Land use transition is the manifestation of land use and land cover change (LUCC) and is also a major research focus of the Global Land Project (GLP), as well as land system science (LSS). Land provides essential resources to society, and its changes have large consequences for the local and global environment and human well-being. The past, current, and projected state and dynamics of land use represent the major focus of land use science, which is influenced by long-term anthropogenic changes. The concept of land use transition highlights the fact that land use change demonstrates a non-linear process and is related to other societal and biophysical disturbances through a series of transitions. Land use transitions can be seen as the primary forces driving the transformation and development of the rural-urban territorial system and bringing about direct socioeconomic and environmental effects on regional sustainability. Land use transitions can be measured by changes in both the dominant morphology (e.g., quantity, structure, and spatial patterns) and the recessive morphology (e.g., quality, property rights, management mode, fixed input, productive ability, and function) of land use. The aim of this book was to detect or examine the processes, patterns, and socioeconomic and environmental effects of land use transitions and the mechanisms of human-land interactions against the context of rapid urbanization and industrialization from a wide range of perspectives, as well as the provision of solutions for sustainable land use based on scientific findings.

Intended as a comprehensive guide to the study of land use and rural development, this book offers detailed descriptions of land use transitions and rural restructuring. To do so, it chiefly focuses on three main aspects, the first of which is the application of geographical perspectives in order to understand rural issues in connection with urbanization, industrialization, globalization and rural vitalization strategies in contemporary China. Secondly, it presents a rich blend of regional and national analyses; detailed explorations of local cases; and critical and theoretically informed discussions that address historical paths and future projections. Lastly, it adapts concepts derived from western literature to situations and experiences in rural China, and provides empirical evidence from an “insider” perspective. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for researchers, and for graduate students / courses in geography and sociology.

This book carries out an initial assessment of Nepal s urban growth and spatial transformation, with a focus on spatial demographic and economic trends, economic growth drivers and infrastructure requirements of Nepal s urban regions.

This book presents recent estimates on the rate of change of major land classes. Aggregated globally, multiple impacts of local land changes are shown to significantly affect central aspects of Earth System functioning. The book offers innovative developments and applications in the fields of modeling and scenario construction. Conclusions are also drawn about the most pressing implications for the design of appropriate intervention policies.