Given the context of economic transformation, the coupling and mutual feedback among scale, structure, and efficiency represent the core issue regarding the orderly evolution of economic systems of resource-based cities. Nonetheless, there are limited studies on the coupling coordination of elements within the economic systems of resource-based cities. Therefore, utilizing an analytical framework for the coupling coordination of economic scale-structure-efficiency of resource-based cities, this study employs methods including the coupling coordination degree model and geographic detector to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns and influencing factors of the coupling coordination of economic scale, structure, and efficiency of resource-based cities on the Loess Plateau from 2005 to 2019. The results show that: (1) The economic scale, structure, and efficiency of resource-based cities across the Loess Plateau exhibit clear evolutionary differentiation and stage characteristics, transitioning from differentiated development to collaborative growth. (2) The coupling relationship among economic scale, structure, and efficiency is tight. The level of coupling coordination is significantly enhanced, transforming from a mild imbalance to bare coordination, yet primarily remaining at a low level. The spatial agglomeration of the coupling coordination level continues to strengthen, presenting a spatial pattern of "high in the west, low in the east, high in the north and south, and low in the middle". (3) The dominant factors influencing the coupling coordination pattern of economic scale, structure, and efficiency of resource-based cities on the Loess Plateau have gradually transformed from the economic and social support type to the policy and institution-oriented type, exhibiting strong volatility. Moreover, the interactions among these influencing factors demonstrated a significant synergistic enhancement effect. This study provides a reference for understanding the coupling logic among the economic scale, structure, and efficiency of resource-based cities, and promoting the economic transformation and sustainable development of resource-based cities.

The phenomenon of gentrification in rural areas has garnered increasing attention both domestically and internationally in recent years. However, there is a prevailing inclination towards qualitative analysis at the level of case studies, with a lack of quantitative identification and comparative research at the regional or urban scale. To understand the distribution pattern and socio-spatial characteristics of gentrified villages in the metropolitan areas of eastern China, this paper focuses on 534 rural communities in Nanjing as the research subject. Leveraging mobile user profile data and quantitative evaluation clustering models, 36 gentrified villages were chosen and categorized into four types according to their spatial location, resource endowments, and behavioral attributes: Tourism and cultural-creative, enterprise-driven, amenity-immigrant, and suburban-commuter. As urban residents are relocated to villages with varying locations and resource endowments, they demonstrate differences in their motives for reverse migration, social attributes, and life patterns. This dynamic contributes to the emergence of various types of gentrified villages and the evolution of their distinct social environments. Additionally, this study highlights significant distinctions among these categories of gentrified villages in terms of their scale distribution, material spatial structure, social characteristics of residents, and daily commuting patterns. This comparison is conducted from a broad perspective and through typical case studies. Tourism and culturally creative villages rely on natural and cultural resources to attract urban tourists and foster self-gentrification among villagers due to their authentic and experiential allure. On the other hand, enterprise-driven villages, commonly found in developed areas in the east, promote gentrification through industrial resources, attracting populations beyond agriculture. Moreover, amenity-immigrant villages capitalize on limited comfort amenities to attract urban immigrants and short-term vacationers, fostering cohesive communities. Furthermore, suburban-commuter villages represent transitional entities in the transformation from rural outskirts to urbanized areas, where the overall substitution of physical and social spaces serves as the main mechanism for aggregating gentrification groups. Tourism and culturally creative villages, along with amenity-immigrant-gentrified villages, fall under the category of leisure and lifestyle gentrification. Conversely, enterprise-driven and suburban-commuter-gentrified villages focus on production and employment, reflecting the distinctive characteristics of rural gentrification in the developed regions of eastern China. By thoroughly identifying Nanjing's gentrified villages and systematically depicting their socio-spatial features, this study both enriches Chinese case studies on rural gentrification and enhances China-specific rural gentrification research systems and theories. Moreover, it proposes to develop the positive economic and social effects of rural gentrification to promote rural revitalization and integrated urban-rural development.

Traditional villages serve as important repositories of cultural values from the agricultural civilization era and are characterized by abundant landscape resources and cultural heritage. In the context of urban-rural integration, it is imperative to delve into deconstruction the spatial structure of traditional villages and explore ways to enhance environments conducive for the preservation of traditional culture. Using Pingtan village of Dong ethnic group in Huaihua, western Hunan province as a case study, this study adopted textual analysis method and participatory observation method, combining pattern language theory and landscape gene theory to establish a deconstruction and reconstruction framework. The aim was to explore the spatial element composition and landscape restoration path of Pingtan village. The results revealed that: (1) A comprehensive pattern language system was established by translating the spatial landscape of Pingtan village into pattern symbols. This system comprised 92 categories of words, phrases and word groups representing the spatial elements. The spatial logic was formed by pattern grammar comprising order, scale, time and local patterns, whereas the spatial context consisted of natural, social and cultural pattern contexts. (2) Thirteen core landscape genes across three categories: main architecture, overall layout and ethnic culture, were identified in Pingtan village based on the historical evolution process of the village. These findings provide a guiding framework for the landscape restoration of Pingtan village. (3) By integrating pattern language theory with landscape gene theory, a triple restoration pathway comprising point-line-surface was proposed for the repair of spatial landscape elements, adjustment of spatial order, and restoration of spatial structures. The aim of the study was to deconstruct the patterns, identify the genes and reconstruct the restoration of traditional villages, thereby providing innovative approaches for the preservation of the material space of traditional villages and the perpetuation of traditional culture.