Understanding the complex interactions between urbanization and ecosystem services(ESs)is crucial for optimiz ing planning policies and achieving sustainable urban management.While previous research has largely focuse...Understanding the complex interactions between urbanization and ecosystem services(ESs)is crucial for optimiz ing planning policies and achieving sustainable urban management.While previous research has largely focused on highly urbanized areas,little attention has been given to the phased effect of progressive urbanization on ES networks.This study proposes a conceptual framework that utilizes the network method and space-time replace ment to examine the effect of urbanization on the complex relationships among ESs at different stages,with a particular emphasis on the progressive evolution of the process.We apply this framework to the Horqin area,a typical eco-fragile area in China.Results demonstrate that the connectivity of the ES synergy network exhibits a non-stationary characteristic,initially increasing,then decreasing,and subsequently strengthening.Meanwhile,its modularity shows a rising trend during periods of accelerated urbanization.The performance of the trade off network displays the opposite pattern.Additionally,we observe a gradual replacement of provisioning and regulation services by cultural services in terms of dominance in the synergy network as urbanization advances.By providing guidance for identifying key planning initiatives and implementing ecological protection policies at different stages of development,this study contributes a pathway that can inform development strategies in other regions undergoing progressive urbanization.展开更多
In this paper,the Taixin Integrated Economic Zone in Shanxi Province is taken as the research object,and the coupling coordination degree model and bivariate spatial autocorrelation model are used to judge the couplin...In this paper,the Taixin Integrated Economic Zone in Shanxi Province is taken as the research object,and the coupling coordination degree model and bivariate spatial autocorrelation model are used to judge the coupling coordination and spatial-temporal correlation between urbanization and ecosystem service,and the hotspot analysis is used to judge the spatial-temporal trend of urbanization and ecosystem service.The results show that:(1)The urbanization level from 2000 to 2020 continued to rise,the areas with relatively high urbanization were concentrated in the central part of the study area,and the relatively high terrain areas on both sides of the study area,the urbanization was relatively slow,and the hotspot areas with highly significant and significant urbanization level from 2000 to 2020 were distributed as bands in the central part of the study area and the area was rising,and there was no Cold spot area distribution;between 2000 and 2020,the ecosystem service value in the study area increased by 2.6800×10^(8) yuan.Over these two decades,it exhibited a development trend that first rose and then declined.The woodland and grassland agglomeration areas were located on the two sides of the study area,forming highly significant and significant hotspots.Conversely,the central and northeastern parts of the study area were characterized by concentrated man-made land surfaces and croplands,resulting in the formation of highly significant and significant cold spots.(2)In the central part of the study area where man-made land surface and cultivated land are concentrated,the coupling coordination between urbanization and ecosystem service is in the intermediate dislocation and mild dislocation interval;the woodland and grassland concentration areas on both sides of the study area are ecologically fragile,and the coupling coordination between the two is in the level of less than intermediate dislocation.(3)From 2000 to 2020,urbanization and the value of ecosystem services were both negatively correlated,although the correlation coefficient was low.In the central and northeastern parts,urbanization and ecosystem service exhibited patterns of high-low,high-high,and low-low clustering.Conversely,on both sides of the study area,most of the clusters showed a low-high pattern.展开更多
Rapid urbanization has caused significant changes along the urban-rural gradient,leading to a variety of landscapes that are mainly shaped by human activities.This dynamic interplay also influences the distribution an...Rapid urbanization has caused significant changes along the urban-rural gradient,leading to a variety of landscapes that are mainly shaped by human activities.This dynamic interplay also influences the distribution and characteristics of trees outside forests(TOF).Understanding the pattern of these trees will support informed decision-making in urban planning,in conservation strategies,and altogether in sustainable land management practices in the urban context.In this study,we employed a deep learning-based object detection model and high resolution satellite imagery to identify 1.3 million trees with bounding boxes within a 250 km^(2)research transect spanning the urban-rural gradient of Bengaluru,a megacity in Southern India.Additionally,we developed an allometric equation to estimate diameter at breast height(DBH)from the tree crown diameter(CD)derived from the detected bounding boxes.Our study focused on analyzing variations in tree density and tree size along this gradient.The findings revealed distinct patterns:the urban domain displayed larger tree crown diameters(mean:8.87 m)and DBH(mean:43.78 cm)but having relatively low tree density(32 trees per hectare).Furthermore,with increasing distance from the city center,tree density increased,while the mean tree crown diameter and mean tree basal area decreased,showing clear differences of tree density and size between the urban and rural domains in Bengaluru.This study offers an efficient methodology that helps generating instructive insights into the dynamics of TOF along the urban-rural gradient.This may inform urban planning and management strategies for enhancing green infrastructure and biodiversity conservation in rapidly urbanizing cities like Bengaluru.展开更多
Under the influence of anthropogenic and climate change,the problems caused by urban heat island(UHI)has become increasingly prominent.In order to promote urban sustainable development and improve the quality of human...Under the influence of anthropogenic and climate change,the problems caused by urban heat island(UHI)has become increasingly prominent.In order to promote urban sustainable development and improve the quality of human settlements,it is significant for exploring the evolution characteristics of urban thermal environment and analyzing its driving forces.Taking the Landsat series images as the basic data sources,the winter land surface temperature(LST)of the rapid urbanization area of Fuzhou City in China was quantitatively retrieved from 2001 to 2021.Combing comprehensively the standard deviation ellipse model,profile analysis and GeoDetector model,the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of the winter urban thermal environment were systematically analyzed.The results showed that the winter LST presented an increasing trend in the study area during 2001–2021,and the winter LST of the central urban regions was significantly higher than the suburbs.There was a strong UHI effect from 2001 to 2021with an expansion trend from the central urban regions to the suburbs and coastal areas in space scale.The LST of green lands and wetlands are significantly lower than croplands,artificial surface and unvegetated lands.Vegetation and water bodies had a significant mitigation effect on UHI,especially in the micro-scale.The winter UHI had been jointly driven by the underlying surface and socio-economic factors in a nonlinear or two-factor interactive enhancement mode,and socio-economic factors had played a leading role.This research could provide data support and decision-making references for rationally planning urban layout and promoting sustainable urban development.展开更多
