To promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement and achieve the "Dual Carbon Goals", China aims to develop sustainability transitions in production, lifestyle, and consumption, shifting away from its current socio-technical system reliant on the petrochemical energy. Sustainability transitions involve replacing outdated technological systems with new ones. However, this process inevitably triggers negative social consequences, potentially exacerbating social injustice and inequalities. Therefore, the challenge of achieving a "spatially just transition" has become a key issue in economic geography. This study examines international (English-speaking) studies on sustainability transitions and particularly explores the background, themes, and characteristics of related geographical research through bibliometric analysis. The study found the following. (1) Research on transitions is characterized by a strong geographical emphasis. It originated in the early 21st Century from Western old industrial cities and resource-based regions, where the adoption of green technologies as a key mean for industrial transformation. While green technologies did alleviate environmental problems while it also brought about new social problems (such as, unemployment and poverty among traditional workers) and widened social injustices. (2) The concept of just transition currently lacks a unified definition, theoretical framework, and empirical viewpoints. Due to its late entry into the field, related research in geography remains on the periphery of mainstream academic discourse on just transition. In spite of that, geographical perspectives and concepts such as "place," "scale," and "spatiotemporal context" are gradually gaining recognition. (3) The theoretical discourse of just transition has been constructed and dominated by Western developed countries, with insufficient consideration and theoretical reflection on the practical experiences and contextual characteristics of developing countries and regions. However, as China is currently the world's largest driver of transition and a leading promoter of urban/regional pilot initiatives, the geography of just transition holds significant potential for empirical exploration and theoretical reconfiguration. This paper argues that Chinese geographers should seize the historical opportunity to focus on localized transition practices under national policy frameworks such as the Common Prosperity Strategy and the Ecological Civilization Construction. Particular attention should be paid to the transformation of peripheral and less-favored regions or "left-behind places"—such as old industrial areas, resource-dependent cities, and ecologically fragile regions—and their associated social justice challenges during green transitions. Moreover, just transition research should be positioned as a critical topic in current and future studies addressing regional uneven development.

With the rapid development of tourism, conflicts between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations have become increasingly prominent. The effective promotion of sustainable development of tourist destinations has become an important issue in academic circles. The essence of the conflict between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations is the disharmony and imbalance between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations. The root cause of this conflict is the restriction of the policy system and the difference in the interest demands of multiple subjects in the protection and utilization of tourist space resources, which leads to various disputes, contradictions, or opposites. Based on a review of relevant research at home and abroad, this study systematically reviews and summarizes the conceptual connotation, basic theory, identification and classification, feature analysis, occurrence mechanism, and adaptive governance of the conflict between tourism destination protection and utilization. The results show the following: 1) Based on a multidisciplinary perspective, scholars have enriched and refined the conceptual connotation and basic theory of the conflict between tourism destination protection and utilization, have gradually paid attention to the specific demand conflict between different stakeholders in tourism destination protection and utilization, and have attempted to reveal its intrinsic nature and development trends; 2) In terms of identification and classification, owing to the significant differences in research areas and perspectives, the types of conflict between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations also show a diversified trend; 3) Researchers mainly analyze features from the perspectives of subject, time, and space, and the conflicts between tourism destination protection and utilization are characterized by diverse interest subjects, complex spaces, and stages; 4) In terms of the occurrence mechanism, the research mainly explored the driving factors from the macro perspectives of policy system, environment, economy, and social culture, and micro perspectives of subjects' cognition, attitude, and behavior. The macro policy system and micro-subject perceptions were the focus of this study; 5) In terms of adaptive governance, research countermeasures mainly promote the organic combination of macrospatial governance and microsubject regulation to achieve the effect of adaptive governance. Macro-spatial governance provides an overall framework and directional guidance for the development of tourism destinations, while micro-subject regulation ensures that all stakeholders can act reasonably within this framework and jointly promote the sustainable development of tourism destinations. And finally, this research proposes that future research should include supplementing and improving the theoretical system of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict in the context of social change, expanding and deepening the research content of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict in the context of sustainable development, strengthening the research method innovation of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict with the support of geospatial information technology, and promoting the integration of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict in the perspective of multidisciplinary integration, combined analysis and application of results.

