Rural revitalization in China : land-use optimization through the practice of place-making

Abstract

In the process of globalization and rapid urbanization, most villages in the world are facing the challenge of transformation and revitalization. Few studies explain how villages evolve dynamically because of ignoring villages’ internal connections. By focusing on land-use optimization, this paper aims to reveal the process of rural transformation in the theory of place-making from a micro perspective. With the case study of Yuanqianshe in China, it is found that in the rural post-productivism transformation, place-making can take full advantage of rural rich resources through the different stakeholders’ cooperation. In this process of place-making, villagers become leading actors of rural transformation, while the government and society have irreplaceable roles. The case study shows that human-land relationships can be coordinated in the process of place-making, which lay a foundation of harmonious neighborhoods for the land-use policy implementation. The place-making ultimately brings about the optimal allocation of rural resources. We suggest that incentive policy like the Substitute Subsidies with Rewards and rural planning should be adopted to help villagers further realize rural revitalization towards post-productivism.