Differences in forest attributes and carbon sequestration of each organ and layer between broadleaved and conifer forests of central and outer urban areas are not well-defined,hindering the precise management of urban...Differences in forest attributes and carbon sequestration of each organ and layer between broadleaved and conifer forests of central and outer urban areas are not well-defined,hindering the precise management of urban forests and improvement of function.To clarify the effect of two forest types with different urbanization intensities,we determined differences in vegetation composition and diversity,structural traits,and carbon stocks of 152 plots(20 m×20 m)in urban park forests in Changchun,which had the largest green quantity and carbon density effectiveness.We found that 1.1-fold thicker and healthier trees,and 1.6-to 2.0-fold higher,healthier,denser,and more various shrubs but with sparser trees and herbs occurred in the central urban forests(p<0.05)than in the outer forests.The conifer forests exhibited 30–70%obviously higher tree aboveground carbon sequestration(including stem and leaf)and 20%bigger trees,especially in the outer forests(p<0.05).In contrast,1.1-to 1.5-fold higher branch stocks,healthier and more diverse trees were found in broadleaved forests of both the inner and outer forests(p<0.05).Plant size and dominant species had similarly important roles in carbon stock improvement,especially big-sized woody plants and Pinus tabuliformis.In addition,a higher number of deciduous or needle species positively affected the broadleaved forest of the central urban area and conifer forest of the outer urban area,respectively.These findings can be used to guide precise management and accelerate the improvement of urban carbon function in Northeast China in the future.展开更多
Examining the spatiotemporal dynamics and determinants of land urbanization is critical for promoting healthy urban development and the rational use of land resources.Based on the dataset consisting of land use change...Examining the spatiotemporal dynamics and determinants of land urbanization is critical for promoting healthy urban development and the rational use of land resources.Based on the dataset consisting of land use change data and selected factors in 2010 and2020,this study used visual analysis to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of land urbanization across prefecture-level cities in China.Meanwhile,the driving forces underlying land urbanization were examined by using geographical detector technique.Following are the findings:1)we find that there exist notable spatial variances in land urbanization across prefecture-level cities.Currently,the differentiation in land urbanization between the northern and southern cities is more pronounced than that between the coastal and inland cities,or between the eastern and western cities.Prefecture-level cities located in central and western China have experienced the most rapid growth in land urbanization.Conversely,the growth rate in northeastern China is the lowest,while the velocity in eastern China remains relatively stable.By using spatial autocorrelation analysis,this study reveals that the land urbanization level in prefecture-level cities has significant spatial agglomeration.2)We further find that land urbanization in China is influenced by factors related to urban land supply and demand,and urban population growth,economic growth,land financial and political incentive have greater impact on land urbanization than other factors.3)We also find that the impacts of determinants on China’s land urbanization vary over time,the explanatory power of economic development increased,while the explanatory power of state forces declined.We argue that integrating the supply and demand factors of land urbanization can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the driving mechanisms underlying land urbanization in China and other transitional countries,and help decision-makers in these countries formulate more detailed and specific land urbanization policies.展开更多
Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife.One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces,which has discernible effects on wil...Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife.One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces,which has discernible effects on wildlife.Interestingly,an emerging trend has been observed that birds are incorporating anthropogenic materials into their nests.However,the relationship between anthropogenic nesting materials(ANMs)and the reproductive performance of urban birds is unclear.In this study,we investigated the relationship between the incorporation of ANMs into nests and the reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)by monitoring and collecting data on 136 breeding nests in Hangzhou,China.We gathered data on seven reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls,including laying date,incubation period,nestling period,clutch size,egg volume,hatching success rate,and fledging success rate.We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index as a measure of the level of urbanization and examined its relationship with the proportion and weight of ANMs.Through examination of nest components,we observed significant increase in the proportion and weight of ANMs with the urbanization synthetic index.Notably,we found a higher hatching success rate of Chinese Bulbuls with an increasing proportion of ANMs.However,the inclusion of ANMs in nests was not correlated with other reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls.Overall,the use of ANMs by Chinese Bulbuls is consistent with the adaptive hypothesis and the availability hypothesis.Further studies should use controlled experiments to investigate the impact of ANMs on avian reproductive success.展开更多
The rapid expansion of cities seriously threatens the sustainable development of agriculture in China.Exploring the evolution law and influencing mechanism of agricultural regional system in the process of urbanizatio...The rapid expansion of cities seriously threatens the sustainable development of agriculture in China.Exploring the evolution law and influencing mechanism of agricultural regional system in the process of urbanization is of great significance for promoting sustainable development of agriculture in China.This paper takes the Loess Plateau(LP)as an example,and constructs a research framework to study the effect of urbanization on agricultural regional system through the lens of human-earth interaction,aiming at elucidating the evolutionary characteristics of agricultural regional system and revealing the impact law of urbanization.The results show that:(1)The growth trend of the evolution index of the agricultural regional system in the LP was significant,gradually evolving into a spatial pattern of"high in the north and south,low in the east and west".(2)The hot spot and sub-hot spot zones of the agricultural regional system evolution index in the LP were mainly distributed in the south and north,while the cold spot and sub-cold spot zones were primarily located in the center,east and west.(3)The levels of agricultural mechanization,agricultural land productivity,cropland area,and agricultural labor productivity were the main internal influencing factors of the agricultural regional system in the LP.The obstacle degree of agricultural mechanization level,cropland area,and the proportion of agricultural employees increased over time,while the obstacle degree of agricultural land productivity and grain yield capacity decreased.(4)The impact of population urbanization in the LP showed a spatial pattern of"inhibition in the southeast and promotion in the northwest",the impact of economic urbanization was dominated by inhibition,and the impact of land urbanization showed a spatial pattern of"promotion in the whole and inhibition in the local".This study provides ideas for the comprehensive research on the evolution and influencing factors of agricultural regional system,and offers practical references for achieving sustainable agricultural development in LP.展开更多
