Speaker
Description
The urban construction zone of Xianyang City is located adjacent to Xi’an, a central metropolis in northwest China, forming the core region of the Xi’an metropolitan area. Suburban villages in Xianyang not only benefit from the influence of Xianyang’s central urban area but are also significantly impacted by the Xi’an metropolitan area. Leveraging advantages in location, land resources, labor force, and market potential, these villages have emerged as key areas driving urban-rural integration and leading rural revitalization in the city under the dual impetus of China's New Urbanization Strategy and Rural Revitalization Strategy. This study systematically examines suburban villages from three perspectives: characteristics, current challenges, and planning strategies.
In terms of characteristics, the suburban villages of Xianyang exhibit the following features: (1) significant locational advantages and convenient transportation, being closely connected to Xianyang’s central urban area and only 20 kilometers from Xi’an’s city center, with a driving time of approximately 30 minutes; (2) a high proportion of “dual-dwelling” urban and rural populations, with 62.4% of the population being permanent residents, ensuring abundant labor resources; and (3) substantial access to municipal public services, as villagers often choose urban schools and city-level hospitals for education and medical needs, reflecting strong public service convenience.
However, several challenges persist. (1) Rural industrial development is lagging, with a single economic structure and insufficient industrial integration, as many villages are located in major agricultural production areas; (2) high vacancy rates in educational facilities and significant disparities in infrastructure compared to urban centers, with approximately 50% of rural primary schools unused, natural gas network coverage at only 11%, and 95% of villages lacking sewage network coverage; and (3) fragmented ecological agricultural spaces, discontinuous urban-rural recreational spaces, and a lack of holistic urban-rural design considerations in suburban village landscape management.
To address these issues, the study proposes planning strategies focusing on: optimizing industrial structure and land resource allocation; promoting the co-construction and sharing of public service facilities; improving infrastructure coverage; enhancing the unique characteristics of village landscapes; fostering urban-rural landscape integration; and strengthening policy support for rural planning. Given the developmental disparities and spatial differences in suburban areas, this study acknowledges certain limitations. Future research could delve deeper into pathways for land policy reform under urban-rural integration and mechanisms for allocating land development revenues to ensure sustainable rural development.
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
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