Sustainability assessment of rural landscapes from spatial and multiple stakeholders’ perspective

Abstract

Context Sustainable rural development, closely linked to well-being of both urban and rural residents, is essential to achieving regional sustainability. Understanding the spatial characteristics vital for rural sustainability is fundamental to rural sustainability assessment, regional ecosystem services provisioning, and human well-being research. Objective This study aimed to construct an indicator system to assess rural sustainability from multiple stakeholders' perspectives, and examine the spatial characteristics that affect rural sustainability from the perspectives of villagers, tourists, and the government. Methods This study proposed indicator systems for each group of stakeholders at the scale of administrative villages. It assessed the rural sustainability of Huzhou, one of China's most developed rural areas, by using multi-source and innovative datasets. Spatial heterogeneity of rural sustainability was examined by hot spots and gradient analysis and the spatial characteristics of rural landscapes were quantified from the dimensions of natural, humanistic, and infrastructural characteristics. The spatial random forest model was adopted to identify effects of different spatial characteristics on rural sustainability. Results Our results showed that hot spots of rural sustainability mainly concentrated in proximity to urban areas and scenic spots, showing a decreasing and then increasing trend with increasing distance. Compared with humanistic and infrastructural characteristics, natural characteristics of villages were more important to rural sustainability. The relationship between rural sustainability and spatial characteristics varied among different stakeholders. Natural characteristics had the greatest impact on rural sustainability from the perspectives of villagers and tourists, and humanistic and natural characteristics were more important from the perspective of governments. Conclusion This study revealed the relationship between rural sustainability and spatial characteristics at the administrative village scale from multi-stakeholder perspectives, which helps to guide rural landscape planning and governance, and improve the contributions of rural landscapes to regional sustainability.