Spatial-temporal Evolution of the Urban-rural Coordination Relationship in Northeast China in 1990-2018

To comprehensively understand the law of urban-rural relationship and propose scientific measures of urban-rural coordinated development in Northeast China,this study uses the coupling coordination degree model and geographically and temporally weighted regression(GTWR)model to analyze the spatial-temporal patterns and the corresponding driving mechanisms of its urban-rural coordination since 1990.The results are as follows.First,the urban-rural coupling coordination degree in Northeast China was very low and improved slowly,but its stages of evolution is a good interpretation of the strategic arrangements of China's urbanization.Second,the urban-rural coupling coordination degree in Northeast China had spatial differences and was characterized by central polarization,converging on urban agglomeration,which was high in the south and low in the north.Moreover,the gap between the north and south weakened.Third,the spatial-temporal evolution of the urban-rural coordination relationship in Northeast China was influenced by pulling from the central cities,pushing from rural transformation,and government regulations.The influence intensity of the three mechanisms was weak,but the pulling from the central cities was stronger than that of the other two mechanisms.Furthermore,the spatial difference between the three mechanisms determines the spatial pattern and its evolution of the urban-rural coordination relationship in Northeast China.Fourth,to promote the development of urban-rural coordination in Northeast China,it is essential to advance urban-rural economic correlation,enhance the government^role in regulating and guiding,and adopt different policies for each region in Northeast China.

Evaluation and Driving Force Analysis of Cultivated Land Quality in Black Soil Region of Northeast China

Cultivated land is an important natural resource to ensure food,ecological and economic security.The cultivated land quality evaluation(CQE)is greatly significant for protecting and managing cultivated land.In this study,320 counties in the black soil region of Northeast China(BSRNC)represent the research units used to construct the CQE system measuring the soil properties(SP),cultivated land productivity(CLP),ecological environment(EE)and social economy(SE).The total of 19 factors were selected to calculate the integrated fertility index(IFI)and divided into grades.Simultaneously,we used the coupling coordination degree model to comprehensively analyze the spatial pattern of the cultivated land quality(CLQ)in the BSRNC,and use the structural equation model(SEM)to analyze the driving mechanism.The results show the following:1)The CLQ of 262 counties in the BSRNC is in a state of coupling and coordination,and the coupling and coordination degree presents a spatial distribution pattern of‘high in the southwest and northeast,low in the northwest and southeast’.The coordinated development degree of 271 counties is between 0.4 and 0.6,which is in a transitional state between coordination and disorder.2)The CLQ in the BSRNC is generally good,with an average grade of 3.High-quality cultivated land accounts for 58.45%of all counties,middle-and upper-quality cultivated land accounts for 27.05%,and poor-quality cultivated land accounts for 14.49%.3)The SEM analysis shows that the SP,CLP,EE,and SE all influence the CLQ.Among them,the SP has the largest driving force on the CLQ,while the SE has the smallest driving force on it.The results confirm that the main factors affecting the evaluation results are crop productivity level,normalized difference vegetation index,ratio vegetation index,difference vegetation index,and organic carbon content.When implementing protection measures in counties with a low CLQ,considering a balanced coordination of multiple systems and reasonably controlling the quality degradation are important.This study provides the current situation and driving factors of the CLQ in the BSRNC and will play an important role in black soil governance and utilization.

An integrated approach to evaluating the coupling coordination degree between low-carbon development and air quality in Chinese cities

Collaborative governance between ecological environment and climate change is a novel signature in China's policy agenda. However, such coordination remains understudied, especially at the local level. Using the principal component analysis, entropy evaluation methods, and the Coupling Coordination Degree Model (CCDM), we evaluated the level of coordination between carbon and air quality mitigation from 34 low-carbon pilot cities in China. We also illustrated the mechanism and policy formation that leads to different coupling patterns at the local level using three case studies. We found that most pilot cities perform a medium level of coupling coordination between low carbon development and air quality. The result reveals that most low-carbon pilot cities score relatively well in low-carbon development. Further, there is a significant cleavage in air quality between cities in the North and those in the South, indicating pilot cities in the South coordinate better than those in the North. In particular, pilot programs in the Southwest and Southeast coastal region perform well in collaborative governance, while the Beijing−Tianjin−Hebei region is rated poorly because of the gap between air quality and low carbon development. Also, we found that the same low-carbon policy might have heterogeneous effects on different air pollutants and across different regions. The local government should adopt low-carbon development policies that address local level specific environmental and economic conditions to maximize their air pollution mitigation benefits.

Research on the Coupling between Agricultural Heritage and Tourism Industry: A Case Study of Jasmine and Tea Culture in Fuzhou

The integration of agricultural heritage and tourism industry contributes significantly to regional heritage protection,rural revitalization,and cultural inheritance.Based on the coupling coordination degree model,a quantitative research was conducted to study the integration of agricultural heritage in terms of the jasmine and tea culture system in Fuzhou with the local tourism industry.The results showed that both the development of Fuzhou's jasmine and tourism industries have advanced significantly and are currently leading in the country.However,they are not developing at the same pace.The results also showed that the coordination degree between Fuzhou5s jasmine and tourism industries have increased in recent years,with deepened mutual effects and improved coordination.Moreover,the coupling coordination degree has been rising over the past 13 years,with the coupling coordination level transforming from''extreme disorder''to"quality coordination,demonstrating a slow integration progress of Fuzhou's jasmine with the tourism industry at the early stage,but a sound development momentum at the later stage.