Compared with previous studies,the research attempted to establish the appropriate quantitative models to explain the relations between settlement density Diand geographic factors,which could make a scientific guidance to the mountain settlements planning. Five factors,including slope,relief amplitude,distance to river, distance to cultivated land, and distance to road, were identified through principal component analysis( PCA). The inherent relations between five factors and Di( settlement density)were modeled by regression analysis. The results are as follows.( 1) The associations among Diand slope,relief amplitude,river,road are better modeled by the exponential decay line; with the buffer distance of slope, relief amplitude, distance to river and distance to road increasing, Didecreases.( 2) The associations between Diand cultivated land are better modeled by the quadratic polynomial line; with the buffer distance of cultivated land increasing,Diincreases first, and then dramatically decreases.( 3) The area within 500 m from the road,within 500 m from the cultivated land,within 1 600 m from the river,within the relief amplitude of 30-200 m,and the area within the slope of 0°-10° are the fitting land for settlements,and it is very important to lay the mountain settlements on those optimized regions.
This study examines gender differences in rural laborers‘ employment patterns in the mountainous and upland areas of Sichuan, China. The analysis employs both representative survey data of 400 households and geographical data. Multinomial logistic regression models are used to analyze the influences of gender, among other factors, on employment decisions of rural males and females, where the factors considered include personal, household, community natural environmental characteristics. Dividing laborers into four categories, we find that the proportions of males who participating in on-farm, pluriactive, and off-farm work, and unemployment were 24.41%, 28.64%, 46.27%, and 0.68% respectively, while that of females who participating in on-farm, pluriactive, and offfarm work, and unemployment were 43.20%, 13.95%, 30.95%, and 11.90% respectively. As to individual characteristics, age(AGE) and physical condition(PHY) effects appeared to be more pronounced for men, while education(EDU) and marital status(MAR)effects appeared to be more pronounced for women. Regarding household and community characteristics, the effects of the presence in the household of children aged 6-(CHI), number of persons in the household(POP), and labor force(LAB), per capitaincome in village(INCV), and the development status of village enterprises(ENT) on women were greater than that on men. In addition, the presence in the household of elderly individuals aged 65+(OLD) and time to reach the nearest township(TIME) are shown to have opposite impacts on men and women. While the presence in the household of pupils(PUP) and per capital gross value of industrial output(GVIO) was found to be irresponsive to men and women taking pluriavtivity and off-farm job. With respect to natural environments characteristics, the effects on men were opposite of those on women. Unemployment of women was found to be particularly responsive to household characteristics. A multinomial regression approach is undertaken to analyze rural males‘ and females‘ decisi
In China, farmers employed in non-farm work have become important socio-economic actors, but few studies have examined the farmers' perspective in making their work location choices. Based on "push-pull" migration theory, this paper utilizes sectional data from a 2013 survey of farmers in China's Three Gorges Reservoir area to empirically analyze the factors influencing migrant workers' choice of employment location. The results indicate that 60.46% of laborers have migrated from their home province, whereas 39.54% have remained in their home province. Focusing on personal, household, and community characteristics—in addition to the economic characteristics of the sample counties—multinomial logistic regression models reveal that farmer-laborers' employment location decisions are influenced by their personal capital endowment(age, years of education and social networks), family structure(the number of laborers, elders, children and students), home village characteristics(location, economic development level and the degree of relief of the land) and home county economic development level. Notably, male and female laborers' location decisions reveal a converging trend, and their differences are not pronounced. Per capita arable land area has little influence on location decisions, whereas the educational level of laborers has a significant impact. The results differ significantly from those found in previous studies.
A Ms 8.0 large earthquake occurred in Sichuan,China on May 12,2008（hereafter called 5.12 Earthquake）,and then a large debris flow happened in the quake-hit Qingping Township of Mianzhu county on August 13,2008（hereafter called 8.13 Debris Flow）.The influence of two disasters on the changes in land use were analyzed by using highresolution aerial photos and satellite remote sensing images taken before and after the 5.12 Earthquake and 8.13 Debris Flow,the selection of suitable construction land were studied by learning experiences and lessons from the selection of resettlement areas and through field surveys and with land use transfer model and analytical model in combination with RS and GIS.The results showed that the influence of the 5.12 Earthquake on ecological environment was far greater than that of the 8.13 Debris Flow;there were more salient conflicts between population and land after the earthquake.Sites for post-disaster reconstruction should not be in disaster-prone areas or in gully-facing areas.Suitable land for settlement construction in I-1~I-5 low-hazard zones is optimal settlement areas for post-disaster reconstruction.
YU HuiLIU ShaoquanGUO ShiliHU YingZHENG ZhijunSHE Tao
