investigated the complex causal relationships between various factors of multi-subject collaboration and the collaboration effect from the configuration perspective, revealing the configurational pathways that produce efficient collaboration. The results indicate that (1) The fsQCA reveals four distinct institutional configuration pathways that produce efficient collaboration: collaborative capacity-driven, policy-motivation-driven, policy-structure dependency-driven, and multi-element-driven. (2) The NCA indicates that no single element constitutes a necessary condition for achieving efficient collaboration; rather, it requires the multiple elements to function jointly at high levels. These findings provide a scientific configurational playbook for policymakers, offering evidence-based strategies to design institutional frameworks that are \"fit for purpose\" in different local contexts, thereby promoting the sustainable development of CLC in China and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107969"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107940
Klaus Deininger, Daniel Ayalew Ali
{"title":"Using satellite imagery and a farmer registry to assess agricultural support in conflict settings: The case of the producer support grant program in Ukraine","authors":"Klaus Deininger, Daniel Ayalew Ali","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Individuals affected by conflict are often in particular need of support, yet allocating such support transparently, delivering it effectively in an unsafe environment, and assessing its impact pose challenges. This paper uses the case of a US$ 50 million cash grant program for small farmers in Ukraine to show how, after the Russian invasion in 2022, these challenges were addressed by (i) establishing a digital farmer registry and transferring support directly into beneficiaries’ bank account; (ii) tying support to registered land ownership and use; and (iii) using remotely sensed information to assess if beneficiaries’ registered land was used productively. We describe program design and implementation and apply a difference-in-differences design to a 2019–23 panel of all fields (as identified by cadastral boundaries) used by close to 50,000 registered farmers to assess impact on area cultivated as assessed from remotely sensed imagery. The program is found to have significantly increased the total area cultivated with modestly sized impacts that were most pronounced near the frontline and for the smallest farmers. The evidence presented suggests that, even in conflict-affected low-capacity environments, digital means allow support to affected populations to be transparently and effectively delivered and monitored. Implications for digital farm registries beyond Ukraine are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107940"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146032783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using the theory of planned behavior to assess Seychellois farmers’ intentions to adopt agroforestry","authors":"Daniel Etongo , Jean-Claude Labrosse , Larrisha Serret , Sandra Sinon","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agroforestry is crucial in Africa for its ability to enhance food security, improve livelihoods, and promote sustainable land management by integrating trees into farmlands, thereby addressing climate change. Studies addressing the role of psychological factors in the adoption of agroforestry in Africa and island contexts are urgently needed. An extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was applied to assess its influence towards agroforestry adoption among farmers in Seychelles. A stratified random sampling was used to select 247 farmers across the five agricultural zones in Seychelles, and the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach, together with descriptive statistics, was applied in the analysis. The results indicate that knowledge improves the explanation of adoption and has a positive impact on farmers’ adoption of agroforestry. At the same time, the core TPB variables were found to be statistically insignificant. Regarding the four intention questions administered among the farmers, 67.2 % are willing to learn about agroforestry practices, 65.6 % are willing to receive information about agroforestry, and 60 % are eager to adopt agroforestry with financial support. In contrast, another 47.4 % are willing to adopt agroforestry without financial support. Despite these high levels of agreement, most TPB factors were insignificant predictors of the outcome. The lack of a significant influence of the TPB factors in our study suggests that we cannot confirm that TPB variables affect actual adoption and may support the common criticism of the model concerning the well-known intention-behaviour “gap”. We therefore recommend repeating this study in the next five years with the same farmers to address the intention-action gap. Lastly, studies on agroforestry adoption and retention are crucial, as some adopters may discontinue using the technology for various reasons.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107943"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146000530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107962
Cathal O’Donoghue , Mohammed Zajeer Ahmed , Patrick McGetrick
{"title":"A novel approach to undertake a socio-economic impact assessment of a major urban regeneration project","authors":"Cathal O’Donoghue , Mohammed Zajeer Ahmed , Patrick McGetrick","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107962","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107962","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban regeneration investments, particularly those involving multi-million-euro allocations, require diverse evaluation methodologies to comprehensively assess their impacts. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of a substantial urban regeneration investment in Limerick, a county in west of Ireland, characterized by significant deprivation. The case study examined is the Limerick opera house, a major mixed-use development comprising office space, a public library, hotel accommodation, and leisure facilities. This project offers an exemplary context for analysing a complex urban regeneration initiative characterised by multiple, interrelated objective. Utilizing a hybrid, downscaled multi regional input output (MRIO) analysis alongside impact analysis, this study examines the economic, environmental, and social impacts of the project. The results indicate that the project generated 1676.43 jobs during the construction phase and 2400 jobs in the long-term phase. However, the employment opportunities created did not substantially benefit deprived areas, primarily due to a mismatch between the skill sets required for the jobs and those available within the local population. This study highlights the necessity for supplementary training and upskilling initiatives to effectively target these communities. Future research may focus on refining the model from an environmental perspective, incorporating more robust methodologies for carbon pricing and cost-benefit analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107962"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107953