Understanding the relative impact of nutrients and related environmental variables on phytoplankton biomass changes in urban rivers is important for river management.In this study,we explored the long-term dynamic cha...Understanding the relative impact of nutrients and related environmental variables on phytoplankton biomass changes in urban rivers is important for river management.In this study,we explored the long-term dynamic changes and driving factors of phytoplankton biomass in the process of urbanization from the perspective of time and space,and provided a scientific support to water ecological health assessment and management of urban rivers.From 2012 to 2021,the phytoplankton community composition in Taiyuan section of Fenhe River was found to be dominated by Cyanophyta,Chlorophyta,and Bacillariophyta.Among them,cyanobacteria were the main contributors to the total abundance,green algae ranked second,and diatoms were the least.The biomass of phytoplankton in different groups showed different decreasing trends.Based on 10 environmental factors to explain the changes of three main phytoplankton groups(cyanobacteria,green algae,diatoms),we found that chemical oxygen demand and water temperature had a high explanation rate for the abundance changes of the three main phytoplankton groups,which were important environmental factors affecting their biomass changes.The random forest model was used to analyze the changes in the total biomass of phytoplankton.It was found that the permanganate index had a higher contribution to the total biomass of phytoplankton in time.The contribution of air temperature to the total biomass of phytoplankton was higher in space.展开更多
This paper investigates the effect and transmission mechanism of air pollution on urbanization based on data from China’s 107 cities during 2005–2018.In order to identify the impact of air pollution on China’s urba...This paper investigates the effect and transmission mechanism of air pollution on urbanization based on data from China’s 107 cities during 2005–2018.In order to identify the impact of air pollution on China’s urbanization,we utilized night light data to represent the level of urbanization and used temperature inversion as an instrumental variable to mitigate endogeneity within the two-stage least squares framework.The results suggest that air pollution significantly slowed China’s urbanization process with economic growth acting as the transmission mechanism.The heterogeneity analyses revealed that air pollution had a greater negative impact on urbanization in northern regions than that in southern regions,and a greater negative impact in resource-oriented cities than that in non-resource-based cities.We also find that air pollution was to the detriment of urbanization in larger cities,which have more than 3 million residents,while it did not have a significant impact on Type II large cities,which have fewer than 3 million residents.展开更多
The South China Sea is a hotspot for regional climate research.Over the past 40 years,considerable improvement has been made in the development and utilization of the islands in the South China Sea,leading to a substa...The South China Sea is a hotspot for regional climate research.Over the past 40 years,considerable improvement has been made in the development and utilization of the islands in the South China Sea,leading to a substantial change in the land-use of the islands.However,research on the impact of human development on the local climate of these islands is lacking.This study analyzed the characteristics of local climate changes on the islands in the South China Sea based on data from the Yongxing Island Observation Station and ERA5 re-analysis.Furthermore,the influence of urbanization on the local climate of the South China Sea islands was explored in this study.The findings revealed that the 10-year average temperature in Yongxing Island increased by approximately 1.11℃from 1961 to 2020,and the contribution of island development and urbanization to the local warming rate over 60 years was approximately 36.2%.The linear increasing trend of the annual hot days from 1961–2020 was approximately 14.84 days per decade.The diurnal temperature range exhibited an increasing trend of 0.05℃per decade,whereas the number of cold days decreased by 1.06days per decade.The rapid increase in construction on Yongxing Island from 2005 to 2021 led to a decrease in observed surface wind speed by 0.32 m s^(-1)per decade.Consequently,the number of days with strong winds decreased,whereas the number of days with weak winds increased.Additionally,relative humidity exhibited a rapid decline from 2001 to 2016 and then rebounded.The study also found substantial differences between the ERA5 re-analysis and observation data,particularly in wind speed and relative humidity,indicating that the use of re-analysis data for climate resource assessment and climate change evaluation on island areas may not be feasible.展开更多
This paper uses inter-provincial panel data from 2011 to 2017,a linear regression model,and a threshold model to conduct empirical analyses of the impact of the digital economy on China's overall economic growth a...This paper uses inter-provincial panel data from 2011 to 2017,a linear regression model,and a threshold model to conduct empirical analyses of the impact of the digital economy on China's overall economic growth and the three main sectors of industry.The paper then investigates the impact and effects the digital economy has had on the economic growth of the three main sectors of industry in China's eastern,central,and western regions.Finally,the paper investigates the most significant differences among the various regions and the threshold effects of urbanization levels on the relationship between the digital economy and economic growth.The findings indicate a significantly positive correlation between the digital economy and regional economic growth.Moreover,geographical factors notably influence this correlation.The digital economy exerts a positive effect on all sectors of industry.It may not substantially impact industrial development in regions with highly developed infrastructure.Regarding the other regions,the digital economy exhibits varying degrees of impact due to the differences in the specific indicators.The conclusion drawn by the threshold model is that the magnitude of the threshold effect correlates with geographic factors.No threshold effect was observed in the eastern region,while the threshold effect occurred in the central region when the urbanization levels for the provinces were below 0.6645.Similarly,the threshold effect was noted in the western region when the urbanization level was below 0.3931.Considering all of this,the study also offers policy recommendations that will help balance the regional development of digital economies,accelerate the digital transformation of traditional industries,enhance digital infrastructure construction,refine the formulation and implementation of data policy,and establish relevant incentive mechanisms.展开更多
Urbanization is the inevitable path of national economic development,and the level of urbanization development in most African countries is still low.By analyzing five typical developed countries in the United States,...Urbanization is the inevitable path of national economic development,and the level of urbanization development in most African countries is still low.By analyzing five typical developed countries in the United States,Britain,France,Germany,and Japan,this paper discusses the promoting factors and problems of the rapid urbanization development in their specific years,as well as the experiences and lessons that Africa can learn,so as to prevent Africa from taking the detour in the urbanization process of Western developed countries and promote the balanced regional development of various African countries.展开更多
Urban flooding is one of the significant issues that many cities are dealing with to ensure sustainable development.Upgrading the drainage systems is a standard measure that engineers have often used to reduce the ris...Urban flooding is one of the significant issues that many cities are dealing with to ensure sustainable development.Upgrading the drainage systems is a standard measure that engineers have often used to reduce the risk of flooding.Because of climate change and urbanization,stormwater management systems may be inadequate to convey generated overflow in their catchment,which results in severe flooding in many cities worldwide.This research investigates climate change and urbanization's influence on urban flooding by simulating the EPA Stormwater Management Model for drainage systems in an urban catchment in An Ha,Tam Ky,Quang Nam.The results showed that urbanization shortens the initial abstraction ability while climate change increases extreme rainfall and water levels of receiving sources.Additionally,the impacts are even more substantial when the high urbanization rate increases by more than 70%,together with climate change.展开更多
