Smart Initiatives for Land Resource Management: Perspectives and Practices from China

ABSTRACT

Land resource management is critical for optimal land use and improved socioeconomic development. In China, land resource management has always faced a dilemma between the excessive demands of land exploitation and the conservation of natural resources and ecological environments. Despite the challenges, recent technological advancements have offered the promise for government officials to better manage land resources using digital and big data technologies. The Chinese government has embarked on smart initiatives for land resource management (SiLRM) by integrating digital technologies with land resource management. However, the field of land resource management lacks a comprehensive framework for incorporating these technologies. This paper first reviews the history and content of SiLRM in China and presents three case studies that demonstrate how SiLRM are currently implemented in China. It then develops a framework for how government officials should deploy advanced IT technologies. The proposed framework, as well as some policy recommendations, could shed light on the future development of an integrated spatial governance system in China, particularly against the backdrop of a recent national reform that integrates multiple planning systems. The proposed framework may also have implications for related practices in other regions and countries worldwide.

KEYWORDS:

• Land resource management
• spatial governance
• spatial planning
• smart technologies
• IT

Additional information

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge that funding for this research was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant No. 41861034].

Notes on contributors

Chunfang Liu

Chunfang Liu is a professor at the School of Social Development and Public Management at Northwest Normal University, China. Her main research areas are urban-rural integration and land space governance.

Zhiying Zhang

Zhiying Zhang is a graduate student at the School of Geography and Environmental Science at Northwest Normal University, China. Her main research areas are urban-rural integration and land space governance.

Shanqi Zhang

Shanqi Zhang is a postdoctoral research fellow at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at Nanjing University, China. Her main research interests include analysis of urban spatio-temporal data and big data-supported smart planning.