With the advancement of urbanization and the profound transformation of socio-economic development in China, land use transition has become a complex research field involving multiple disciplines and dimensions. This paper comprehensively uses bibliometric analysis and systematic review methods to systematically sort out the research progress of land use transition in China from following dimensions: development context, theoretical framework, model and methodology, effect and mechanism, and regulation path. The study finds that: (1) Since the introduction of land use transition research to China in 2001, the field has flourished in the aspects of project funding, publication of monographs, and talent cultivation. Through hotspot analysis, it is found that research has shifted from being technology-driven to policy and economic-driven, and finally focused on multi-functional synergy and sustainable development. (2) Theoretical research can be divided into three levels: description-explanation, process characterization and diagnosis, and mutual feedback mechanism and regulation, forming a research paradigm of "dominant morphology-recessive morphology" coupling. The transition measurement method presents a three-dimensional characteristic of integration of 3S technology, mathematical model simulation, and field investigation. (3) Driven by the dual strategies of rural vitalization and food security, the socio-economic effects of land use transitions are manifested as a cascading response of farmers' livelihoods, factor flow, and industrial upgrading; related ecological and environmental effects show the bidirectional characteristics of negative effects and positive synergistic effects. (4) The driving mechanism of land use transitions is analyzed from the "element-structure-system" perspective, and its regulation system is discussed from multiple dimensions such as engineering technology innovation, institutional innovation, policy intervention, and multi-dimensional collaborative governance. (5) Future research needs to focus on breakthroughs in multi-scale transition threshold identification, complex system feedback simulation, regional model extraction, and optimization and regulation of transition through theoretical and methodological innovations. This study provides not only knowledge support for the construction of a land use transition research theoretical system with Chinese characteristics, but also decision-making support for the modernization of national territorial space governance and urban-rural integrated development.
Developing new quality productive forces is a significant proposition emphasized at the meeting on promoting the full revitalization of Northeast China in the new era. Subsequently, research on the spatiotemporal evolution and spatial differentiation of new quality productive forces has become a cutting-edge and hot topic in geographic science. Based on the theory of productivity layout in economic geography, this paper introduces a spatial perspective from geography into the study of new quality productive forces and systematically examines the locational conditions and spatial layout of new quality productive forces from two dimensions: policy-side and factor-side. The paper constructs a three-dimensional evaluation indicator system for new quality productive forces, consisting of "new laborer-new labor materials-new labor object", and employs threshold regression model and coupling coordination degree model to explore the dynamic relationship and spatial characteristics between local government attention and the level of new quality productive forces from 2009 to 2022. The results show that: (1) From the perspective of policy-side, there is a growing trend of following the crowd and repetitive competition in the development of new quality productive forces among provinces. (2) From the perspective of factor-side, there is spatial heterogeneity in the level of new quality productive forces across different regions, presenting a gradient pattern of "high in the east and low in the west", and the spatial distribution of new quality productive forces is more imbalanced than regional development. (3) From the perspective of dynamic analysis, there is a U-shaped threshold characteristic for the role of government attention in developing new quality productive forces, and there is a positive coupling relationship between the two. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the matching and connection between policy-side and factor-side of regional new quality productive forces. The conclusions of this study fill the research gap in the relevant fields of geography and provide policy inspiration for optimizing productivity layout, developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions, and promoting high-quality regional development.
The rapid and intricate evolution of socio-culture poses critical challenges to the development of cultural geography. Currently, tourism has emerged as a crucial cultural phenomenon; however, it has long been neglected by the academic community. This paper, grounded in the tension between reality and theory, addresses the necessity of tourism research within cultural geography and the specific nature of such research required. Its aim is to stimulate the development of cultural geography through interdisciplinary dialogue. This study reviews the current status and trends of tourism-related research within the realm of cultural geography, both domestically and internationally. It then examines the "newness" of tourism culture from two approaches: the spatial study of culture and the cultural study of space. At the ontological and epistemological levels, the paper discusses the following aspects: (1) Tourism has become an omnipresent cultural fact, providing a continuous and vivid empirical foundation for cultural geography research; (2) As a distinctive phenomenon, tourism has opened up frontier topics that facilitate the contextual application and perspective shift of theories; (3) Tourism, functioning as an intersecting "interface", links multidisciplinary thinking and offers platforms and experiences for interdisciplinary integration; (4) Tourism, as a "metaphor", indicates a new cultural perspective that transcends traditional cultural geography research, presenting a dynamic of integration, development, and anti-structuralism. This paper advocates for the cultural geography community to re-evaluate tourism, reversing the past neglect of tourism-related research and thereby fostering equitable interdisciplinary communication and academic innovation.
