Against the backdrop of global climate change and the Anthropocene, earth's surface human-Earth systems face unprecedented risks of systemic disharmony. Geography is an integrated discipline focused on regional human-Earth system that uncovers natural laws while simultaneously serving the needs of geographic practice. In the Anthropocene, characterized by high-intensity human activities, geographic engineering has emerged as a critical frontier for addressing contemporary challenges and resolving human-earth coupling issues. This paper systematically explores the context, significance, theoretical underpinnings, and practical pathways for developing geographic engineering: (1) elucidating the necessity and urgency of advancing modern geographic engineering in the Anthropocene; (2) systematically analyzing the conceptual core and research domains of geographic engineering to establish a comprehensive research paradigm encompassing modern Geo-Science, Geo-Technology, Geo-Engineering, and Geo-Practice (Geo-STEP); (3) mapping the structural integration of geographic science and engineering based on a matrix classification of horizontal disciplines and vertical technical hierarchies, thereby constructing a formal disciplinary framework; and (4) outlining future developments in Geographic Science and Engineering, focusing on overcoming technical bottlenecks in multi-scale human-Earth system simulation, intelligent Geo-design decision-making, and the dynamic assessment of engineering outcomes. These findings provide a clear paradigmatic reference and disciplinary pathway for geography to support major national strategies, including ecological civilization construction, the modernization of human-earth harmony, and comprehensive rural revitalization.

Determining the scale of urban and regional development in line with the resources and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is a core scientific issue for human-natural relationship study in geography. Traditional researches on RECC have overlooked the organic connections among various single-factor carrying capacities, and its scientific and practical value remains insufficient. Therefore, based on the regional system theory of human-natural relationships, the ecological threshold and planetary boundaries theory, the resources nexus theory, the pericoupling and telecoupling theory, this study proposed the threshold linkage theory on RECC, including the comprehensive set theory, the elastic range theory, and the linkage control theory. Some application scenes were also carried out in combination with practice of China's territorial spatial planning. Results show that: (1) The thresholds of various single-factor RECC in a certain area are a set of interrelated and simultaneously changing thresholds, which are influenced by the same natural and anthropogenic factors. Therefore, in practice, it is not advisable to emphasize a single-factor RECC in isolation. Instead, a comprehensive assessment should be carried out. (2) The thresholds of various single-factor RECC in a certain area have not only rigid constraints but also elastic ranges that are compatible with their inherent attributes. Their evolution processes theoretically follow the compound Logistic curve change law. In practice, the upper and lower limits of the elastic range of the comprehensive RECC can be ultimately determined based on the single-factor RECC, using the results of equal-weight and variable-weight summation. (3) The thresholds of various single-factor RECC in a certain area are causally correlated through natural and anthropogenic factors. They can be controlled in a linked manner by changing one or more main factors. In practice, the system dynamic model can be established to achieve mathematical correlations among the thresholds of various single-factor RECC, and then simulate scenarios and optimize the elastic range of the comprehensive RECC. The above theories reveal the essential characteristics and threshold correlation logic of RECC, aiming to provide a new perspective for a scientific understanding and quantitative assessment of the comprehensive RECC, while also offering theoretical support for determining appropriate thresholds for resource utilization, environment development and urban scale control in territorial spatial planning.

As one of the fundamental concepts and principles of geography, map has long been a focal point of academic discourse and debate. Despite numerous attempts by scholars to define the concept of the map, no single definition has been able to comprehensively and definitively capture its diverse forms and rich connotations. This ongoing struggle creates what can be described as the "Sisyphus dilemma" of map conceptualization: from defining what constitutes a map to critically reflecting on the composition of the concept, and further to expanding its boundaries, scholars continuously strive for precise definitions, only to generate new conceptualizations, ultimately returning to the original point of inquiry. In response to this challenge, this study first conducts a panoramic review of existing map research through the lens of paradigm theory, synthesizing eight theoretical paradigms that underpin map studies and uncovering their foundational assumptions, intrinsic characteristics, and methodological principles. Second, it systematically examines the root causes of the Sisyphus dilemma by analyzing three key dimensions: how humans engage with maps, how maps are utilized, and how maps are cognitively understood and developed. Finally, based on the theoretical logic necessary to resolve this dilemma, the study proposes a new paradigm for map research, one that embraces conceptual openness, by integrating insights from epistemology, ontology, and methodology. As a practice-oriented approach, this new paradigm seeks to dismantle binary oppositions in map studies. It shifts the focus from maps as isolated entities to the complex social relations and interactions they mediate; from representational analyses centered on power structures, cognitive subjectivity, and reductionism to a non-representational framework emphasizing relational dynamics, embodied experiences, and contextuality; and from essentialist normative knowledge to experiential knowledge within a generative perspective. This study not only provides a new theoretical foundation and reference framework for contemporary map research but also contributes to the advancement and innovation of fundamental geographic theory, offering both intellectual enrichment and practical guidance.