Influenced by the rapid increase in labor costs and the decline in the comparative benefits of grain planting, the phenomenon of Non-Grain Use of Cultivated Land (NGUCL) in China has become increasingly prominent. Firstly, from the perspective of cultivated land marginalization, this study combines the theory of cultivated land marginalization, the theory of land rent, and the theory of farmers' behavior to jointly analyze the theoretical basis for the occurrence of NGUCL. Secondly, it systematically reviews the research progress regarding NGUCL, and finally presents prospects for future research. The study shows that: (1) At the level of theoretical analysis, the theory of cultivated land marginalization clarifies the core driving force and the realistic background of NGUCL. In the context of marginalization, the theory of land rent can explain the logic of choosing the location of NGUCL, and the theory of farmers' behavior can explain how differences in farmers' characteristics affect the occurrence of NGUCL. (2) The definition of NGUCL has been evolving and deepening, and at the present stage, the "food-crop ratio" is still the main indicator, but there are certain limitations in this way of measurement. (3) Under the constraints of production factors and policy incentives, the degree of NGUCL shows a fluctuating increase and is characterized by significant spatial differentiation. Among them, mountainous areas, food production and marketing zones, production and marketing balance zones, urban and peri-urban areas are among the areas in which NGUCL happens all the time. (4) While cultivated land marginalization is the main driving force of NGUCL, the occurrence of NGUCL is also affected by a combination of factors, such as natural endowment, which affects the appropriateness of cultivation, the characteristics of farmers, which affects the degree of farmers' demand for NGUCL, and national policies, which gradually slow down the process of NGUCL. (5) NGUCL has complex implications for ecosystems, food security and farmers' livelihoods. 6. The use control of cultivated land is the main measure in China to regulate NGUCL, but the sustainability of this measure is open to question. In the face of the rapid expansion of the cultivated land marginalization in China and the new requirements for the construction of a diversified food supply system, it is urgent to reconstruct the traditional cognition and research paradigm of NGUCL. In the future, we need to focus on the synergistic analysis of multi-stage, multi-scale and multi-subjects, and explore the evolution process, occurrence mechanism and governance mode of NGUCL.

Promoting urban-rural integration is a critical pathway for coordinating China's new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization and is essential for achieving socialist modernization and common prosperity. Currently, urban-rural integration is at a key transitional stage, making it vital to systematically review and synthesize existing research. This study employed CiteSpace software to visually analyze 2,164 papers on urban-rural integration between 2002 and 2023 from the CNKI database. The analysis comprehensively presents research progress in terms of publication volume, authors, institutions, research areas, hot topics, evolution trajectories, and frontier trends, while also providing insights into future development trends. This study reveals that, over the past two decades, domestic research on urban-rural integration has shown significant and sustained growth driven by policy initiatives. However, the field has not yet formed a stable core group of authors and collaboration among researchers remains relatively limited and is often confined to intra-institutional partnerships. The key research themes focused on the evolution and development of urban-rural relations, the connotations and significance of urban-rural integration, the connection between urban-rural integration and rural revitalization, influencing factors, and development paths. The research evolution can be divided into four stages: early exploration, gradual development, consolidation and deepening, and expansion and innovation. Over the past three years, research frontiers have focused on poverty alleviation, metropolitan area construction, and the exploration of development paths. Current research shortcomings include the following. (1) Insufficient analysis of regional types and scale differences: the research lacks a comprehensive multiscale framework and does not adequately focus on special geographical spaces. Studies on the mechanisms of urban-rural interconnection and coordinated development between regions are also weak; (2) An analysis of multiple factors influencing urban-rural integration is lacking: current research has not sufficiently explored obstructive factors, the interactions between these factors, their combined effects, or regional heterogeneity; (3) The multidimensional evaluation system and data application are inadequate: traditional data sources lack timeliness and comprehensiveness and evaluation indicators have overlapping issues and insufficient representativeness; and (4) Integration of interdisciplinary perspectives is insufficient: much of the research has been limited to single-discipline approaches and lacks comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis. This study proposes the following recommendations: (1) Strengthen multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional, and multi-scale research: this includes enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration, innovating theories and methods, and building multilevel research systems to explore the spatial and temporal evolution of urban-rural integration across different scales; (2) Deepen research on the coupling and coordination between new types of urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization: this involves exploring coordination mechanisms, refining the flow of key elements, discovering new models of urban-rural industrial integration, and promoting cultural exchange and integration; (3) Strengthen regional coordination research; expanding research fields, summarizing integration models from different regions, enhancing regional coordination and joint development, and building multiscale regional coordination mechanisms are essential; and (4) Advanced technological innovation and data-driven research: this includes using cutting-edge technologies to reveal trends in urban-rural integration, scientifically predicting urbanization processes, and driving industrial synergy and transformation.