The man-land relationship is a core aspect of geography. The rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) and social transformation have profoundly impacted human activities and the geographic environment, as well as the interactions between them. This has led to a virtual shift in spatial behavior, the reconstruction of living spaces, and socio-cultural phenomena in virtual spaces, while also providing solutions for smart space planning and governance. Particularly, there have been complex changes in the characteristics and intrinsic mechanisms of the interaction between daily life and space. Therefore, it is necessary to re-examine the man-land relationship under the influence of ICT from the perspective of everyday life geography and propose theoretical frameworks and research approaches to address this emerging topic. This paper reviews the progress of ICT's impact on everyday life geography and the shortcomings in man-land relationship research, and constructs a theoretical and research framework for everyday life-space interaction under the influence of ICT. It develops an explanatory framework for life-space interaction based on the theories of technology-society-space triadic interaction, digital space production, and virtual-real space interaction. This enriches the content system of everyday life geography from the perspective of life-space interaction, such as human-land coupling laws and patterns, as well as the interaction characteristics, mechanisms, patterns, evolution, positive-negative externalities, socio-cultural effects, planning-governance responses, simulation-prediction methods, and hybrid methods, etc. In short, the study provides new insights for future theoretical innovations in the man-land relationship. Finally, reflecting on the research of smart living in Western geography offers inspiration for the innovation of everyday life geography research in China, promoting the progress of digital life practices and the discipline of human geography.
State space is a pivotal theory in urban governance. Historically, there has been limited overlap between state space and traditional urban governance research in China. The transformation of urban governance in China has emerged from significant adjustments in state space, with evolving reforms in urban governance paralleling the ongoing construction of state space. Grounded in the theoretical origins of state space, this paper elucidates its theoretical core: leveraging the spatial allocation of national resources as an entry point to bridge governance research on enhancing holistic governance efficiency with the imperative of safeguarding social equity. The study posits that state space theory, through interdisciplinary dialogues spanning early state studies, neo-Marxist political economy, and sociological research, has established a tripartite interactive framework for urban governance research, from "resource allocation, social relations, and governance efficacy". In the context of Chinese urban governance studies, it is essential to prioritize localized models, focusing on governance efficacy, social relations, resource allocation, and their interactive relationships. The paper advocates for three paradigm shifts in future Chinese urban governance research: transitioning from analyzing institutional relationships to optimizing resource allocation, reconceptualizing cities not merely as organizational structures but as projections of national governance, and balancing multiple benefits from economic efficiency to multifaceted societal benefits.
Promoting social green transformation is an inherent requirement and a key task in the national strategy for a comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society. However, research on the quantitative characterization and spatiotemporal patterns of social green transformation remains relatively lacking. To address this gap, this paper introduces social psychology theory to construct a quantitative characterization framework for social green transformation. Using 19 urban agglomerations in China as the study area and following the "pattern-process-effect" research logic, the study integrates methods such as entropy-weighted TOPSIS, spatial Markov chains, and Random Forest model to sequentially reveal the spatiotemporal evolution patterns, spatiotemporal transformation, and dynamic impacts of the social green transformation on the economic green transformation. Finally, a comprehensive quantitative framework for regional green transformation is proposed. The results show that: (1) During the study period, the level of social green transformation in China's urban agglomerations showed a fluctuating upward trend, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations leading in social green transformation, while those along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains, Lanzhou-Xi'an region, and Ningxia along the Yellow River were relatively lagging. (2) There is a phenomenon of club convergence and spatial spillover effects in the social green transformation of urban agglomerations, and the transformation exhibits path dependence and spatial dependence, with low probabilities of cross-level and cross-regional transitions. (3) Social green transformation serves as a significant driving force for the green transformation of urban economies, and this driving effect has been strengthening over time. The role of social green transformation in advancing the strategy of ecological prioritization and green development is increasingly profound. Furthermore, this study helps to improve existing research on regional green transformation evaluation, providing new methods and ideas that better align with and respond to the current comprehensive green transformation strategy.