The pace and scale of China＇s contemporary urbanization are stunning. This paper reviews process and the underlying driving forces of China＇s urbanization between 1949-2015. Contemporary China＇s urbanization has ex...The pace and scale of China＇s contemporary urbanization are stunning. This paper reviews process and the underlying driving forces of China＇s urbanization between 1949-2015. Contemporary China＇s urbanization has experienced four stages, and each has had different driving forces： 1） economic re-construction and industrialization-led urbanization 0949-1977）; 2） economic reform and mar- ket-led urbanization （1978-1995）; 3） economic globalization and the global-local urbanization （1996-2010）; and 4） the land-economy- led urbanization （2010-）. These urbanization processes and driving forces will undoubtedly provide scientific reference and have sig- nificant implications for developing countries, especially African countries, to formulate their urbanization public policies.展开更多
In the process of urbanization,there are problems of decline in rural population,shrinkage of rural area,and constant increase in the per-capita net income of rural residents. These problems have brought about new cha...In the process of urbanization,there are problems of decline in rural population,shrinkage of rural area,and constant increase in the per-capita net income of rural residents. These problems have brought about new characteristics and changes to the consumption structure of rural residents. This paper divided the urbanization into population urbanization,industrial urbanization and land urbanization. Using the panel data of 31 provinces in 2004-2013,it established the dynamic panel model and analyzed the effects of different types of urbanization on the consumption structure of rural residents. Results indicated that population urbanization exerts a negative effect on development-oriented consumption expenditure of rural residents,while it exerts a positive effect on enjoyment consumption expenditure; the industrial urbanization exerts a negative effect on the consumption expenditure of rural residents,while it exerts a positive effect on clothing and transportation communication consumption of rural residents; land urbanization exerts a negative effect on medical care expenditure in enjoyment consumption of rural residents. In view of these problems,it came up with recommendations,including stimulating the development of rural consumer market,liberating the consumption potentiality of rural areas,making clear emphasis points of different types of urbanization,avoiding promoting the urbanization in a blind manner,and adjusting the development of different types of urbanization on the basis of the consumption demands of rural residents.展开更多
As urbanization expands＇ into the suburbs of Chinese cities, the conversion of farmers into citizens with urban social protection is becoming an important issue facing Chinese megacities. Taking Beijing as an example...As urbanization expands＇ into the suburbs of Chinese cities, the conversion of farmers into citizens with urban social protection is becoming an important issue facing Chinese megacities. Taking Beijing as an example, this paper has calculated the one-off urbanization cost of farmers in China and arrived at the results of 500, 000 yuan per person for urbanization of centralized target regions in the suburb and 200, 000 yuan per person for urbanization of scattered target regions in the exurb. This paper considers that a diversified cost sharing mechanism should be put into place for the step-by-step urbanization of farmers. In addition, policy recommendations are proposed regarding the functional transformation of collective economic organizations, eradication of the urban-rural divide, enhancement of land system innovation and policy improvements for urbanization of rural residents.展开更多
The rapid urbanization of Africa is facing a multitude of challenges.This paper analyzes the seven major issues currently plaguing African urbanization:regional development imbalances,the disconnect between urbanizati...The rapid urbanization of Africa is facing a multitude of challenges.This paper analyzes the seven major issues currently plaguing African urbanization:regional development imbalances,the disconnect between urbanization and economic growth,increasing complexities in the urbanization process,the constraining effect of lagging agriculture,low quality of urbanization,lack of coordination between urbanization and modernization,and excessive population concentration in urban areas.To address these issues,Africa can draw valuable lessons from other countries,particularly from China’s experience in urban development.Since 1978,China has seen a rapid increase in its urbanization rate.The key to this success lies in policy orientation,labor force transition,prioritized regional development,and attracting foreign investment among other strategies.By learning from China’s experience,African countries can optimize agricultural modernization,strengthen the manufacturing sector,increase investment in infrastructure,and accelerate the process of digitization,thereby creating new opportunities for their urbanization process.This paper explores the rapidly developing urbanization process in Africa and the accompanying challenges.It also analyzes China’s experience in urbanization,offering insights and recommendations for Africa’s urban development.展开更多
Three typical rural-suburban-urban artificial wetlands Pinus elliottii forest in Nanchang City were selected as research objects to mensurate the soil nutrient content.And the annual average values and seasonal change...Three typical rural-suburban-urban artificial wetlands Pinus elliottii forest in Nanchang City were selected as research objects to mensurate the soil nutrient content.And the annual average values and seasonal changes of microbes in forest soil were analyzed.The results showed that soil bulk density,total phosphorus （TP） and pH increased,while soil organic carbon （SOC）,total nitrogen （TN） declined with rural-to-urban gradient.At different eco-boundary,annual average values showed that actinomycetes quantity bacteria quantity fungi quantity.Total microbe number was urban suburb rural areas.The number of bacteria and fungi was urban suburbs rural areas,but the number of actinomycetes was suburb urban rural areas.Eco-boundary,season and microbes actinomycetes and fungi reached an extreme significant level （P 0.001）.Bacteria in soil at different eco-boundary had significant effects,but season had no significant effect on bacteria.Eco-boundary and season had a very significant interaction on actinomycetes and fungi （P 0.001）,but they had no significant interaction on bacteria （P 0.05）.Eco-boundary showed significantly positive correlation with actinomycetes and fungi （P 0.001）,but season had no significant corelation with microbes.In conclusion,urbanization process caused the physical-chemical properties changes of forest soil and affected the amount of soil microbes obviously.展开更多
By introducing the urbanization history of Meizhou City,major problems of its spatial structure were summarized as small scale of urban areas and incomplete hierarchical structure;poor cohesive force of central city,i...By introducing the urbanization history of Meizhou City,major problems of its spatial structure were summarized as small scale of urban areas and incomplete hierarchical structure;poor cohesive force of central city,imbalanced regional spatial ratio;disorderly development of urban spaces;and fierce competition for space.Then spatial restructuring of Meizhou City was discussed from the following 3 perspectives:optimizing hierarchical structure of space,planning in advance to construct a central city with more than 1 million residents;establishing the traffic hub of Guangdong,Fujian and Jiangxi;improving spatial structure of industries.It was to enhance sustainable social and economic development of the local area,break the dualistic structure and realize the overall development of urban and rural areas,and also narrow the urban-rural gap.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation Projects of China(Grant No.42071284).