In recent years, the integration of red culture into rural areas has led to a remarkable upsurge in red tourism in the revolutionary old areas. The residents of these tourist destinations play a crucial role as carriers and stakeholders in tourism development. However, the role of residents' red culture-inspired awe in tourism development and its underlying mechanisms have not yet been thoroughly explored. Against this backdrop, this study aimed to fill this research gap. This study is firmly grounded in the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. To achieve the research objectives, a quasi-experimental design and a field survey method were employed. In the quasi-experimental study, materials related to the red culture of Jinggangshan were carefully selected to induce awe. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups and a series of measurements were conducted, including assessments of red culture-inspired awe, red cultural identity, and support for tourism development. For the field survey, the Jinxiang Coastal Red Tourism Area in Lufeng City, Guangdong Province, was chosen as the research site. Questionnaires were designed and distributed to collect data on the relevant variables after conducting reliability and validity tests. Our study revealed several significant findings. First, awe inspired by red culture has a direct and positive impact on residents' support for tourism development. This indicates that in the context of red tourism, residents' awe towards local red culture can effectively stimulate their prosocial behaviors. Second, red cultural identity mediates the relationship between red culture-inspired awe and support for tourism development. It was found that when residents experienced a higher level of red culture-inspired awe, their identification with red culture became stronger, which in turn led to a greater inclination to support tourism development. Third, trust in the government also serves as a mediator. Red culture-inspired awe can enhance residents' trust in the government, and this trust significantly influences their attitude towards tourism development policies and their willingness to support tourism. Finally, there exists a serial mediating effect of red cultural identity and trust in the government in this process. This study made several important contributions. Theoretically, this broadens the application scope of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions in the field of red tourism, providing a new perspective for understanding resident attitudes towards tourism development. It also deepens our understanding of the role of emotions in promoting cultural identity and trust in the government. This study offers valuable suggestions for sustainable development of red tourism. For example, it emphasizes the importance of protecting and inheriting red cultural resources to enhance residents' feelings of awe, promote residents' in-depth identification with red culture through various means, and establish a transparent policy communication mechanism to strengthen residents' trust in the government. Future research should expand the sample range and explore the dynamic changes and long-term effects of red culture-inspired awe to provide more comprehensive theoretical support and practical guidance for the development of red tourism.

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) labels represent elements of ICH, highlighting the features and attributes of ICH products or destinations and reflecting optimized ICH tourism resource allocation. However, destinations often misunderstand ICH label implications and mechanisms, leading to issues such as over-commercialization due to a lack of regulation. This study adopts a tourist micro-perspective to deepen the understanding of ICH label connotations and origins, and to explore their impact on destination perception and potential value in cultural and tourism integration and new productive force development. Given the infancy of ICH label research and unclear conceptual understanding, this study sought to explore the relationship between ICH labels and tourist destination perception through in-depth interviews and grounded theory. Based on 25 in-depth interviews, the study clarified the unique essence of ICH labels as geographical indications recognized by local governments based on local culture, integrating intrinsic and extrinsic values, and being both reliable and distinctive. This study also elucidates how ICH labels affect destination perception: cultural empowerment is fundamental to ICH label formation, label value and attributes are key expressions of local cultural empowerment, diverse stakeholders promote sustainable ICH label development and regulate market activities, and online and brand marketing effectively influence tourist perceptions of destinations. The research contributes in three ways. First, it analyzes the relationship between geographical indications and ICH labels, clarifying their connotations and origins, strengthening the link between ICH and local culture, and broadening heritage research perspectives. It deepens the analysis of the cultural factors behind spatial phenomena and enhances the conceptual refinement and framework of heritage tourism theory, emphasizing the role of tourism in dynamic heritage protection. Second, it explores the role of ICH labels as innovative labor material factors, systematically explaining their impact on destination perception. This study found that ICH labels influence perceptions of ICH resources, tourism infrastructure, services, and experiences, reflecting how ICH and inheritor dynamics affect local development and discusses the utility of ICH labels. Third, the essence of ICH is shaped by local and translocal geographical and cultural practices involving diverse actors. This study reveals that the government, ICH inheritors, tourists, and businesses play significant roles in the ICH label mechanism, responding to the ICH and social justice initiative, an important topic at the intersection of ICH and geography, providing a theoretical basis for fairer ICH label development. The detailed insights presented here are intended to guide policymakers, tourism professionals, and cultural heritage managers in their efforts to harness the potential of ICH labels to benefit local communities and the tourism industry.

