Driving Forces for the Spatial Reconstruction of Rural Settlements in Mountainous Areas Based on Structural Equation Models: A Case Study in Western China

Jia Zhong, Shaoquan Liu, Min Huang, Sha Cao and Hui Yu
Additional contact information
Jia Zhong: Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Shaoquan Liu: Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Min Huang: Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
Sha Cao: College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
Hui Yu: Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Rural settlement development in mountainous areas is the key to eliminating global hunger and poverty. The spatial reconstruction of rural settlements in mountainous areas can promote rural development in mountainous areas. In this study, the Panxi area—a typical mountainous area in China—was chosen as the study area. The driving forces for the spatial reconstruction of rural settlements in mountainous areas were explored from the perspective of peasant households by combining participatory rural appraisal (PRA) with structural equation modeling (SEM). Results showed that: (1) 62.03% of the 266 peasant households included were willing to have spatial reconstruction, indicating that most peasant households in mountainous areas have a very strong intention towards the spatial reconstruction of rural settlements. (2) Infrastructure, medical conditions, living environment, farming culture, and dietary habits significantly influenced the reconstruction intention of peasant households. In contrast, development opportunities, place attachment, language, and living mode each had a slight influence. (3) Geological disasters were the main driving force for the spatial reconstruction of rural settlements in mountainous areas, whilst the driving force of living cohesion was the smallest. This study provides insights for future planning and construction of rural settlements in the Panxi area and spatial reconstruction practices. It has important practical significance for overcoming poverty and realizing rural revitalization in mountainous areas.

Keywords: rural settlement; mountainous areas; spatial reconstruction; SEM; driving forces (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/9/913/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/9/913/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:9:p:913-:d:624544

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().