Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Regeneration patterns and drivers of different underutilized lands in the rust belt city of developing country: An empirical case study for Northeast China

  • Research Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Geographical Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rust belt cities are largely threatened by a waste of urban space at their core; however, in developing countries where land resources are widely used as instruments for macroeconomic stabilization, urban periphery is also at risk of being underutilized due to land hoarding. Such geographic differences entail new knowledge about how, where, and why underutilized lands are regenerated in the city. Furthermore, rapid urban growth imposes development disparity and mixed underutilization issues on cities in developing countries; therefore, how the geo-information obtained by the regeneration of different underutilized lands differs will be valuable for urban planners and policymakers to make prudent trade-offs. To fill these gaps, we conducted a sequential investigation into the regeneration of underutilized lands in a representative rust belt city–Changchun City in Northeast China, in an attempt to measure the regeneration pattern and analyze the underlying determinants using the Classification and Regression Trees analysis. The results indicated that, of all underutilized lands, increments of vacant lot and remnant cultivated land continued to plague the expanding urban periphery during 2016–2019. In a way, reduced underutilized lands alleviated land use conflicts at the city core. Nearly 23% of the underutilized areas had been regenerated, dominated by realty development, with most converted to residential lands, ecological lands and industrial lands. On the contrary, conversion to transportation lands and parking lots seemed to avoid the rapidly expanding sites. The regeneration rates in a certain area can be increased by a multitude of factors, including denser, simply structured land underutilization, abundant ecosystem services nearby and accessibility to public infrastructures. Site conditions such as residential density and accessibility may have fueled the regeneration associated with residential purposes, while regeneration of industrial development was closely associated with the underutilization density and parcel regularity. This research provides an empirical paradigm for delivering regeneration geo-information across different underutilized lands, particularly for rust belt cities that are caught between a shrinking core and speculative periphery.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abe S, Nakagawa D, Matsunaka R et al., 2014. Study on the factors to transform underused land focusing on the influence of railway stations in central areas of Japanese local cities. Land Use Policy, 41(11): 344–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmad N, Zhu, Y M, Lin H L et al., 2020. Mapping the obstacles to brownfield redevelopment adoption in developing economies: Pakistani perspective. Land Use Policy, 91(2): 104374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ardiwijaya V S, Sumardi T P, Suganda E et al., 2015. Rejuvenating idle land to sustainable urban form: Case study of Bandung metropolitan area, Indonesia. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 28(6): 176–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arribas-Bel D, Gerrits M, 2015. From manufacturing belt, to rust belt, to college country: A visual narrative of US urban growth. Environmental Planning A, 47(6): 1241–1253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai Y P, Deng X Z, Jiang S J et al., 2018. Exploring the relationship between urbanization and urban eco-efficiency: Evidence from prefecture-level cities in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195(27): 1487–1496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cabral A I R, Silva S, Silva P C et al., 2018. Burned area estimations derived from Landsat ETM+ and OLI data: Comparing genetic programming with maximum likelihood and classification and regression trees. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 142(8): 94–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen M X, Ye C, Lu D D et al., 2019. Cognition and construction of the theoretical connotations of new urbanization with Chinese characteristics. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29(10): 1681–1698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foo K, Martin D, Wool C et al., 2013. The production of urban vacant land: relational placemaking in Boston, MA neighborhoods. Cities, 30(5): 156–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster A, Newell J P, 2019. Detroit’s lines of desire: Footpaths and vacant land in the Motor City. Landscape and Urban Planning, 189(9): 260–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frantál B, Greer-Wootten B, Klusáček P et al., 2015, Exploring spatial patterns of urban brownfields regeneration: The case of Brno, Czech Republic. Cities, 44(4): 9–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu J P, Xiao G R, Wu C Y, 2020. Urban green transformation in northeast China: A comparative study with Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. Journal of Cleaner Production, 273(32): 122551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao J B, Liu L L, Guo L H et al., 2023. The effects of climate change and phenological variation on agricultural production and its risk pattern in the black soil area of northeast China Journal of Geographical Sciences, 33(1): 37–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gobster P H, Hadavi S, Rigolon A et al., 2020a. Measuring landscape change, lot by lot: Greening activity in response to a vacant land reuse program. Landscape and Urban Planning, 196(4): 103729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gobster P H, Rigolon A, Hadavi S et al., 2020b. The condition-care scale: A practical approach to monitoring progress in vacant lot stewardship programs. Landscape and Urban Planning, 203(11): 103885.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann M, Westermann J R, Kowarik I et al., 2012. Perceptions of parks and urban derelict land by landscape planners and residents. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 11(3): 303–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu Y K, Wang Z Y, Deng T T, 2021. Expansion in the shrinking cities: Does place-based policy help to curb urban shrinkage in China? Cities, 113(6): 103188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jia R N, Fan M T, Shao S et al., 2021. Urbanization and haze-governance performance: Evidence from China’s 248 cities. Journal of Environmental Management, 288(13): 112436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang L W, O’Neill B C, 2017. Global urbanization projections for the shared socioeconomic pathways. Global Environmental Change, 42(1): 193–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim G, 2018. An integrated system of urban green infrastructure on different types of vacant land to provide multiple benefits for local communities. Sustainable Cities and Society, 36(1): 116–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim G, Newman G, Jiang B, 2020. Urban regeneration: Community engagement process for vacant land in declining cities. Cities, 102(7): 102730.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi T, Ikaruga S, 2016. Occurrence factors of large vacant lots in central districts and their utilization by local governments in Japan. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 5(4): 393–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korkmaz C, Balaban O, 2020. Sustainability of urban regeneration in Turkey: Assessing the performance of the North Ankara Urban Regeneration Project. Habitat International, 95(1): 102081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koroso N H, Zevenbergen J A, Lengoiboni M, 2020. Urban land use efficiency in Ethiopia: An assessment of urban land use sustainability in Addis Ababa. Land Use Policy, 99(10): 105081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kremer P, Hamstead Zoé A, Mcphearson T, 2013. A social-ecological assessment of vacant lots in New York City. Landscape and Urban Planning, 120(12): 218–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuang W H, Yan, F Q. 2019. Urban structural evolution over a century in Changchun city, Northeast China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 28(12): 1877–1895.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai Y N, Zhang X L, 2016. Redevelopment of industrial sites in the Chinese ‘villages in the city’: An empirical study of Shenzhen. Journal of Cleaner Production, 134(30): 70–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee R J, 2021. Vacant land, flood exposure, and urbanization: Examining land cover change in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Landscape and Urban Planning, 209(5): 104047.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li W B, Wang D Y, Li H et al., 2019. Quantifying the spatial arrangement of underutilized land in a rapidly urbanized rust belt city: The case of Changchun city. Land Use Policy, 83(4): 113–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li W B, Wang D Y, Li Y F et al., 2020. A multi-faceted, location-specific assessment of land degradation threats to peri-urban agriculture at a traditional grain base in northeastern China. Journal of Environmental Management, 271(19): 111000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu S W, Zhang P Y, Wang Z Y et al., 2016. Measuring the sustainable urbanization potential of cities in Northeast China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 26(5): 549–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Wang X R, Jia J et al., 2021. Distribution, bioaccessibility, and health risk assessment of heavy metals in PM2.5 and PM10 during winter heating periods in five types of cities in Northeast China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 214(8): 112071.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Wang S Y, Wang F, 2019. Isolated or integrated? Planning and management of urban renewal for historic areas in Old Beijing city, based on the association network system. Habitat International, 93(11): 102049.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loures L, Vaz E, 2018. Exploring expert perception towards brownfield redevelopment benefits according to their typology. Habitat International, 72(2): 66–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López J I M, Kim G, Lei Y et al., 2021. An assessment method and typology for the regeneration of vacant land in Quito, Ecuador. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 62(6): 127130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman G, Park Y, Bowman A O M et al., 2018. Vacant urban areas: Causes and interconnected factors. Cities, 72(1): 421–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olimba S K, Robinson B, 2019. Grass to grain: Probabilistic modeling of agricultural conversion in the North American Great Plains. Ecological Indicators, 102(8): 237–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettygrove M, Ghose R, 2018. From “Rust Belt” to “Fresh Coast”: Remaking the city through food justice and urban agriculture. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 108(2): 591–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pottie-Sherman Y, 2020. Rust and reinvention: Im/migration and urban change in the American Rust Belt. Geography Compass, 14(3): e12482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiao W F, Hu Y, Jia K Y et al., 2020. Dynamic modes and ecological effects of salt field utilization in the Weifang coastal area, China: Implications for territorial spatial planning. Land Use Policy, 99(10): 104952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith J P, Li X X, Turner B L, 2017. Lots for greening: Identification of metropolitan vacant land and its potential use for cooling and agriculture in Phoenix, AZ, USA. Applied Geography, 85(8): 139–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song G L, Li Z, Zhang L, 2011. Institutional design for strategic environmental assessment on urban economic and social development planning in China. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 31(6): 582–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song X Q, Wen M M, Shen Y J et al., 2020. Urban vacant land in growing urbanization: An international review. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 30(4): 669–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song Y, Zhu D L, Yeung G et al., 2021. Spatio-temporal evolution and driving mechanism of urban land use structure with the context of urban shrinkage: Evidence from Northeast China. Geographical Research, 40(5): 1387–1403. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sperandelli D I, Dupas F A, Pons N A D, 2013. Dynamics of urban sprawl, vacant land, and green spaces on the metropolitan fringe of São Paulo, Brazil. Journal of Urban Planning and Development-ASCE, 139(4): 274–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun S, Yu Y, 2021. Dimension and formation of placeness of commercial public space in city center: A case study of Deji Plaza in Nanjing. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 10(2): 229–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tong Y, Liu W, Li C G et al., 2021. Understanding patterns and multilevel influencing factors of small town shrinkage in Northeast China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 68(5): 102811.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S J, Cui Z T, Lin J J et al., 2022. The coupling relationship between urbanization and ecological resilience in the Pearl River Delta. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 32(1): 44–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Gao S D, Li N et al., 2021. Crowdsourcing the perceived urban built environment via social media: The case of underutilized land. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 50(4): 101371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z F, Xu X M, Wang H et al., 2020. Does land reserve system improve quality of urbanization? Evidence from China. Habitat International, 106(12): 102291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei J B, Na Z, Cheng Q G et al., 2020. Simulation and evaluation of the spatial heterogeneity of shal-low-groundwater environmental risk in an urban-rural fringe of megacity: A case study of Shenyang city, Northeast China. Environmental Earth Science, 79(11): 250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu X W, Wang L, Zheng H L, 2019. A network effect on the decoupling of industrial waste gas emissions and industrial added value: A case study of China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 234(29): 1338–1350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu Y Z, Shan L P, Guo Z et al., 2017. Cultivated land protection policies in China facing 2030: Dynamic balance system versus basic farmland zoning. Habitat International, 69(11): 126–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xi X S, Xu H Y, Zhao Q et al., 2021. Making rural micro-regeneration strategies based on resident perceptions and preferences for traditional village conservation and development: The case of Huangshan village, China. Land, 10(7): 718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie L, Yang Z S, Cai J M et al., 2016. Harbin: A rust belt city revival from its strategic position. Cities, 58(9): 26–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang T R, Pan H Z, Hewings G et al., 2019. Understanding urban sub-centers with heterogeneity in agglomeration economies: Where do emerging commercial establishments locate? Cities, 86(3): 25–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang X D, Bai Y P, Che L et al., 2021. Incorporating ecological constraints into urban growth boundaries: A case study of ecologically fragile areas in the Upper Yellow River. Ecological Indicators, 124(5): 107436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yi P T, Li W W, Zhang D N, 2021. Sustainability assessment and key factors identification of first-tier cities in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 281(5): 125369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu J H, Li J M, Zhang W Z, 2020. Identification and classification of resource-based cities in China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29(8): 1300–1314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y Q, An N, Chen H L et al., 2021. Politics of urban renewal: An anatomy of the conflicting discourses on the renovation of China’s urban village. Cities, 111(4): 103075.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Chen X T, Yuan Z Q, 2021. Exploring the spatial spillover effect of home purchase restrictions on residential land prices based on the difference-in-differences approach: Evidence from 195 Chinese cities. Land Use Policy, 102(3): 105236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhukov O V, Pelina T O, Demchuk O M et al., 2018. Agroecological and agroeconomic aspects of the grain and grain legumes (pulses) yield dynamic within the Dnipropetrovsk region (period 1966–2016). Biosystem Diversity, 26(2): 170–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130061, China

    Wenbo Li, Han Li, Zhuoran Yan, Bingqing Hu, Yuewen Yang & Dongyan Wang

  2. School of Public Policy and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221116, China

    Yuanli Zhu

Authors
  1. Wenbo Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Han Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhuoran Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bingqing Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yuanli Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yuewen Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Dongyan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenbo Li.

Additional information

Foundation

National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.42001223

Author

Li Wenbo (1990–), Associate Professor, with a specialty in management and planning of land resources.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, W., Li, H., Yan, Z. et al. Regeneration patterns and drivers of different underutilized lands in the rust belt city of developing country: An empirical case study for Northeast China. J. Geogr. Sci. 33, 1377–1396 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-023-2134-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-023-2134-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation