Exploring the spatial patterns of rural multifunctionality in China's metropolitan hinterland and its driving forces: The case of Shanghai-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou region

Accompanying globalization and modernization, the development of rural multifunctionality provides an important path away from rural marginalization in rapidly urbanizing economies for countries such as China. To optimize rural functions and facilitate the implementation of rural revitalization strategies in China, it is crucial to differentiate rural multifunctionality by clarifying its various distinctive spatial patterns and driving mechanisms. This study proposes an innovative theoretical framework that explores the spatial patterns and driving forces of rural multifunctional development through four key functions: ecological, economic, living, and recreational. To validate this framework, an empirical investigation was conducted in rural areas of Shanghai-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou at the village level. The results show that: (1) Rural areas within metropolitan hinterlands exhibit pronounced multifunctionality, demonstrating a multi-scalar spatial agglomeration pattern. The four subfunctions—ecological, economic, living, and recreational—all significantly contribute to rural multifunctionality. (2) Rural areas in the hinterland of metropolises have achieved the initial transition from traditional villages to multifunctional villages, benefiting from the maturity of the regional economic system and improved transportation networks. The interplay between regional and local forces generates significant spatial differentiation of rural multifunctionality, with local factors exerting the predominant influence. (3) The cross-scale interaction between regions and localities exerts a stronger influence on the shaping of rural multifunctionality in the Shanghai Metropolitan Hinterland. The contribution of this research is not only to extend theoretical and methodological approaches to rural multifunctional evolution in Global South countries, but also to highlight significant policies for further promoting rural revitalization in China's developed regions.