This study discusses the scientific connotations of the non-grain use of cultivated land (NGUCL), and systematically reviews the progress of current key issues. On this basis, a multi-scale collaborative governance system for NGUCL was constructed by integrating multi-scale comprehensive judgment and cross-scale collaborative governance, following the framework of "predicament perspective-governance principles-framework design-governance pathways". Research results indicate that: (1) The NGUCL embodies the spatial manifestation of the conflict between the strategic demands of food security and farmers' livelihood development, marked by the spatial restructuring and functional transformation of cultivated land utilization. This phenomenon aligns with the underlying logic of cash crop expansion and natural environmental constraints, fundamentally reflecting a systemic contradiction between the public-interest nature of grain production and the private-rights attributes of cultivated land use. (2) Current calculations of NGUCL lack spatial data support for cultivated land use methods, leading to unclear recognition of the NGUCL pattern and an insufficient data foundation for precise research. There are multiple interconnected phenomena between NGUCL and other pathological land-use issues. A single management strategy for the NGUCL problem may exacerbate conflicts between agricultural operators and land regulators, pushing NGUCL to evolve into "ecological degradation" or land abandonment. Regional differences determine the diversity of driving models for NGUCL, and there is an urgent need to explore regionally appropriate regionally appropriate remediation plans and spatial zoning strategies. (3) Given the complex causes and spatially heterogeneous manifestations of NGUCL, this study proposes a multiscale governance framework integrating scale differences and multidimensional perspectives, structured as a national-regional-household gradient framework. This framework transcends traditional single-dimensional regulatory models by emphasizing natural dimension principles of "grow grain where the land suits grain, and grow fruits where the land suits fruits" while prioritizing the regulation and governance of excessive human-induced non-grain use in cultivated land. It balances ecological adaptability with targeted constraints on unsustainable anthropogenic interventions. (4) Future research should focus on the use of spatiotemporal big data-driven multi-scale studies on NGUCL, analyze the multi-dimensional driving and collaborative mechanism of NGUCL' governance in rural revitalization, innovate theories and methods for multidimensional benefit trade-off analysis ("economic benefits-ecological environment-social demands"), and explore the protection coordination mechanism and sustainable development strategy for the "quantity, quality, ecology sustainability" of cultivated land in the context of national food security.

The coupling transformation of rural residential land and cultivated land use represents a critical pathway for optimizing land use systems and achieving coordinated urban-rural territorial development, and constitutes an emerging research frontier within land use transformation studies. Based on theoretical analysis and a comprehensive literature review, this study examines the conceptual characteristics and operational mechanisms of this coupling transformation, identifying key scientific questions and primary research agendas within a theoreticallygrounded framework. Three principal findings emerge. First, while single-dimensional transformation studies of rural residential land or cultivated land have achieved considerable maturity, research on the coupling transformation involving mutual interactions between these two land types remains limited. Rural territorial system theory, urban-rural relationship theory, and spatial structure theory provide theoretical support and substantive insights for this emerging field. Second, the coupling transformation of rural residential land and cultivated land use differs from conventional land use transformation research by emphasizing the developmental process through which mutual influences between the two land types achieve synergistic adaptation and systemic optimization. This process exhibits characteristics of phased evolution, collaborative co-evolution, and goal orientation, operating through interconnected mechanisms of initiation, support, promotion, coordination, and feedback. Third, future research should pursue theoretical, practical, and methodological objectives, addressing fundamental questions namely what the coupling transformation is, how it can be measured, why it occurs, what effects it produces, and how it can be regulated. Accordingly, five major research domains are proposed: conceptual and theoretical modeling, identification of process characteristics, analysis of impact mechanisms, evaluation of transmission effects, and design of optimization pathways. This study aims to advance comprehensive studies of multi-type land use transformation coupling, providing theoretical foundations and policy insights for new-type urbanization and rural transformation development.