Against the background of rapid urbanization, China's districts and counties are characterized by unbalanced, inadequate, and asynchronous development, accompanied by different degrees of population loss. It is of theoretical and practical significance to explore the spatial distribution, evolution, and influencing factors of population shrinkage in county and district units in order to adapt to population shrinkage and formulate locally adapted development plans. Taking Guangdong Province as an example, this study analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of population shrinkage during 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 based on resident population data at the district and county scales from 2000 to 2020. The study also constructed a socioeconomic-natural-demographic indicator system, explored the factors influencing its formation and evolution from the perspective of non-linear influence with the help of a multi-classification logit regression model and a random forest model, and put forward relevant suggestions. This study has the following results: (1) In the spatial dimension, the population shrinkage areas in Guangdong Province are primarily distributed in the periphery of the Pearl River Delta, with a spatial core-periphery imbalance, as well as differences between counties (including counties and county-level cities) and municipal districts. Among these, counties and county-level cities are the main areas of population shrinkage, characterized by a wide range of shrinkage, a more profound degree, and a more extended period; (2) In the temporal dimension, in the two stages of 2000–2010 and 2010–2020, Guangdong Province has seen an increase in the intensity of population shrinkage, with a trend towards slower, more sustained, wider, and more widespread population shrinkage and a deepening of the shrinkage in the areas adjacent to the nine cities in the Pearl River Delta. The degree of population shrinkage deepened in the eastern part of the northern mountainous region of Guangdong, mainly Meizhou. In contrast, the northern mountainous region of Guangdong, mainly Shaoguan, has gradually recovered from shrinkage; and (3) In the context of globalization, regionalization, and aging, the formation of population shrinkage areas in Guangdong Province is affected by the interaction of multiple factors in the four dimensions of demographic structure, production, life, and nature, with complex mechanisms and different impacts on different types of population shrinkage. Persistent population shrinkage is mainly affected by the demographic structure, especially the increasing aging problem, which leads to a long-term stable population decline. At the same time, economic and social factors also impact the continuous population shrinkage. Additionally, the policy regulation of ecological reserves, which has a direct impact on population distribution and mobility, cannot be ignored. However, in addition to the endogenous factors of the population, intermittent shrinkage is also affected by social and economic aspects such as industrial adjustment and fiscal expenditure, which may lead to fluctuations in economic activities in the short term and thus affect the population distribution.

The reemergence of in situ and nearby population mobility is a new phenomenon in the current process of population mobility in China and is important in promoting the evolution of urbanization patterns and policy optimization. Based on data from the 7th census in Fujian Province in 2020, we first clarified the concepts of "in-situ mobility" and "nearby mobility." We then determined the spatial agglomeration characteristics of the in-situ and nearby population mobility and the network structure characteristics of nearby population mobility in Fujian Province in 2020. The quantile model and QAP analysis method were adopted to identify the main factors influencing this spatial agglomeration characteristic and the flow network structure characteristics from five perspectives: economic income, employment opportunities, public services, family characteristics, and geographical location. The results show that: (1) The intra-provincial floating population in each county of Fujian Province mainly flowed in place and the nearby flows were supplemented; the spatial distribution of the in situ floating population had a certain degree of balance, while the spatial selectivity of the nearby floating population was relatively strong, with clear differences between the mountains and seas and the characteristics of a circular structure centered on municipal districts. (2) There were differences in the scale and grade of the nearby mobility networks of the two core cities (Fuzhou and Quanzhou). They were in a development stage of "clustering and scattering," with a distinct "dual-core" mobility network structure. The nearby mobility networks of other small and medium-sized cities were still at the stage of clustering in urban districts. (3) The relatively low level of economic development and the elderly dependency ratio; the relatively high proportion of the secondary industry and the youth dependency ratio, as well as the location outside the metropolitan area to promote local population mobility; a relatively high proportion of the secondary and tertiary industries, wages, and the levels of education and medical care; a relatively low dependency ratio for teenagers and the elderly and being located within the metropolitan area to promote nearby population mobility; the greater the gap in economic income and the development level of public services between the two places, the larger the scale of nearby population mobility, whereas the smaller the gap in the proportion of tertiary industry between the two places, the larger the scale of nearby population mobility. This study addresses the issues of previous studies that only depicted the population mobility network from the scale of provinces or prefecture-level cities and provides a new perspective for the comprehensive understanding of the local and nearby population mobility behavior and its local and nearby urbanization model. This study also provides a new perspective for a comprehensive understanding of the in situ and nearby population mobility behavior and its in situ and nearby urbanization pattern. Finally, we have put forward specific suggestions for different floating populations in counties to provide a differentiated reference for the development of county urbanization in Fujian Province and eastern and central China.

