Exploring Solutions to Improve the Evaluation of Development of Rural Villages: A Case Study of the Application of the Evaluation for the Construction of Beautiful Villages (ECBV) in a Village in South China

Abstract

Eco-village development has been considered by the Chinese central government as part of its rural revitalisation campaign and it is seen as a crucial/main solution to the increasingly serious rural issues caused by urban–rural inequality. A significant number of eco-villages are being or will be developed with government leadership and support under the guidance of a corresponding assessment. However, the latest Chinese eco-village assessment, the Evaluation for the Construction of Beautiful Villages (ECBV), has been found to have limitations related to the assessment process, method, and indicators, meaning that it cannot be used to perform a balanced evaluation of the social, economic, and environmental aspects of an eco-village. As assessing an eco-village is as essential as building it, it has become necessary to balance the criteria and improve the ECBV assessment so that it can review existing achievements, guide further development, and ensure better outcomes. Thus, this paper aims to: (1) identify the limitations of ECBV through a case study of a carefully selected Chinese eco-village, Zhenghu Village, by repeating the assessment process and analysing the assessment results, and (2) propose three possible solutions to improve the assessment by applying a revised ECBV assessment, the components of which are adopted and revised from an internationally recognised sustainability assessment, the Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs). The results of the case study confirm the limitations of the ECBV assessment. Besides, the research outcomes of these three possible solutions can improve ECBV assessment and also provide ideas for the improvement of other existing assessment methods. Moreover, other developing countries may apply the research process and method introduced in this paper to formulate or improve their own eco-village assessments.

A Review of the Chinese Government Support and Sustainability Assessment for Ecovillage Development with a Global Perspective

“…Hence a brief ethnographic study was carried out, including a study of demographic statistical data and village master plan on various land uses including for a cemetery. More details can be found in Liu et al (Liu, C. et al, 2021).…”

“…Using these scoring methods, a comparative study was conducted of the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese ecovillage developments. With awareness of the limitations of ECBV discussed in a previous study (Liu, C. et al, 2021), this study evaluated the effectiveness of the assessment methods used. The outcome of the study and suggestions for improvements in the areas of governmental support and assessment methods are presented at the end of this paper.…”

Research on Village Planning and Rural Architectural Design Based on Discrete Dynamic Modeling Technology

“…How to improve the whole life cycle of the building model and reduce pollution is the content that every building designer needs to consider. erefore, when designing residential buildings or commercial buildings, it is necessary to consider the impact of environmental, economic, and natural factors [6,7]. Green performance and minimum cost of architectural design have to be ensured.…”

Understanding Public Attention towards the Beautiful Village Initiative in China and Exploring the Influencing Factors: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Baidu Index

“…During this period, rural areas have made great contributions and sacrifices, including rural hollowing [1,2], ecological and environmental deterioration [3], and increased rural poverty [4]. To solve these urgent issues, the Chinese central and local governments launched a series of campaigns in order to facilitate comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development over vast rural areas [5,6]. In 2008, Anji County in Zhejiang Province, a typical mountainous area that is known as the back garden of metropolises such as Hangzhou and Shanghai, took the lead in putting forward a Beautiful Village Initiative.…”

“…Scholars have conducted exploratory research on the Beautiful Village Initiative from different perspectives, integrating theories and methods from geography, economics, management, and sociology. These studies include evaluating the level of construction and the effect by the Beauty Index System [5,24,25]; the characteristics of spatial distribution using GIS and statistics methods [18,26,27]; the inheritance of rural culture [28][29][30]; the implementation of rural industrial revitalization, such as tourism [11,[31][32][33]; the interaction between the Beautiful Village Initiative and other schemes, such as the Beautiful China Initiative [34,35]; and so on. Despite this, more than just administrative action and scholarly research is required for the construction of beautiful villages.…”