Abstract
This study examines the complex interdependent relationship between the transformation of cultivated land use and new-type urbanization at the county level within the Fenhe River Basin, highlighting its significant practical implications for the sustainable use of cultivated land and the advancement of high-quality new-type urbanization at the county level in China. Utilizing methodologies such as kernel density estimation, the coupling coordination degree model, and geographic detector methods, this research assesses the comprehensive levels of both cultivated land use transformation and new-type urbanization at the county level. Additionally, it explores the coupling relationship between these two phenomena and identifies their influencing factors. The findings indicate that:(1)There has been a consistent increase in the level of cultivated land use transformation, accompanied by a notable rise in the number of counties reaching high transformation level.(2)The comprehensive level of new-type urbanization at the county level has also shown a steady increase, with the proportion of counties at very high urbanization levels climbing to 43.9%, and these counties exhibit a clustered spatial distribution.(3)The overall level of coupling coordination between cultivated land use transformation and new-type urbanization at the county level has improved, suggesting enhanced coordinated development and reduced contradictions between these two processes. Notably, 90.24% of counties have upgraded their coupling coordination degree to either intermediate or high-levels.(4)The spatial differentiation of coupling coordination levels between cultivated land use transformation and new-type urbanization at the county level in the Fenhe River Basin has evolved from intermediate dissonance to high-level coordination, with this spatial pattern associated with a combination of natural and socio-economic factors. These insights will support the orderly utilization of cultivated land resources and foster the high-quality development of county-level urbanization in the Fenhe River Basin.
Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank Professor Xufeng Cui from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law for his guidance and support throughout the writing of this article, and are also grateful to the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their valuable and constructive suggestions.
Funding
This research was funded by the Scientific and Technological Innovation Program of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (2020L0505, 2019L0791), Shanxi Province Science and Technology Strategy Research Project (202204031401111), Key Research Base for Humanities and Social Sciences in Shanxi Province (2022J026) and Shanxi Federation of Social Sciences Key Research Project (SSKLZDKT2022100).
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Fu, J., Jiang, M., Wu, Z. et al. Cultivated land transformation and new-type urbanization couple from Imbalance to coordination in China’s Fenhe River Basin.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-54118-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-54118-7
Keywords
- Transformation of cultivated land use
- New-type urbanization at the county level
- Coupling coordination degree model
- Fenhe river basin
- Influencing factor
Source: Ecology - nature.com