Based on seventh population census data, Point Of Interest (POI) data, road network data, elevation data, and night light index, we used the entropy method, nuclear density analysis method, spatial dislocation index, geographic detector, and other methods to study the phenomenon and driving factors of population aging and the spatial disequilibrium of pension service resources in each township (street) of Wenzhou in 2020. This research plays a positive role in realizing the fine allocation of resources for elderly care facilities at the township level in Wenzhou City, improving elderly care service facilities in urban and rural areas, and promoting the equalization of public service facilities at the township and village levels. The results can be summarized as follows: 1) As Wenzhou enters a deeply aging society, the spatial distribution of the elderly population, elderly population density, population aging coefficient, elderly population support ratio, and comprehensive aging index are basically the same, showing a gradually increasing spatial pattern from the municipal district to the peripheral streets of the municipal district to the remote towns; 2) Elderly care service resources in Wenzhou present an asymmetrical and unbalanced north-south spatial distribution pattern with the municipal districts as " diversified supply in municipal streets, basic guarantee in developed coastal towns, and shortage of supply in inland mountainous towns "; 3) The streets of the municipal district have rich elderly care service resources, including Grade 3 general hospitals and comprehensive nursing homes, to provide diversified elderly care services for the elderly in the municipal district; there are many old-age care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes in Ruian, Yueqing City, and central towns such as Hongqiao and Aojiang, which provide basic old-age security for the elderly in and around the area. In the northern part of Yongjia County, Wencheng County, Taishun County, and other remote towns and villages, the number of old-age medical resources and facility resources is scarce, and the accessibility of health centers and nursing homes to residents in marginal villages is low, which makes it inconvenient for the elderly to see a doctor in time and enjoy professional old-age services; 4) The size of the elderly population, nighttime Light Index, and road network density are the main driving factors causing the spatial imbalance of elderly service resources in the townships (streets) of Wenzhou City. Specific suggestions based on this study are as follows: Wenzhou should break the restraints of administrative divisions, speed up the process of co-construction and sharing of elderly care service resources between Lucheng District, Ouhai District, Longwan District and Yongjia County, southern townships of Yueqing City and eastern streets of Ruian City, achieve cross-regional linkage of elderly care facilities, improve the utilization rate of elderly care service resources, and prevent the situation of idle elderly care service resources; financial support for deeply aging towns in Wencheng County, Taishun County and Yongjia County should be increased, the construction of elderly care facilities in remote towns and health service consulting and cross-regional medical security capabilities of the elderly population in towns and cities should be increased, and the gap between the elderly service resources and the level of elderly care services in developed towns and cities should be narrowed; Yueqing City, Longgang City, Cangnan County, and Pingyang County should coordinate the existing resources, use the stock of land, combine urban renewal and the transformation of old urban communities, accelerate the construction of public infrastructure such as health service stations, nursing homes, leisure squares, and green parks within the 15-minute life circle of neighboring communities, and constantly improve the suitability of elderly care service resources for the elderly population.

Since the 21st century, population aging has become an important social problem. Improving the spatial system of social elderly care services and rationally allocating elderly care resources have far-reaching significance in coping with the problem of social aging. Most existing studies are limited to physiological nursing and health management of the elderly population, ignoring their spiritual and recreational needs and the rationality of the allocation of relevant service space. Taking Sichuan Province as an example, this study analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of the elderly population using revised World Pop data, used the grid cost distance method to measure the spatial accessibility of elderly health and recreational facilities, and described the degree of spatial matching between the two at the grid scale with the help of the coupled coordination model. Subsequently, the influencing factors and driving mechanisms of the matching relationship were analyzed using a geographical detector; the rationality of the layout of regional elderly health and recreation facilities was also analyzed, providing ideas for exploring and optimizing social old-age care strategies in the new era. The findings suggest that: (1) The spatial layout of the elderly health and recreation facilities in Sichuan Province was still oriented toward the agglomeration of the elderly population, the spatial imbalance of the facilities was prominent, and a considerable proportion of the elderly population was excluded from the scope of the facilities; (2) The overall accessibility of elderly health and recreation facilities in Sichuan Province was poor, and the eastern Sichuan area was superior to the western Sichuan area. From the perspective of coverage of the time circle, the 15-minute life circle could only meet the needs of half of the elderly groups, and the layout of the facilities was still unreasonable; (3) A significant spatial heterogeneity existed between the accessibility of elderly health and recreation facilities and the degree of matching between the elderly population in Sichuan Province. The difference in spatial matching not only existed between eastern and western Sichuan but also generally existed within cities and between urban and rural areas; and (4) The accessibility of elderly health and recreationl facilities and the matching of the elderly population were caused by the comprehensive effects of multiple factors. Among them, moderate gathering of the elderly population, improvement of road network systems, and improvement of natural suitability had significant promoting effects on the improvement of regional matching relationships.