文摘Understanding the complex interactions between urbanization and ecosystem services(ESs)is crucial for optimiz ing planning policies and achieving sustainable urban management.While previous research has largely focused on highly urbanized areas,little attention has been given to the phased effect of progressive urbanization on ES networks.This study proposes a conceptual framework that utilizes the network method and space-time replace ment to examine the effect of urbanization on the complex relationships among ESs at different stages,with a particular emphasis on the progressive evolution of the process.We apply this framework to the Horqin area,a typical eco-fragile area in China.Results demonstrate that the connectivity of the ES synergy network exhibits a non-stationary characteristic,initially increasing,then decreasing,and subsequently strengthening.Meanwhile,its modularity shows a rising trend during periods of accelerated urbanization.The performance of the trade off network displays the opposite pattern.Additionally,we observe a gradual replacement of provisioning and regulation services by cultural services in terms of dominance in the synergy network as urbanization advances.By providing guidance for identifying key planning initiatives and implementing ecological protection policies at different stages of development,this study contributes a pathway that can inform development strategies in other regions undergoing progressive urbanization.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province(Grant No.20210302124437)the Graduate Student Research and Innovation Project of Shanxi Province(Grant No.2023KY551).
文摘In this paper,the Taixin Integrated Economic Zone in Shanxi Province is taken as the research object,and the coupling coordination degree model and bivariate spatial autocorrelation model are used to judge the coupling coordination and spatial-temporal correlation between urbanization and ecosystem service,and the hotspot analysis is used to judge the spatial-temporal trend of urbanization and ecosystem service.The results show that:(1)The urbanization level from 2000 to 2020 continued to rise,the areas with relatively high urbanization were concentrated in the central part of the study area,and the relatively high terrain areas on both sides of the study area,the urbanization was relatively slow,and the hotspot areas with highly significant and significant urbanization level from 2000 to 2020 were distributed as bands in the central part of the study area and the area was rising,and there was no Cold spot area distribution;between 2000 and 2020,the ecosystem service value in the study area increased by 2.6800×10^(8) yuan.Over these two decades,it exhibited a development trend that first rose and then declined.The woodland and grassland agglomeration areas were located on the two sides of the study area,forming highly significant and significant hotspots.Conversely,the central and northeastern parts of the study area were characterized by concentrated man-made land surfaces and croplands,resulting in the formation of highly significant and significant cold spots.(2)In the central part of the study area where man-made land surface and cultivated land are concentrated,the coupling coordination between urbanization and ecosystem service is in the intermediate dislocation and mild dislocation interval;the woodland and grassland concentration areas on both sides of the study area are ecologically fragile,and the coupling coordination between the two is in the level of less than intermediate dislocation.(3)From 2000 to 2020,urbanization and the value of ecosystem services were both negatively correlated,although the correlation coefficient was low.In the central and northeastern parts,urbanization and ecosystem service exhibited patterns of high-low,high-high,and low-low clustering.Conversely,on both sides of the study area,most of the clusters showed a low-high pattern.
基金financial support provided by the German Research Foundation,DFG,through grant number KL894/23-2 and NO 1444/1-2 as part of the Research Unit FOR2432/2the China Scholarship Council(CSC)that supports the first author with a Ph D scholarshipsupport provided by Indian partners at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology(IWST),Bengaluru。
文摘Rapid urbanization has caused significant changes along the urban-rural gradient,leading to a variety of landscapes that are mainly shaped by human activities.This dynamic interplay also influences the distribution and characteristics of trees outside forests(TOF).Understanding the pattern of these trees will support informed decision-making in urban planning,in conservation strategies,and altogether in sustainable land management practices in the urban context.In this study,we employed a deep learning-based object detection model and high resolution satellite imagery to identify 1.3 million trees with bounding boxes within a 250 km^(2)research transect spanning the urban-rural gradient of Bengaluru,a megacity in Southern India.Additionally,we developed an allometric equation to estimate diameter at breast height(DBH)from the tree crown diameter(CD)derived from the detected bounding boxes.Our study focused on analyzing variations in tree density and tree size along this gradient.The findings revealed distinct patterns:the urban domain displayed larger tree crown diameters(mean:8.87 m)and DBH(mean:43.78 cm)but having relatively low tree density(32 trees per hectare).Furthermore,with increasing distance from the city center,tree density increased,while the mean tree crown diameter and mean tree basal area decreased,showing clear differences of tree density and size between the urban and rural domains in Bengaluru.This study offers an efficient methodology that helps generating instructive insights into the dynamics of TOF along the urban-rural gradient.This may inform urban planning and management strategies for enhancing green infrastructure and biodiversity conservation in rapidly urbanizing cities like Bengaluru.
基金Under the auspices of the Social Science and Humanity on Young Fund of the Ministry of Education of China(No.21YJCZH100)the Scientific Research Project on Outstanding Young of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University(No.XJQ201920)+1 种基金the Science and Technology Innovation Special Fund Project of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University(No.CXZX2021032)the Forestry Peak Discipline Construction Project of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University(No.72202200205)。
文摘Under the influence of anthropogenic and climate change,the problems caused by urban heat island(UHI)has become increasingly prominent.In order to promote urban sustainable development and improve the quality of human settlements,it is significant for exploring the evolution characteristics of urban thermal environment and analyzing its driving forces.Taking the Landsat series images as the basic data sources,the winter land surface temperature(LST)of the rapid urbanization area of Fuzhou City in China was quantitatively retrieved from 2001 to 2021.Combing comprehensively the standard deviation ellipse model,profile analysis and GeoDetector model,the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of the winter urban thermal environment were systematically analyzed.The results showed that the winter LST presented an increasing trend in the study area during 2001–2021,and the winter LST of the central urban regions was significantly higher than the suburbs.There was a strong UHI effect from 2001 to 2021with an expansion trend from the central urban regions to the suburbs and coastal areas in space scale.The LST of green lands and wetlands are significantly lower than croplands,artificial surface and unvegetated lands.Vegetation and water bodies had a significant mitigation effect on UHI,especially in the micro-scale.The winter UHI had been jointly driven by the underlying surface and socio-economic factors in a nonlinear or two-factor interactive enhancement mode,and socio-economic factors had played a leading role.This research could provide data support and decision-making references for rationally planning urban layout and promoting sustainable urban development.