The well-being of people's livelihood is an important issue that goes hand in hand with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and it is also the fundamental purpose and ultimate destination of human development. This paper explores the evolution and influencing factors of the well-being level of urban and rural residents in China based on the data from the 2012-2021 China Livelihood Survey, using principal component analysis, cold- and hot-spot analysis, spatial kernel density estimation and multi-layer linear modeling. The findings are as follows: (1) China's urban and rural residents' well-being level shows a fluctuating upward trend, with both urban and rural well-being levels increasing. (2) China's urban and rural residents' well-being shows significant regional differences, with levels of the Northwest and the Northeast being higher than those of the others. (3) China's urban and rural residents' well-being level has obvious clustering characteristics. In 2021, there was a "hot-shrinking-cold-shrinking-hot-expansion-cold-shrinking" development trend, and in 2018-2021, the agglomeration of urban and rural residents in areas with high levels of well-being gradually increased, while the agglomeration of areas with low levels of well-being tended to weaken. (4) Individuals, gender, age, education, work status, and household type, were the most important factors in the well-being of urban and rural residents in China. At the individual level, gender, age, education level, working status, and hukou type have an impact on the well-being of urban and rural residents; at the regional level, GDP per capita, population density, city level, and geographic location have a nonlinear impact on the well-being of urban and rural residents. (5) Compared with the eastern region, the negative effect of unemployment on urban residents' well-being is relatively more pronounced in the central and northeastern regions. Similarly, in the central and western regions, unemployment has a relatively stronger negative effect on rural residents' well-being. Compared with the eastern region, the positive association between per capita GDP and urban residents' well-being is relatively weaker in the central and western regions, whereas in the northeastern region, this association is relatively stronger. The results of the study are intended to provide useful insights for studies on well-being and Chinese-style modernization.
Digital economy enables the smooth transformation of cities in the Yellow River Basin, which is a key measure to promote ecological protection and high-quality development in this basin. This paper took the Yellow River Basin as the study area, evaluated urban transformation efficiency by using the super-efficiency SBM model, and constructed the spatial Markov transfer matrix, panel Tobit model and intermediary effect model to explore the spatio-temporal transfer characteristics of urban transformation efficiency and the driving effect of the digital economy on urban transformation efficiency. The results showed that: (1) From 2011 to 2021, the urban transformation efficiency in the study area was dominated by stable development, with certain "path dependence" and "self locking" effects; After considering spatial effects, the urban transformation efficiency mainly shifts upwards, and there was heterogeneity in the type transfer probability of urban transformation efficiency under different neighborhood types. (2) The digital economy had a positive effect on urban transformation efficiency, and the effect was regional heterogeneity, which was shown as follows: the middle reaches > the lower reaches > the upper reaches. (3) Technological innovation had a partial positive intermediary effect between the digital economy and urban transformation efficiency. The digital economy could promote urban transformation in the Yellow River Basin by improving the level of technological innovation; technological innovation had a single threshold effect of marginal reduction for the digital economy to improve urban transformation efficiency in the study area. When the level of technological innovation crosses the threshold value, the promotion effect of the digital economy on urban transformation efficiency begins to weaken.
Central cities, as drivers of regional economic development, have reemerged as a focal point of attention nowadays. However, their impact on the surrounding cities is inconsistent. Both positive and negative effects have been verified in different cases. One promising way to understand various impacts of central cities is to employ the dynamic lens. This paper focuses on the Central China Plains urban agglomeration, which developed and grew rapidly during the research period 2000-2020, and analyzes the dynamic impact of Zhengzhou on other small and medium-sized cities within the urban agglomeration (228 cities, counties, and county-level cities). The empirical analysis confirms that the role of central cities undergoes dynamic changes, and this case does not support the theoretical expectation of "siphoning first and then spilling over". Specifically, before 2005, there was no evidence of Zhengzhou's impact on the economic development of other cities in the Central China Plains urban agglomeration. Between 2005 and 2015, the evidence was inconsistent, hinting at a transitional phase between the two situations. After 2015, Zhengzhou mainly had a positive spillover effect on the development of cities within a certain geographical distance. The reasons for the aforementioned findings may lie in the fact that central cities, represented by Zhengzhou, focuses on attracting major resources from outside the province rather than within, and place great emphasis on and actively develop the manufacturing industry. Although a longer time period and evidence from more urban agglomerations are needed, the findings of this paper are a positive signal in favour of central city development strategies.