Seulki Kim , Euijune Kim
{"title":"How does vacant housing redevelopment policy reshape regional housing markets? A dynamic spatial housing-CGE analysis","authors":"Seulki Kim , Euijune Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107953","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107953","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With regional populations declining, reduced housing demand has led to a growing prevalence of vacant housing, long regarded as one of the most visible manifestations of urban shrinkage. Beyond being an outcome of demand contraction, vacant housing constitutes an inactive portion of the existing stock that constrains effective supply despite its physical presence in the market, thereby reducing allocative efficiency in regional housing systems. This study develops a dynamic Spatial Housing-CGE model to analyze the impacts of vacant housing redevelopment policies on regional housing markets. The simulations show that policy effects vary spatially depending on the policy’s focus and objectives. Vacant housing redevelopment in the old downtown increases housing demand by 0.038% annually and reduces prices by 0.881%—indicating its effectiveness for stabilizing markets and promoting spatial equity in declining inner-city districts. In contrast, redevelopment in the new downtown raises demand by 0.023% and lowers prices by 0.41%—making it more suitable for enhancing urban competitiveness and supporting growth in emerging centers. Moreover, integrating transportation infrastructure with redevelopment in the old downtown creates a synergistic effect that amplifies policy outcomes, driving up housing demand by 0.047% and regional welfare by 5.541%—the most substantial gains among all scenarios, though accompanied by notable adverse spillover effects on surrounding markets. These findings reveal how vacant housing redevelopment policies reshape regional housing markets, underscoring that their effectiveness and efficiency vary depending on whether the policy goal emphasizes spatial equity or growth-oriented development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107953"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107927
Yiwei Wang , Yuping Bai , Jie Wang , Xiangzheng Deng , Yecui Hu , Xin Chen
{"title":"Rethinking workable solutions for saving cultivated land use and enhancing climate adaptation through diet shifts","authors":"Yiwei Wang , Yuping Bai , Jie Wang , Xiangzheng Deng , Yecui Hu , Xin Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107927","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107927","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China’s rapid economic development has profoundly transformed residents’ dietary patterns, which has not only intensified pressure on cultivated land but also posed severe challenges to climate change response. Establishing a sustainable dietary system helps ensure China’s food and nutrition security. In this study, we designed nine types of dietary shift patterns and developed a multi-regional input-output model at high sector resolution to assess the changes of cultivated land use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, we explored the linkages among nutritional quality, food affordability, cultivated land use, and GHG emissions across different provinces and proposed differentiated strategies to facilitate dietary transition. We found that adopting alternative diets increased the intake of beneficial nutrients but also inevitably increased the intake of restricted-intake nutrients. Environmental impact analysis reveals that the consumption of grain and meat contribute to 70 % of cultivated land occupation and 90 % of GHG emissions. Except for the High-Meat scenario, the reduction in meat consumption has positive effects in all other dietary scenarios, leading to 6–35 % decrease in embodied cultivated land and 11–43 % reduction in embodied GHG emissions. Moreover, the affordability assessment indicates that western regions of China face greater affordability challenges in diet transition. Our findings highlight the complex trade-offs and synergies among nutritional quality, food affordability, cultivated land use, and GHG emissions through diet shifts. Developing differentiated dietary transition strategies is crucial for achieving multiple co-benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107927"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107959
Guolin Gu, Wen Fan
{"title":"Painful hopes? The health and well-being impacts of land expropriation in Chinese villages","authors":"Guolin Gu, Wen Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107959","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Debates over state-led land expropriation in rural China often center on whether it constitutes victimization or empowerment. This paper reconciles these competing narratives by examining the health and well-being impacts of land expropriation on two groups: (1) individuals who lost land, and (2) those living in villages where expropriation occurred without being directly dispossessed. Using nationally representative longitudinal survey data from the China Family Panel Studies (2010–2018), covering 14,471 individuals across 411 villages, we find that expropriation is associated with significant declines in physical health for both groups. At the same time, it fosters greater life satisfaction and future confidence among those indirectly affected, particularly in villages with low levels of mutual trust. These findings suggest that victimization and empowerment can happen concurrently but for different outcomes and for different segments of the population. They also call for rural development policies to ensure that perceived opportunities are translated into tangible benefits for villagers facing expropriation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107959"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-07DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107968
Brenda Brito, Jeferson Almeida