基金the Youth Growth Technology Project,Science and Technology Department of Jilin Province(20230508130RC)Bureau of Forestry and Landscaping of Changchun.
文摘Differences in forest attributes and carbon sequestration of each organ and layer between broadleaved and conifer forests of central and outer urban areas are not well-defined,hindering the precise management of urban forests and improvement of function.To clarify the effect of two forest types with different urbanization intensities,we determined differences in vegetation composition and diversity,structural traits,and carbon stocks of 152 plots(20 m×20 m)in urban park forests in Changchun,which had the largest green quantity and carbon density effectiveness.We found that 1.1-fold thicker and healthier trees,and 1.6-to 2.0-fold higher,healthier,denser,and more various shrubs but with sparser trees and herbs occurred in the central urban forests(p<0.05)than in the outer forests.The conifer forests exhibited 30–70%obviously higher tree aboveground carbon sequestration(including stem and leaf)and 20%bigger trees,especially in the outer forests(p<0.05).In contrast,1.1-to 1.5-fold higher branch stocks,healthier and more diverse trees were found in broadleaved forests of both the inner and outer forests(p<0.05).Plant size and dominant species had similarly important roles in carbon stock improvement,especially big-sized woody plants and Pinus tabuliformis.In addition,a higher number of deciduous or needle species positively affected the broadleaved forest of the central urban area and conifer forest of the outer urban area,respectively.These findings can be used to guide precise management and accelerate the improvement of urban carbon function in Northeast China in the future.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42201202,42271177)General Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Jiangsu Universities(No.2022SJYB1161)Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD)。
文摘Examining the spatiotemporal dynamics and determinants of land urbanization is critical for promoting healthy urban development and the rational use of land resources.Based on the dataset consisting of land use change data and selected factors in 2010 and2020,this study used visual analysis to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of land urbanization across prefecture-level cities in China.Meanwhile,the driving forces underlying land urbanization were examined by using geographical detector technique.Following are the findings:1)we find that there exist notable spatial variances in land urbanization across prefecture-level cities.Currently,the differentiation in land urbanization between the northern and southern cities is more pronounced than that between the coastal and inland cities,or between the eastern and western cities.Prefecture-level cities located in central and western China have experienced the most rapid growth in land urbanization.Conversely,the growth rate in northeastern China is the lowest,while the velocity in eastern China remains relatively stable.By using spatial autocorrelation analysis,this study reveals that the land urbanization level in prefecture-level cities has significant spatial agglomeration.2)We further find that land urbanization in China is influenced by factors related to urban land supply and demand,and urban population growth,economic growth,land financial and political incentive have greater impact on land urbanization than other factors.3)We also find that the impacts of determinants on China’s land urbanization vary over time,the explanatory power of economic development increased,while the explanatory power of state forces declined.We argue that integrating the supply and demand factors of land urbanization can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the driving mechanisms underlying land urbanization in China and other transitional countries,and help decision-makers in these countries formulate more detailed and specific land urbanization policies.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32271743,31071908).
文摘Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife.One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces,which has discernible effects on wildlife.Interestingly,an emerging trend has been observed that birds are incorporating anthropogenic materials into their nests.However,the relationship between anthropogenic nesting materials(ANMs)and the reproductive performance of urban birds is unclear.In this study,we investigated the relationship between the incorporation of ANMs into nests and the reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)by monitoring and collecting data on 136 breeding nests in Hangzhou,China.We gathered data on seven reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls,including laying date,incubation period,nestling period,clutch size,egg volume,hatching success rate,and fledging success rate.We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index as a measure of the level of urbanization and examined its relationship with the proportion and weight of ANMs.Through examination of nest components,we observed significant increase in the proportion and weight of ANMs with the urbanization synthetic index.Notably,we found a higher hatching success rate of Chinese Bulbuls with an increasing proportion of ANMs.However,the inclusion of ANMs in nests was not correlated with other reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls.Overall,the use of ANMs by Chinese Bulbuls is consistent with the adaptive hypothesis and the availability hypothesis.Further studies should use controlled experiments to investigate the impact of ANMs on avian reproductive success.
基金funded by the Major Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42293271)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42171208).