Against the backdrop of intensifying global climate change, an international consensus has been reached on the realization of the "dual carbon" goal. By optimizing resource allocation and also strengthening ecological protection, integrated urban-rural development has a significant effect on curbing land-use carbon emission intensity, while promoting high-quality economic and social development. In this study, we built an analytical framework for the impact of urban-rural integration on land-use carbon emission intensity by considering the carbon reduction effect and carbon increase effect generated by urban-rural integration. It has also empirically examined the impact of urban-rural integration on land-use carbon emission intensity and spatial spillover effects based on the panel data of 22 counties in the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban agglomeration between 2005 and 2021 using the spatial Durbin model. We found that 1) urban-rural integration accelerates the circulation of human, capital, technology, and other factors in urban and rural production and living activities, which affect the pattern and function of regional carbon sources and sinks by improving land-use efficiency, optimizing land allocation, and increasing energy consumption. This generated a carbon reduction effect and carbon increase effect and brought about a change in the intensity of land-use carbon emissions as a result of the economic output of the region. 2) From 2005 to 2021, the urban-rural integrated development of the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban agglomeration demonstrated an overall upward trend, and its process is embodied in the three-tier coordinated advancement of "overall–municipal–county." From the urban agglomeration overall and municipal level perspectives, the urban-rural integrated development level showed a continuous upward trend; from the county level perspective, it generally exhibited a spatial evolution pattern decreasing from central urban areas to surrounding counties and has a convergence trend. 3) From 2005 to 2021, the land-use carbon emission intensity at the urban agglomeration overall, municipal, and county levels showed an overall annual decreasing trend. At the time series level, during the study period, the intensity of the land-use carbon emission intensity of Changsha was always higher than that of Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, but the gap between the three cities continued to narrow. At the level of the spatial evolution in the counties, the spatial distribution characteristics of high in the northeast and low in the northwest and southwest showed distribution characteristics. 4) Spatial Durbin results show that urban-rural integration demonstrated significant negative inhibitory effects at the levels of direct, indirect, and total effects, thus, indicating that urban-rural integrated development could significantly reduce the land-use carbon emission intensity. The increase in population density and proportion of secondary industry have positive effects on land-use carbon emission intensity, while government behavior, technological level, and openness level have negative effects on land-use carbon emission intensity. This study not only provides new research perspectives for in-depth analysis of urban–rural integration and carbon emission intensity of land use but also provides reference for exploring new paths of urban–rural green and low-carbon development and realizing the goal of "dual carbon."

Based on a literature review and policy analysis, this study analyzes the evolution of the regional governance regime in China since its reform and opening-up, and examines how this process has influenced the development of contemporary metropolitan areas. Multiscale spatial development strategies and regional governance regimes have been formed because of different development goals and visions in regional development. As a crucial mediating scale in China's regional governance, the construction of metropolitan areas has exhibited notable variation in governance subjects, structures, and developmental effects during different development phases. From the perspective of spatial governance goals, factor allocation means, and their scalar characteristics, this study categorizes China's regional governance into four periods since the reform and opening-up in the late 1970s: i) regional economic growth driven by development zones (1978-1993), ii) regional resource reallocation through administrative adjustment (1994-2000), iii) regional coordinated development through the development of industrial parks and new national-level areas (2001-2015), and iv) multi-level governance of urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas (2016-present). Governance forms and functional characteristics varied across different periods, contributing to a shift in China's regional governance from a centralized planned economy to a multilevel regulatory governance model. As metropolitan areas have become a key strategy in the new type of urbanization process, their development at different stages has exhibited different governance structures and functional characteristics. This study systematically reviews the evolutionary characteristics and driving factors of the regional governance stages and compares the first three metropolitan areas approved by the central government: Nanjing, Chengdu, and Fuzhou. It was found that the differences in regional governance across these stages shaped the functional development and vision of metropolitan areas. The Nanjing metropolitan area is under a multilevel governance stage, representing developed regions, characterized by advanced cross-boundary cooperation and a well-established coordination system between the central city and surrounding cities and counties. In this model, multilevel governments and non-governmental organizations actively participate in cross-regional governance, with market integration playing a leading role in metropolitan development. This has resulted in multidimensional development, such as the cross-boundary development of infrastructure, industries, and ecological protection. The Chengdu metropolitan area remains in a hierarchical governance stage marked by uneven regional development between the central city and the surrounding cities and countries. Consequently, government-initiated projects, such as ecological protection and infrastructure development, have been implemented, but the lack of market actors has constrained the development of the industrial division of labor and cooperation. This region has yet to form a unified resource allocation platform, which limits the flow of resources and development factors across administrative boundaries. The Fuzhou metropolitan area is characterized by industrial collaboration initiatives through intercity cooperative zones, and its central city has a weak influence on the surrounding cities and counties. Support from the provincial government facilitated the establishment of cross-boundary cooperative parks; however, excessive reliance on administrative mechanisms hindered the emergence of market-driven mechanisms. The capacity for regional functional integration and cooperation was relatively weak compared to the Nanjing and Chengdu metropolitan areas. A comparative analysis of the three metropolitan areas reveals that more economically developed regions tend to focus on functional integration among different cities and counties. Meanwhile, regions with uneven economic development emphasize coordinated development and improve ad hoc cross-boundary development issues. The interaction of government and market actors leads to distinct forms of regional governance and impacts the realization of metropolitan area functions.