{"title":"Legal incentives for public land grabbing via deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon","authors":"Brenda Brito, Jeferson Almeida","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107968","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107968","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines how federal and state land laws in the Brazilian Amazon create incentives that benefit private actors illegally occupying public lands, who subsequently seek legalization through land titling. Throughout this process, they invade public lands, deforest the area to signal occupation, request land titles to governmental agencies, and often lobby to modify land laws in favor of title acquisition. While existing scholarship has focused primarily on federal land policies, this study provides a systematic assessment of land laws in all nine Amazonian states, which are particularly relevant given that between 40 % and 60 % of undesignated public land in the region falls under state jurisdiction. Here, we identify five structural incentives embedded in current land legislation that favor the persistence of public land encroachment: (i) the absence or extension of cut-off dates for the occupation of public lands that can be titled; (ii) the possibility of issuing titles over illegally deforested areas; (iii) the weakness or lack of requirements to restore environmental damage prior to titling; (iv) the pricing mechanisms that substantially undervalues public land; and (v) the limited coordination among land agencies, resulting in an increased risk of titles being issued in areas with other land claims’ priorities according to the law. Our results highlight how current land laws contribute to inefficient allocation of public land, fiscal losses, and continued deforestation. These findings provide empirical support for policy debates in Brazil focused on aligning land laws with environmental protection, climate commitments, and more efficient management of public assets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107968"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107973
Chendi Yang , Hao Huang , Sian Meng , Yunjie Zhang , Jacqueline T.Y. Lo , Rui Ma
{"title":"Typology-based spatial modeling of urban block commercial vitality: Evidence from Shenzhen for land use planning","authors":"Chendi Yang , Hao Huang , Sian Meng , Yunjie Zhang , Jacqueline T.Y. Lo , Rui Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107973","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107973","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Commercial vitality, or the ability of urban commercial facilities to attract and maintain human activity, is a key indicator of economic performance, urban vitality, and spatial equity. Current research focuses on commercial agglomeration areas, overlooking dispersed activities within heterogeneous urban forms. This study develops a typology-driven spatial framework for block commercial vitality (BCV) prediction through spatial feature engineering that integrates multi-source urban data with neighborhood catchment area (NCA). Shenzhen serves as the empirical setting, with real-time population flow data as a BCV proxy. Five categories of spatial features, demographic exposure, commercial gravity, small business intensity, transportation accessibility, and spatial configuration, were extracted to delineate the urban physical environment. Urban blocks were classified into nine morphological types by the Spacematrix method to place predictions in context. Three prediction models were compared, and the Random Forest regression performed best in predictive accuracy in empirical analysis. Feature importance analysis identified catering density, permanent population, and commercial gravity as the most influential predictors, while transportation and spatial configuration exert secondary influence. The framework indicates a stronger predictive performance for future-oriented block types compared to transitional mid-rise types. It provides methodological insights that are potentially transferable to other urban contexts to guide commercial planning, zoning optimization, and target renewal interventions at the block level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107973"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Land Use PolicyPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107966
Jonas Böhm , Thomas de Witte , Frank Offermann , Uwe Latacz-Lohmann
{"title":"Preserving agricultural land with agrivoltaic – But at what cost? An economic analysis of different agrivoltaic systems in Germany","authors":"Jonas Böhm , Thomas de Witte , Frank Offermann , Uwe Latacz-Lohmann","doi":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.107966","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agrivoltaic systems have been advocated for their potential to reduce land use conflicts, as they enable the combined production of food and electricity on the same land. This paper determines the additional costs of agrivoltaic systems over conventional ground-mounted photovoltaic facilities on farmland and relates the extra cost to the amount of land saved, yielding an estimate of the costs of preserving farmland with agrivoltaics. The analysis is based upon extensive data collection from project developers as a basis of the cost calculations for various agrivoltaic and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems and system sizes. Net returns from farming under the agrivoltaic systems are credited against the costs of these systems. The levelized costs of electricity generation (LCOE) of agrivoltaic systems are significantly higher than those of ground-mounted photovoltaic systems. Depending on the agrivoltaic system type and scale, the additional costs range from 4 % to 148 % of the LCOE of ground-mounted photovoltaic systems. Agricultural production usually has little impact on overall profitability of the AV systems examined. When relating the additional costs of the agrivoltaic systems to the saved farmland area, the annual costs of preserving one hectare of land range between €8000 and €26,000 per ha and year for medium-sized, low-mounted agrivoltaic systems and between €42,000 and €75,000 per ha and year for high-mounted agrivoltaic systems. This is many times over the potential net returns from agricultural production on the land area saved. Given these findings, the meaningfulness of financial support for agrivoltaics, as offered by the German government, must be called into question.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17933,"journal":{"name":"Land Use Policy","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 107966"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}