Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, China

China faces the challenge of revitalizing rural areas and aligning development with local resource characteristics. Empirical evidence highlights the interplay between rural policy frameworks and the evolving needs of rural populations. This study develops a village classification method based on na...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yu Yan, Long Zhou, Deljana Iossifova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2510612
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850218203752431616
author Yu Yan
Long Zhou
Deljana Iossifova
author_facet Yu Yan
Long Zhou
Deljana Iossifova
author_sort Yu Yan
collection DOAJ
description China faces the challenge of revitalizing rural areas and aligning development with local resource characteristics. Empirical evidence highlights the interplay between rural policy frameworks and the evolving needs of rural populations. This study develops a village classification method based on natural resource endowments. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we identify five components: natural environment, industrial landscape, arable land availability, population dynamics, and cultural-social factors. A weighted principal component distance clustering method categorizes villages into five typologies. Building on this classification, 8,649 questionnaires were distributed across 50 villages, and regression analysis was conducted to examine correlations between resource endowments and villagers’ development concerns. Results show that concern for environmental improvement is significantly associated with industrial development (β = 0.865, p < 0.001), while housing concerns correlate with ecological (β = 0.416, p < 0.001) and historical-cultural dimensions (β = 0.705, p < 0.001). In contrast, agricultural endowments show weaker explanatory power for villagers’ interest in agricultural development, indicating a preference for economically tangible outcomes. The study underscores the role of scientific rural classification, based on villagers’ perspectives, in guiding policy formulation and promoting people-centric rural development. It contributes to understanding the alignment and divergence between villagers’ needs and typology-based development pathways.
format Article
id doaj-art-a06a2e06a6d64f2495c1601d671e4422
institution OA Journals
issn 1347-2852
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
spelling doaj-art-a06a2e06a6d64f2495c1601d671e44222025-08-20T02:07:51ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering1347-28522025-05-010012110.1080/13467581.2025.25106122510612Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, ChinaYu Yan0Long Zhou1Deljana Iossifova2City University of MacauCity University of MacauThe University of ManchesterChina faces the challenge of revitalizing rural areas and aligning development with local resource characteristics. Empirical evidence highlights the interplay between rural policy frameworks and the evolving needs of rural populations. This study develops a village classification method based on natural resource endowments. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we identify five components: natural environment, industrial landscape, arable land availability, population dynamics, and cultural-social factors. A weighted principal component distance clustering method categorizes villages into five typologies. Building on this classification, 8,649 questionnaires were distributed across 50 villages, and regression analysis was conducted to examine correlations between resource endowments and villagers’ development concerns. Results show that concern for environmental improvement is significantly associated with industrial development (β = 0.865, p < 0.001), while housing concerns correlate with ecological (β = 0.416, p < 0.001) and historical-cultural dimensions (β = 0.705, p < 0.001). In contrast, agricultural endowments show weaker explanatory power for villagers’ interest in agricultural development, indicating a preference for economically tangible outcomes. The study underscores the role of scientific rural classification, based on villagers’ perspectives, in guiding policy formulation and promoting people-centric rural development. It contributes to understanding the alignment and divergence between villagers’ needs and typology-based development pathways.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2510612rural classificationresource-based developmentrural revitalizationvillagers’ concernssustainable rural planning
spellingShingle Yu Yan
Long Zhou
Deljana Iossifova
Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, China
Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
rural classification
resource-based development
rural revitalization
villagers’ concerns
sustainable rural planning
title Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, China
title_full Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, China
title_fullStr Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, China
title_full_unstemmed Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, China
title_short Rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers’ concerns: a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in Zhejiang, China
title_sort rural type classification based on resource characteristics and its relationship with local villagers concerns a case study of the beautiful villages initiative in zhejiang china
topic rural classification
resource-based development
rural revitalization
villagers’ concerns
sustainable rural planning
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2510612
work_keys_str_mv AT yuyan ruraltypeclassificationbasedonresourcecharacteristicsanditsrelationshipwithlocalvillagersconcernsacasestudyofthebeautifulvillagesinitiativeinzhejiangchina
AT longzhou ruraltypeclassificationbasedonresourcecharacteristicsanditsrelationshipwithlocalvillagersconcernsacasestudyofthebeautifulvillagesinitiativeinzhejiangchina
AT deljanaiossifova ruraltypeclassificationbasedonresourcecharacteristicsanditsrelationshipwithlocalvillagersconcernsacasestudyofthebeautifulvillagesinitiativeinzhejiangchina