文摘The rapid expansion of cities seriously threatens the sustainable development of agriculture in China.Exploring the evolution law and influencing mechanism of agricultural regional system in the process of urbanization is of great significance for promoting sustainable development of agriculture in China.This paper takes the Loess Plateau(LP)as an example,and constructs a research framework to study the effect of urbanization on agricultural regional system through the lens of human-earth interaction,aiming at elucidating the evolutionary characteristics of agricultural regional system and revealing the impact law of urbanization.The results show that:(1)The growth trend of the evolution index of the agricultural regional system in the LP was significant,gradually evolving into a spatial pattern of"high in the north and south,low in the east and west".(2)The hot spot and sub-hot spot zones of the agricultural regional system evolution index in the LP were mainly distributed in the south and north,while the cold spot and sub-cold spot zones were primarily located in the center,east and west.(3)The levels of agricultural mechanization,agricultural land productivity,cropland area,and agricultural labor productivity were the main internal influencing factors of the agricultural regional system in the LP.The obstacle degree of agricultural mechanization level,cropland area,and the proportion of agricultural employees increased over time,while the obstacle degree of agricultural land productivity and grain yield capacity decreased.(4)The impact of population urbanization in the LP showed a spatial pattern of"inhibition in the southeast and promotion in the northwest",the impact of economic urbanization was dominated by inhibition,and the impact of land urbanization showed a spatial pattern of"promotion in the whole and inhibition in the local".This study provides ideas for the comprehensive research on the evolution and influencing factors of agricultural regional system,and offers practical references for achieving sustainable agricultural development in LP.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.32270220,U22A20445 to Jia FENG)the Excellent Achievement Cultivation Project of Higher Education in Shanxi(No.2020KJ029)the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province(No.202203021211313)。
文摘Understanding the relative impact of nutrients and related environmental variables on phytoplankton biomass changes in urban rivers is important for river management.In this study,we explored the long-term dynamic changes and driving factors of phytoplankton biomass in the process of urbanization from the perspective of time and space,and provided a scientific support to water ecological health assessment and management of urban rivers.From 2012 to 2021,the phytoplankton community composition in Taiyuan section of Fenhe River was found to be dominated by Cyanophyta,Chlorophyta,and Bacillariophyta.Among them,cyanobacteria were the main contributors to the total abundance,green algae ranked second,and diatoms were the least.The biomass of phytoplankton in different groups showed different decreasing trends.Based on 10 environmental factors to explain the changes of three main phytoplankton groups(cyanobacteria,green algae,diatoms),we found that chemical oxygen demand and water temperature had a high explanation rate for the abundance changes of the three main phytoplankton groups,which were important environmental factors affecting their biomass changes.The random forest model was used to analyze the changes in the total biomass of phytoplankton.It was found that the permanganate index had a higher contribution to the total biomass of phytoplankton in time.The contribution of air temperature to the total biomass of phytoplankton was higher in space.
基金supported by Preliminary Funding Project of Hubei Provincial Department of Education[Grant No.22ZD100].
文摘This paper investigates the effect and transmission mechanism of air pollution on urbanization based on data from China’s 107 cities during 2005–2018.In order to identify the impact of air pollution on China’s urbanization,we utilized night light data to represent the level of urbanization and used temperature inversion as an instrumental variable to mitigate endogeneity within the two-stage least squares framework.The results suggest that air pollution significantly slowed China’s urbanization process with economic growth acting as the transmission mechanism.The heterogeneity analyses revealed that air pollution had a greater negative impact on urbanization in northern regions than that in southern regions,and a greater negative impact in resource-oriented cities than that in non-resource-based cities.We also find that air pollution was to the detriment of urbanization in larger cities,which have more than 3 million residents,while it did not have a significant impact on Type II large cities,which have fewer than 3 million residents.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(U21A6001,42075059)Specific Research Fund of The Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province(YSPTZX202143)+1 种基金Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research(2020B0301030004)Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Meteorological Service(GRMC2020M29)。
文摘The South China Sea is a hotspot for regional climate research.Over the past 40 years,considerable improvement has been made in the development and utilization of the islands in the South China Sea,leading to a substantial change in the land-use of the islands.However,research on the impact of human development on the local climate of these islands is lacking.This study analyzed the characteristics of local climate changes on the islands in the South China Sea based on data from the Yongxing Island Observation Station and ERA5 re-analysis.Furthermore,the influence of urbanization on the local climate of the South China Sea islands was explored in this study.The findings revealed that the 10-year average temperature in Yongxing Island increased by approximately 1.11℃from 1961 to 2020,and the contribution of island development and urbanization to the local warming rate over 60 years was approximately 36.2%.The linear increasing trend of the annual hot days from 1961–2020 was approximately 14.84 days per decade.The diurnal temperature range exhibited an increasing trend of 0.05℃per decade,whereas the number of cold days decreased by 1.06days per decade.The rapid increase in construction on Yongxing Island from 2005 to 2021 led to a decrease in observed surface wind speed by 0.32 m s^(-1)per decade.Consequently,the number of days with strong winds decreased,whereas the number of days with weak winds increased.Additionally,relative humidity exhibited a rapid decline from 2001 to 2016 and then rebounded.The study also found substantial differences between the ERA5 re-analysis and observation data,particularly in wind speed and relative humidity,indicating that the use of re-analysis data for climate resource assessment and climate change evaluation on island areas may not be feasible.
文摘This paper uses inter-provincial panel data from 2011 to 2017,a linear regression model,and a threshold model to conduct empirical analyses of the impact of the digital economy on China's overall economic growth and the three main sectors of industry.The paper then investigates the impact and effects the digital economy has had on the economic growth of the three main sectors of industry in China's eastern,central,and western regions.Finally,the paper investigates the most significant differences among the various regions and the threshold effects of urbanization levels on the relationship between the digital economy and economic growth.The findings indicate a significantly positive correlation between the digital economy and regional economic growth.Moreover,geographical factors notably influence this correlation.The digital economy exerts a positive effect on all sectors of industry.It may not substantially impact industrial development in regions with highly developed infrastructure.Regarding the other regions,the digital economy exhibits varying degrees of impact due to the differences in the specific indicators.The conclusion drawn by the threshold model is that the magnitude of the threshold effect correlates with geographic factors.No threshold effect was observed in the eastern region,while the threshold effect occurred in the central region when the urbanization levels for the provinces were below 0.6645.Similarly,the threshold effect was noted in the western region when the urbanization level was below 0.3931.Considering all of this,the study also offers policy recommendations that will help balance the regional development of digital economies,accelerate the digital transformation of traditional industries,enhance digital infrastructure construction,refine the formulation and implementation of data policy,and establish relevant incentive mechanisms.
文摘Urbanization is the inevitable path of national economic development,and the level of urbanization development in most African countries is still low.By analyzing five typical developed countries in the United States,Britain,France,Germany,and Japan,this paper discusses the promoting factors and problems of the rapid urbanization development in their specific years,as well as the experiences and lessons that Africa can learn,so as to prevent Africa from taking the detour in the urbanization process of Western developed countries and promote the balanced regional development of various African countries.
