| Rural settlements is the main inhabited form of humans, and its spatial pattern is characterized by the interaction results of natural factors, social factors and economical factors during a long historical period, which reflected people’s choice tendency about landscape. Even though the spatial pattern of rural settlements system has changed with the rapid urbanization process, rural settlements is still the main inhabited form of humans. So the study on spatial pattern characteristics of rural settlements system and its influencing factors is of great significance to guide the construction and orderly development of rural settlement.Spatial distribution of settlements exhibited apparent scale-dependent features was founded in related study. However, there wasn’t enough study on the spatial distribution pattern of rural settlements under multi-scale at present. Point pattern analysis (PPA) is a common method for multi-scale analysis, which can reflect the multi-scale characteristics of spatial distribution effectively. With the help of PPA, we can easily reveal people’s choice tendency about landscape during the development of relationship between human and land. At the same time, the study also has important practical value to promote coordinated development of regional rural settlements.Jiangsu province is one of the provinces with fastest social-economic development in our country. However, because of the differences in economic foundation, geographical location, population control, etc. South, Central and North which the economical strength of South Jiangsu Province is the biggest, Central Jiangsu Province the second and North Jiangsu Province the weaker, meanwhile, the rate and potential of economical development of West Jiangsu Province is weaker than East Jiangsu Province. What’s more, the agricultural population is increasing along the spatial gradients of North-South. This study took Jiangsu Province as the study area for its significant differences among different regions within the same Province. It has important reference value to study the evolution and regularity of rural settlements for both Jiangsu Province and the rest regions of China.To identify the spatio-temporal patterns of rural settlements and their relevant contributing context factors, a study was taken with landscape metrics, point pattern analysis (PPA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) based on a1:10000topographic map in2000and the relevant geographic, social and economic data in1995-2000in Jiangsu Province. To further understand the evolution laws of rural settlements, spatial distribution pattern of rural settlements of Jiangsu Province in2005and2010were analyzed using PPA based on TM images and compared with the spatial pattern of rural settlements in2000. The results showed that:(1) The structure characteristics of the rural settlements varied significantly among different regions of Jiangsu Province. Along the spatial gradients of North-South and West-East, the mean patch area, mean shape index of the rural settlements showed a decreasing pattern, while the mean patch density exhibited an increasing pattern, rural settlements distributed more scattered and fragmented.(2) The spatial pattern of rural settlements showed significant differences among different regions of Jiangsu Province. The scale domains of uniform and random pattern for rural settlements were relatively larger in North Jiangsu province, while smaller in Central and South Jiangsu province. Accordingly, the scale domain of aggregated pattern was relatively smaller in North Jiangsu province and larger in Central and South Jiangsu province. In the same region, the scale domain of random pattern was relatively larger in Xuzhou within North Jiangsu province, Lixiahe within Central Jiangsu province, around Taihu within South Jiangsu province, while smaller for the rest regions. (3) The result of RDA showed that the natural geographical factors, locational and traffic factors, social and economic factors had significant effects on rural settlements’spatial pattern, which total explanation was69.3%. But there was a certain differences among each landscape factors’marginal effects, comparatively, natural geographical factors were the most important influencing factors for rural settlements distribution (marginal effects was51.6%), social and economic factors the second (marginal effects was33.4%), locational and traffic factors relatively smaller (marginal effects was10.6%).(4) It showed relatively complicated correlation between characteristics of rural settlements’spatial pattern and landscape context. Bi-plots from RDA of different landscape context factors about rural settlements spatial pattern indicated rural settlements tended to distribute uniformly in area of high rural settlements percentage coverage, randomly in area of high topographic restriction and fast developing area, aggregated in area in better natural condition such as abundant rainfall and higher net primary production.(5) The dynamic change of rural settlements’spatial pattern characteristics showed that the scale domains of uniform pattern for rural settlements were relatively larger in North Jiangsu province during2000-2010, while smaller in Central and South Jiangsu province. Accordingly, the scale domain of aggregated pattern was relatively smaller in North Jiangsu province and larger in Central and South Jiangsu province. The scale domain of random pattern in North Jiangsu province was larger than in Central and South Jiangsu province in2000; while smaller except some regions in Central Jiangsu province in2005and2010.(6) There existed a uniform-random-aggregated type shifting for almost all the rural settlements’distribution pattern across Jiangsu province as the observation scale increased from0to8km for3periods. Compared with the spatial distribution pattern of2000, the uniform distribution scale domains of2005and2010had decreased, while aggregated distribution scale domains had increased. And the change of random distribution scale domains varied with different regions. Overall, the landscape pattern of rural settlements system showed spatial-temporal diversity. Its spatial pattern influenced by various landscape context factors, which significantly influenced by natural geographical factors, then the social and economic factors, and last the locational and traffic factors. As a preserved inhabited form experienced a long-term historical process, rural settlements reflected the people’s choice tendency about landscape during the development of relationship between human and land. Further research may focus on the evolution mechanism of rural settlements, while comprehensive multi-disciplinary theories and research methods are also needed. |
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