Technology transfer is an important way to promote technology sharing, optimize resource allocation, and improve the levels of innovation and overall efficiency. Existing research on regional technology transfer primarily focuses on eastern and developed regions of China, such as the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao, and the Pearl River Delta; therefore, inland regions are relatively underreported. The middle reaches of the Yangtze River are one of China's five national-level urban agglomerations. There is a gap between academic attention to its technology transfer system and the practice of regional development planning and construction. Against this backdrop, this study collected patent transfer information from 2010 to 2021 from the IncoPat patent service website and constructed intercity technology transfer networks in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River for four periods. Based on the application of network analysis methods and temporal exponential random graph models, the structural evolution and driving mechanism of intercity technology transfer in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that: (1) Changsha and Wuhan were consistently at the core of regional technology transfer. After the release of the urban agglomeration development plan for the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Nanchang emerged as a new growth pole. The leading roles of Wuhan and Changsha in this region were primarily supported by technology diffusion, whereas Nanchang's technology diffusion and absorption were relatively balanced. The three central cities organized three technology transfer communities through a hub network-shaped structure that was highly coupled with provincial boundaries, and the inter-provincial technology flows were weak. (2) The intercity technology transfer network in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River gradually evolved to be characterized by both a core-periphery hierarchy and small-world clusters. However, the polarization of the network weakened, whereas the clustering coefficient and transfer efficiency increased. Moreover, the technology transfer paths present a stable trend with slight changes, suggesting incremental innovation. (3) Intercity technology transfers are not only affected by innovation size, intercity spatial distance, and the provincial boundary effect, but also by the endogenous mechanism of network self-organization. The reciprocity, activity, popularity, and hierarchical transitivity of intercity technology transfers positively affect network development, and the stability effect is stronger than the innovation effect in the network evolution process. Based on these findings, policy suggestions for optimizing technology transfer paths are proposed from the perspectives of promoting inter-provincial technology flows, enhancing spatial spillover and sector integration, and taking advantage of the network self-organizing laws of preferential attachment and clustering development. This study contributes to the literature by applying network econometric models for panel data to the analysis of the influential mechanism of innovation networks and corresponding the statistical properties of networks at different scales to the variable specification of endogenous and exogenous driving factors. Empirical research has verified the applicability of this analytical framework and methods in innovation geography, which could also provide new findings from the endogenous micro-mechanisms of the network to better understand the processes of intercity technology transfer.

