Modes and practices of rural vitalisation promoted by land consolidation in a rapidly urbanising China: A perspective of multifunctionality

Rural issues, such as land fragmentation, eco-environment destruction, industrial lag and rural hollowing, can be seen as the external manifestation of the imbalance between the supply and demand of rural land use functions. Land consolidation, by virtue of its important role in regulating rural land use functions, has been proven to be multifunctional and endowed with the connotation of relieving rural issues and promoting rural development. This paper theoretically and practically explored the modes of rural development promoted by land consolidation from the perspective of land use multifunctionality for the first time and discussed its internal mechanisms. Results showed that by changing the type and intensity of rural land use functions, land consolidation can exert important influences on industrial structure, living conditions, ecological environment, and cultural construction, thereby contributing to rural development. Although the modes of rural vitalisation promoted by land consolidation from rural land use functions can be divided into intensity-adjustment mode and type-conversion mode, these two modes in practice often coexist or interconvert as the research scale changes. The intensity-adjustment mode in Jinzhuang Village that far from a megacity is largely influenced by the bottom-up forces and market demands, while the type-conversion mode in Dongheng Village that near to a megacity is largely the result of the joint effect of the position advantage, policy, and local industrial foundation. Lessons learned and policy recommendations were proposed in light of these two case studies. These findings will provide new insight into micro-level land use for other rural areas in China and even other developing countries to address rural issues and facilitate urban-rural development.