Multi-Disciplinary Determination of the Rural/Urban Boundary: A Case Study in Xi’an, China

Lei Fang and Yingjie Wang
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Lei Fang: State Key Lab of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
Yingjie Wang: State Key Lab of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Rapid urbanization in China has blurred the boundaries between rural and urban areas in both geographic and conceptual terms. Accurately identifying this boundary in a given area is an important prerequisite for studies of these areas, but previous research has used fairly simplistic factors to distinguish the two areas (such as population density). In this study, we built a model combining multi-layer conditions and cumulative percentage methods based on five indicators linking spatial, economic, and demographic factors to produce a more comprehensive and quantitative method for identifying rural and urban areas. Using Xi’an, China as a case study, our methods produced a more accurate determination of the rural-urban divide when compared to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China. Specifically, the urbanization level was 3.24% lower in the new model, with a total urban area that was 621.87 km 2 lower. These results were checked by field survey and satellite imagery for accuracy. This new model thus provides local governments and other interested parties a theoretical and technological foundation for more accurate rural/urban planning and management in the future.

Keywords: rural/urban boundary; multi-conditional judgment; Xi’an; China; urban planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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