Strategies of Rural Settlement Consolidation Based on Population Density and Adaptability of Layout: A case of Huating, Gansu Province

  Objective  Under the background of territorial space planning in the new era, the human-oriented and intensive organization strategies were discussed for rural settlements.

  Method  taking Huating (in Gansu Province) as an example, the GIS spatial analysis and landscape pattern index were used to quantitatively identify the direction of settlements spatial layout in 2009 and 2018, the adaptability evaluation index system of rural settlement layout was established, and the countermeasures for the consolidation of rural settlements were put forward based on population density.

  Result  The results showed that rural settlements in Huating had showed the spatial distribution characteristics of “low altitude, slope and heliotropic”. However, this distribution showed a certain degree of weakening in the slope and slope direction with time. The agglomeration characteristics of settlements areas had changed from “sub high-density and high-density clusters in villages and towns” to “high-density agglomeration centers near urban areas”. The landscape pattern of rural settlements was becoming more and more complex, and there was a large space for improvement as a whole.

  Conclusion  Based on the adaptability of rural settlement layout and population density, the settlements can be divided into whole village relocation type, reserved development type, scale control type, agglomeration promotion type and key development type, and the specific remediation strategies are put forward for the different types of settlements.