基金Science and Technology Fund of Quang Nam Province,Grant/Award Number:32/HD-SKHCN。
文摘Urban flooding is one of the significant issues that many cities are dealing with to ensure sustainable development.Upgrading the drainage systems is a standard measure that engineers have often used to reduce the risk of flooding.Because of climate change and urbanization,stormwater management systems may be inadequate to convey generated overflow in their catchment,which results in severe flooding in many cities worldwide.This research investigates climate change and urbanization's influence on urban flooding by simulating the EPA Stormwater Management Model for drainage systems in an urban catchment in An Ha,Tam Ky,Quang Nam.The results showed that urbanization shortens the initial abstraction ability while climate change increases extreme rainfall and water levels of receiving sources.Additionally,the impacts are even more substantial when the high urbanization rate increases by more than 70%,together with climate change.
基金Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41590844)the Independent Research Program of Tsinghai University(No.2015THZ01)
文摘The pace and scale of China＇s contemporary urbanization are stunning. This paper reviews process and the underlying driving forces of China＇s urbanization between 1949-2015. Contemporary China＇s urbanization has experienced four stages, and each has had different driving forces： 1） economic re-construction and industrialization-led urbanization 0949-1977）; 2） economic reform and mar- ket-led urbanization （1978-1995）; 3） economic globalization and the global-local urbanization （1996-2010）; and 4） the land-economy- led urbanization （2010-）. These urbanization processes and driving forces will undoubtedly provide scientific reference and have sig- nificant implications for developing countries, especially African countries, to formulate their urbanization public policies.
文摘In the process of urbanization,there are problems of decline in rural population,shrinkage of rural area,and constant increase in the per-capita net income of rural residents. These problems have brought about new characteristics and changes to the consumption structure of rural residents. This paper divided the urbanization into population urbanization,industrial urbanization and land urbanization. Using the panel data of 31 provinces in 2004-2013,it established the dynamic panel model and analyzed the effects of different types of urbanization on the consumption structure of rural residents. Results indicated that population urbanization exerts a negative effect on development-oriented consumption expenditure of rural residents,while it exerts a positive effect on enjoyment consumption expenditure; the industrial urbanization exerts a negative effect on the consumption expenditure of rural residents,while it exerts a positive effect on clothing and transportation communication consumption of rural residents; land urbanization exerts a negative effect on medical care expenditure in enjoyment consumption of rural residents. In view of these problems,it came up with recommendations,including stimulating the development of rural consumer market,liberating the consumption potentiality of rural areas,making clear emphasis points of different types of urbanization,avoiding promoting the urbanization in a blind manner,and adjusting the development of different types of urbanization on the basis of the consumption demands of rural residents.
基金supported by CASS Innovation Project"Study on the Evaluation and Improvement of Urbanization Quality in the Chinese Mainland."
文摘As urbanization expands＇ into the suburbs of Chinese cities, the conversion of farmers into citizens with urban social protection is becoming an important issue facing Chinese megacities. Taking Beijing as an example, this paper has calculated the one-off urbanization cost of farmers in China and arrived at the results of 500, 000 yuan per person for urbanization of centralized target regions in the suburb and 200, 000 yuan per person for urbanization of scattered target regions in the exurb. This paper considers that a diversified cost sharing mechanism should be put into place for the step-by-step urbanization of farmers. In addition, policy recommendations are proposed regarding the functional transformation of collective economic organizations, eradication of the urban-rural divide, enhancement of land system innovation and policy improvements for urbanization of rural residents.
文摘The rapid urbanization of Africa is facing a multitude of challenges.This paper analyzes the seven major issues currently plaguing African urbanization:regional development imbalances,the disconnect between urbanization and economic growth,increasing complexities in the urbanization process,the constraining effect of lagging agriculture,low quality of urbanization,lack of coordination between urbanization and modernization,and excessive population concentration in urban areas.To address these issues,Africa can draw valuable lessons from other countries,particularly from China’s experience in urban development.Since 1978,China has seen a rapid increase in its urbanization rate.The key to this success lies in policy orientation,labor force transition,prioritized regional development,and attracting foreign investment among other strategies.By learning from China’s experience,African countries can optimize agricultural modernization,strengthen the manufacturing sector,increase investment in infrastructure,and accelerate the process of digitization,thereby creating new opportunities for their urbanization process.This paper explores the rapidly developing urbanization process in Africa and the accompanying challenges.It also analyzes China’s experience in urbanization,offering insights and recommendations for Africa’s urban development.
基金Supported by Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province(2007GQN1935)~~
文摘Three typical rural-suburban-urban artificial wetlands Pinus elliottii forest in Nanchang City were selected as research objects to mensurate the soil nutrient content.And the annual average values and seasonal changes of microbes in forest soil were analyzed.The results showed that soil bulk density,total phosphorus （TP） and pH increased,while soil organic carbon （SOC）,total nitrogen （TN） declined with rural-to-urban gradient.At different eco-boundary,annual average values showed that actinomycetes quantity bacteria quantity fungi quantity.Total microbe number was urban suburb rural areas.The number of bacteria and fungi was urban suburbs rural areas,but the number of actinomycetes was suburb urban rural areas.Eco-boundary,season and microbes actinomycetes and fungi reached an extreme significant level （P 0.001）.Bacteria in soil at different eco-boundary had significant effects,but season had no significant effect on bacteria.Eco-boundary and season had a very significant interaction on actinomycetes and fungi （P 0.001）,but they had no significant interaction on bacteria （P 0.05）.Eco-boundary showed significantly positive correlation with actinomycetes and fungi （P 0.001）,but season had no significant corelation with microbes.In conclusion,urbanization process caused the physical-chemical properties changes of forest soil and affected the amount of soil microbes obviously.
基金Supported by Bidding Program of the Hakka Research School,the Provincial and Municipal Co-funded Key Research Base of Humanity and Social Sciences for General Universities of Guangdong Province (10KYKT02)~~
文摘By introducing the urbanization history of Meizhou City,major problems of its spatial structure were summarized as small scale of urban areas and incomplete hierarchical structure;poor cohesive force of central city,imbalanced regional spatial ratio;disorderly development of urban spaces;and fierce competition for space.Then spatial restructuring of Meizhou City was discussed from the following 3 perspectives:optimizing hierarchical structure of space,planning in advance to construct a central city with more than 1 million residents;establishing the traffic hub of Guangdong,Fujian and Jiangxi;improving spatial structure of industries.It was to enhance sustainable social and economic development of the local area,break the dualistic structure and realize the overall development of urban and rural areas,and also narrow the urban-rural gap.
