Interactive transition of cultivated land and construction land during china's urbanization: A coordinated analytical framework of explicit and implicit forms

Despite the recognized significance of coordinated land use transitions (LUTs) between cultivated land (CL) and construction land (COL) in supporting food security and facilitating sustainable urban growth, the complexities of such transitions in the face of rapid urbanization remain largely untapped. Current literature inadequately illuminates the procedures and principles dictating these intricate transitions, leaving a substantial void in our comprehension. Addressing these research gaps, our study employs models like the linkage index and the coupled coordination degree. We leverage data regarding the CL and COL areas in China spanning from 2000 to 2020, aiming to shed light on the processes and general patterns guiding CL and COL transitions amid urbanization. We present a novel perspective that emphasizes the linkage of single and dual land types in their explicit forms and the coordination of their implicit forms. Through the analysis of empirical data from China, we observe a gradual reduction in CL size coupled with its quality improvement. This shift parallels the intensification of COL and a slowdown in COL size growth, progressing towards an optimal transition over the observation period, despite regional variations in performance. The relationship between the explicit forms of CL and COL is characterized largely by stable transition, while the coordination relationship between their implicit forms exhibits a moderate transition, influenced by differences in urbanization. Our study highlights key strategies for achieving a mutually beneficial transition from discordant to harmonious relationships between CL and COL. These include fine-tuning the spatial trade-offs of the explicit forms and decoupling the interests of the implicit forms. Our research not only adds depth and complexity to traditional LUT theory, but also offers critical insights to guide policy formulation, with the ultimate aim of bolstering food security and promoting sustainable urbanization through favorable LUTs.