Comprehensive value discovery of land consolidation projects: An empirical analysis of Shanghai, China

Abstract

The purpose of land consolidation is to promote moderately sized agricultural operations, intensive land use, concentrated population living and agglomerated industrial development. Previous research has primarily been macro- or mesoscale studies based on land ledger data, and analyzed only the effect of land consolidation on landscape ecological changes, only the resource and economic effects, or social effects or environmental effects of land consolidation. Aimed at addressing these shortcomings, an empirical analysis on the micro-scale based on land use patch data rather than land ledger data was conducted. Then, comprehensive research on land consolidation projects by integrating landscape pattern analysis with production, living, and ecological benefit assessments was performed. Furthermore, the relationship between land consolidation projects and the "Three Concentrations" policy was considered. The results show that: (1) land consolidation has directly or indirectly improved landscape ecological patterns of the project area; and (2) land consolidation has clearly improved the balanced distribution of cultivated land and the concentrated distribution of construction land in the project area. These changes not only improve the living conditions of farmers but also meet the construction requirements of the "Three Concentrations" in the Shanghai metropolitan suburbs.