The impact of urbanization on local climate has received widespread attention, with current research primarily focusing on the effects of urbanization on climate variables such as evaporation, precipitation, and temperature. As the Aridity Index (AI) is comprehensively influenced by multiple variables, including potential evapotranspiration, precipitation, and temperature, it is therefore inevitably affected by urbanization. However, the extent of the effect remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed annual AI data from 16 major cities in Yunnan Province from 1980 to 2022. We examined trends in AI and identified breakpoints using linear slope analysis, accumulated anomaly methods, and moving t-tests. Combined with breakpoint analysis and existing research findings, 2000 was identified as the starting point of rapid urbanization in Yunnan Province. The study period was divided into two phases: the pre-urbanization phase (1980–2000) and post-urbanization phase (2001–2022), with a separate analysis of AI trends during these two periods. When considering the differences in development stages among cities, we have conducted a further breakpoint analysis of the AI for the 16 major cities and divided the urbanization phases according to the identified change points for each city. In addition, we established an Urbanization Effects Indicator (AIUE) to quantify the effects of urbanization on AI. Simultaneously, through gray relational analysis, we identified the influence of various urbanization indicators on AI changes and ranked the relative impacts of these indicators. The main findings of this study are as follows: (1) Since the rapid urbanization in 2000, the trend of AI in Yunnan Province has shifted from decreasing to increasing. Before urbanization, the anomaly slope of the AI was -0.006 1, whereas after urbanization, it became 0.004 3, with an AIUE of 0.010 4. Additionally, the AI increased from 1.08 before 2000 to 1.13 after, representing a 4.6% increase. (2) The 16 cities in Yunnan Province exhibited AIUE values ranging from -0.014 7 to 0.018 8. Among these, Lijiang had the highest AIUE value (0.018 8), whereas Wenshan had the lowest (-0.000 2). Notably, the AIUE of 13 cities was found to be greater than zero, indicating that the AI increased at a greater slope after urbanization, which is consistent with the overall trend in Yunnan Province. After urbanization, AI increased in all 16 cities, with Lijiang showing the largest difference (0.152 4) and Xishuangbanna showing the smallest (0.035 0). (3) The gray relational analysis showed that among the five categories of urbanization indicators, population indicators had the greatest impact on AI, with a correlation degree of 0.908. Land indicators followed closely behind, with a degree of 0.838, while the transportation indicators ranked third at 0.700. Environmental indicators ranked fourth, with a degree of 0.599, and economic indicators exhibited the lowest correlation at 0.573. These findings provide a reference for future cities to effectively adapt to and mitigate the impacts of urbanization on urban climate.

Hypothermia is a type of safety accident that is often neglected in field activities. Its occurrence is not only a medical problem but also a thermodynamic problem and involves a specific geographical environment. An effective way to improve public awareness of hypothermia risk is to analyze hypothermia accidents from the perspective of heat transfer and heat balance between the human body and the environment. However, few reports have been written on relevant research. Therefore, this study uses the heat balance theory to build a calculation model of the clothing thermal resistance required by the human body to maintain a normal body temperature. The two most serious hypothermia death events in Shilin, Yellow River, Baiyin, Gansu province, and Ailao Mountain, Yunnan province, in 2021 are used as cases for analysis. The theoretical clothing thermal resistance has been calculated according to the external ambient temperature and human activity conditions (including metabolic rate and consumption coefficient) at the time of the event. By comparing the actual clothing thermal resistance value of the human body with the model, the theoretical clothing thermal resistance value has been calculated to study the hypothermia risk of the human body in the incident environment. The results show that, in the death incident of the Shilin Marathon on the Yellow River in Gansu Province, the theoretical thermal resistance of clothing required by the human body to maintain a normal body temperature was between 0.72 and 4.45 clo under different temperature conditions (resting, walking, and long-distance running), while the actual thermal resistance of the clothing worn by the accident personnel was 0.32 clo. The theoretical thermal resistance of the clothing is higher than that of the actual clothing, resulting in a high risk of temperature loss. Regarding the death event in the Ailao Mountain geological survey, the theoretical clothing thermal resistances required for the human body to maintain a normal body temperature under different temperatures while camping (sleeping), conducting field work, and mountaineering were 2.70-6.52 clo, 1.06-2.27 clo, and 0.55-1.75 clo, respectively. The actual thermal resistance of the clothing worn by the accident personnel was 1.86clo. During the accident, as long as the human body was in a climbing or working state, the difference between the theoretical and actual clothing thermal resistance was small, and the risk of hypothermia was low. However, while camping (sleeping), the theoretical clothing thermal resistance was higher than the actual clothing thermal resistance, and the lower the temperature, the greater the difference―especially at night when the temperature drops to its lowest point. At that point, the theoretical clothing thermal resistance could have been more than 3.5 times higher than the actual clothing thermal resistance, posing a serious risk of hypothermia. The results show the inevitability of hypothermia deaths in Shilin of the Yellow River in Gansu Province and Ailao Mountain in Yunnan Province. The insufficient prediction of hypothermia risk was the main cause of the hypothermia accidents. The calculation model constructed in this study can predict and evaluate the hypothermic risk of a certain outdoor activity in the future, provide a theoretical basis and research paradigm of thermodynamics and environmental science for improving public awareness about hypothermic risk, and is an effective means to prevent hypothermic accidents. Some measures and suggestions are provided for geographers engaged in long-term field investigation to avoid field hypothermia.