Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China

With the acceleration of global urbanization, cropland loss and fragmentation due to construction land expansion have become critical threats to food security and ecological sustainability, particularly in rapidly developing coastal regions. Understanding urban–rural differences in these processes i...

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Main Authors: Jiahao Zhai, Lijie Pu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2470
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author Jiahao Zhai
Lijie Pu
author_facet Jiahao Zhai
Lijie Pu
author_sort Jiahao Zhai
collection DOAJ
description With the acceleration of global urbanization, cropland loss and fragmentation due to construction land expansion have become critical threats to food security and ecological sustainability, particularly in rapidly developing coastal regions. Understanding urban–rural differences in these processes is essential as divergent governance policies, socioeconomic pressures, and land use transition pathways may lead to uneven impacts on agricultural systems. However, past comparisons of urban–rural differences regarding this issue have been insufficient. Therefore, this study takes Jiangsu Province, China, as an example. Based on 30 m-resolution land use data, Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis, and landscape pattern indices, it delves into the urban–rural differences in cropland loss and fragmentation caused by construction land expansion from 1990 to 2020. The results show that cropland in urban and rural areas decreased by 44.14% and 5.97%, respectively, while the area of construction land increased by 2.61 times and 90.14%, respectively. 94.36% of the newly added construction land originated from cropland, with the conversion of rural cropland to construction land being particularly prominent in northern Jiangsu, while the conversion of urban cropland to construction land is more pronounced in southern Jiangsu. The expansion of construction land has led to the continuous fragmentation of cropland, which is more severe in urban areas than in rural areas, while construction land is becoming increasingly agglomerated. There are significant differences in the degree of land use change between urban and rural areas, necessitating the formulation of differentiated land management policies to balance economic development with agricultural sustainability.
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spelling doaj-art-7e339063473f48658f65298c8668ce6c2025-08-20T03:56:45ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-07-011714247010.3390/rs17142470Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, ChinaJiahao Zhai0Lijie Pu1School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaWith the acceleration of global urbanization, cropland loss and fragmentation due to construction land expansion have become critical threats to food security and ecological sustainability, particularly in rapidly developing coastal regions. Understanding urban–rural differences in these processes is essential as divergent governance policies, socioeconomic pressures, and land use transition pathways may lead to uneven impacts on agricultural systems. However, past comparisons of urban–rural differences regarding this issue have been insufficient. Therefore, this study takes Jiangsu Province, China, as an example. Based on 30 m-resolution land use data, Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis, and landscape pattern indices, it delves into the urban–rural differences in cropland loss and fragmentation caused by construction land expansion from 1990 to 2020. The results show that cropland in urban and rural areas decreased by 44.14% and 5.97%, respectively, while the area of construction land increased by 2.61 times and 90.14%, respectively. 94.36% of the newly added construction land originated from cropland, with the conversion of rural cropland to construction land being particularly prominent in northern Jiangsu, while the conversion of urban cropland to construction land is more pronounced in southern Jiangsu. The expansion of construction land has led to the continuous fragmentation of cropland, which is more severe in urban areas than in rural areas, while construction land is becoming increasingly agglomerated. There are significant differences in the degree of land use change between urban and rural areas, necessitating the formulation of differentiated land management policies to balance economic development with agricultural sustainability.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2470cropland lossconstruction land expansionfragmentationurbanrural
spellingShingle Jiahao Zhai
Lijie Pu
Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
Remote Sensing
cropland loss
construction land expansion
fragmentation
urban
rural
title Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
title_full Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
title_fullStr Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
title_full_unstemmed Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
title_short Urban–Rural Differences in Cropland Loss and Fragmentation Caused by Construction Land Expansion in Developed Coastal Regions: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
title_sort urban rural differences in cropland loss and fragmentation caused by construction land expansion in developed coastal regions evidence from jiangsu province china
topic cropland loss
construction land expansion
fragmentation
urban
rural
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/14/2470
work_keys_str_mv AT jiahaozhai urbanruraldifferencesincroplandlossandfragmentationcausedbyconstructionlandexpansionindevelopedcoastalregionsevidencefromjiangsuprovincechina
AT lijiepu urbanruraldifferencesincroplandlossandfragmentationcausedbyconstructionlandexpansionindevelopedcoastalregionsevidencefromjiangsuprovincechina