The urban-rural integration in the new era requires the coupled and coordinated development of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization. This paper constructs an evaluation index system for new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, and uses the modified coupling coordination degree model, spatial Markov chain, random forest model and other methods to quantitatively analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of coupling coordination types of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization in Central China from 2007 to 2022. The results show that: (1) From 2007 to 2022, the coupling coordination type in the study area experienced a transition from moderate imbalance to minimal coordination, with regions of severe imbalance gradually disappearing and high-quality coordinated areas emerging, and the coupling coordination relationship has continuously improved. In terms of spatial distribution, high-value zones of coupling coordination level have remained concentrated in provincial capitals, while low-value zones have shifted toward western edge and the junction of Henan-Anhui-Hubei provinces, with boundary effects gradually emerging. (2) Regardless of the neighborhood conditions, the transition of the coupling coordination state exhibits "path dependence" and "self-locking" effects, while displaying "club convergence" phenomena, there is the possibility of transition to higher level but it is difficult to achieve leapfrog development. The geographical background plays an important role in the evolution of the coupling coordination state, which has an obvious spatial spillover effect, and the Markov prediction results also prove that spatial spillover effect will exist for a long time, the long-term evolution trend of the coupling coordination state is relatively good. (3) In the process of coupling and coordinated development, the level of industrial development plays a core leading role, the level of regional investment, the level of scientific and technological innovation, the level of human capital, and the employment structure of the population offer guarantees in terms of essential factors, and the geographical distance plays a restrictive role. Finally, this paper puts forward specific countermeasures and suggestions to provide scientific basis for the coordinated development of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization in Central China.
This study examines the structure of the spatial association network of agricultural activities in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration and explores its impact on urban-rural integration. This study employs social network analysis and a modified gravity model to analyze the spatial network characteristics of agricultural resource allocation. Furthermore, a coupling coordination model is used to evaluate the relationship between network structure and urban-rural integration. The results indicate that Changsha county, Xiangtan county, and Ningxiang city have strong resource adaptability and mobility, showing the potential to evolve into agricultural modernization demonstration areas. In contrast, Shaoshan city and Shifeng district exhibit significant weaknesses in resource utilization efficiency and factor allocation optimization. Based on these insights, this study proposes optimization paths and policy recommendations to improve the agricultural spatial network, enhance agricultural industry efficiency, and promote coordinated and sustainable urban-rural development. First, agricultural modernization demonstration zones should be established around Changsha, Xiangtan and Ningxiang, and agricultural science and technology innovation and infrastructure development should be strengthened to enhance regional resource flow efficiency. Second, efforts should be made to reinforce resource complementarity between core and peripheral areas in Shaoshan and Shifeng by increasing policy support and optimizing resource allocation. Finally, the agricultural industry chain should be extended to integrate agriculture with other industries and comprehensively improve regional agricultural modernization and urban-rural integration quality.
As part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has actively participated in global port construction over the past decade. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of these efforts and enrich the theoretical framework of BRI development. We constructed a port vitality index (PVI) using shipping big data. The PVI was calculated across four key dimensions (production, maritime, service, and radiation) using 17 fundamental indicators based on the port transportation chain model. This study evaluated the vitality of port development over the past decade. The results were as follows. (1) There was significant growth from 2013 to 2022 in the overall vitality index of ports invested in China, with Asia and Europe being the primary hubs of port vitality, and Africa emerging as a major center of growth. (2) There was higher vitality growth among ports where China was involved in both investment and operations, compared to ports where China's role was limited to construction. (3) Chinese port construction companies held global power by helping developing countries or regions lacking transportation capacity quickly establish international transportation capabilities. (4) Terminal operators and shipping companies invested in ports with strong underlying conditions, located on key shipping routes with minimal economic risks, to ensure effective investment outcomes. (5) Some small and medium-sized ports gained rapid production vitality through investment, yet lacked maritime vitality, as insufficient urban market growth hinders the increase in maritime vitality. The port vitality evaluation method proposed in this study provides insights for adjusting China's future port investment strategies and optimizing location choices for enterprise investments. It also enriches the theoretical framework of the BRI development and provides practical evidence of China's commitment to fostering shared prosperity with the Global South through port infrastructure development.
The arms trade serves as a critical tool for the United States to advance its foreign policy objectives and secure its geopolitical interests. Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of U.S. arms exports is essential to deciphering its strategic trajectory on the global stage. This study leverages data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Arms Transfers Database and employs a suite of robust analytical methods, including dependency modeling, Poisson regression, and dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). These methodologies provide a nuanced understanding of the spatial evolution of U.S. arms exports, the underlying factors shaping their patterns, and the geopolitical ramifications of these exports. By integrating these approaches, the study offers a comprehensive framework for analyzing how U.S. arms trade functions as a key instrument in its global strategic playbook. The results indicate the following developmental characteristics in the spatial pattern of U.S. arms exports: (1) The United States solidifies its position as the largest arms exporter, with significant growth in both export volume and its share of the global market. Its geo-military influence is expanding into regions traditionally aligned with Russia. A defining feature of U.S. arms exports is the diversity of its offerings, with military aircraft and missiles dominating, catering to both combat and deterrence needs. (2) U.S. arms exports are predominantly focused on the periphery of the Eurasian continent, including Western Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. The heavy reliance of importing nations on U.S. weaponry underscores America's strategy to curb the rise of global powers in Eurasia and uphold its global hegemony. (3) U.S. arms exports are positively influenced by factors such as oil production, resource endowments, political freedoms, democratic governance, military alliances, market size, and defense expenditures. However, defense cooperation with importing nations, involving sheltering mechanisms and deterrence strategies, often reduces the volume of U.S. arms exports. (4) The geopolitical objectives of U.S. arms exports focus on controlling key oil-producing countries to secure energy needs, expanding arms industry market share for economic and geopolitical gains, bolstering allies’ military capabilities to counter strategic competitors, and sustaining military trade to reinforce alliances. The overarching goal is to influence regional security dynamics and maintain global hegemony by balancing power in strategic regions.
Examining the spatial effects of the host country's geo-setting and its changes on the investor country's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) within a risk framework is of critical importance. It aids in understanding the host country's geo-setting and risks, supports the investor country in formulating strategic decisions and precise investments, and contributes to the design of geo-setting systems. Utilizing multi-source heterogeneous data, this study develops an analytical framework to assess the impact of the host country's geo-setting on the investor country's OFDI, considering three dimensions: political, economic, and social aspects. By applying the full permutation polygon method and the modified spatial Durbin model, the study measures and empirically tests the spatial effects of geopolitical risk and its changes on China's OFDI in 27 African countries. The key findings are as follows: (1) Between 2010 and 2021, geopolitical risks in various dimensions and the overall geo-setting of the 27 African countries experienced slight increases, exhibiting alternating changes, notable country-specific differences, a flattening of risk patterns, with political risk being the primary source. (2) There is evident spatial heterogeneity and mismatch between the host countries' geopolitical risks and China's OFDI. China's direct investment in the 27 African countries has not decreased or shifted due to higher geopolitical risks, demonstrating strong temporal and spatial inertia. Investment flows and stocks alternate between aggregation and dispersion, with varying country-level patterns. (3) An increase in the host country's geopolitical risks significantly reduces China's OFDI stocks and flows, but simultaneously promotes direct investment in neighboring and geopolitically linked countries. The direct effects and spatial spillover effects of geo-setting risks in different dimensions and elements on the OFDI stock and flow of the investor country vary considerably. (4) Control variables exhibit direct effects and spatial spillover effects. The reduction in bilateral geographical distance, the strengthening of political and diplomatic relations, responses to each other's geopolitical strategies, and an increase in investment dependence facilitate the attraction of China's OFDI in both the host country and its neighboring regions. The paper concludes by discussing the study's quantitative contributions to the understanding of geo-setting, as well as future research directions and policy recommendations.
The relationship between economic cooperation and security cooperation has become a major concern in profound changes unseen in centuries, and an essential element in understanding the restructuring of world political and economic order. Based on the theoretical framework of coevolution of defense cooperation and bilateral loan networks, this paper examines the spatiotemporal evolution of global defense cooperation and bilateral loan networks from 1980 to 2020. Further, it explores the correlation mechanism of network coevolution by using network analysis and stochastic actor-oriented model. We conclude that: (1) the defense cooperation network shows a clear equilibrium trend with a significant triadic closure effect, while the bilateral loan network exhibits an obvious hierarchical structure with a weak transmission effect. (2) There is significant spatial differentiation in defense cooperation and bilateral loans, characterized by a strong presence in the north and a weaker presence in the south. National geopolitical strategies play a crucial role in driving the generation and evolution of bilateral cooperation pathways. (3) The evolution of defense cooperation network is shaped by bilateral loan network through side-payment and issue linkage mechanisms, while the evolution of bilateral loan network is influenced by defense cooperation network through security demand and issue linkage mechanisms. Nodal degree and structural similarity have varying effects on network coevolution. (4) The evolution of defense cooperation network is a result of both endogenous structures like preferential attachment and triadic closure, and exogenous factors such as bilateral trade, arms transfers, and colonial relations. The evolution of loan network is positively influenced by preferential attachment as structural endogeneity and exogenous factors like military alliances, bilateral imports, and creditors' per capita GDP. This study serves as a valuable reference for understanding the correlation between global security and economic trends and accelerating the construction of a new security pattern.
