Spatial Governance Strategy Based on the Dike-Pond System: A Case Study of Shunde District, Foshan

Abstract

Territorial space planning in the new era is an important part of the spatial governance of China. At the city and county levels, the management of the relationship between urban and agricultural land is especially important to coordinate the protection and development of space and realize the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. However, supporting data are still lacking. In the current territorial space planning system of China, the effective protection of urban agriculture and coordinated development with the urban regional system are being discussed. This study takes Shunde District of Foshan City as an example, relying on a 2020 research project concerning the characteristic culture and ecological landscape protection and development of Shunde District. The methods used included conference discussion, field survey, and interviews with villagers, village cadres, and entrepreneurs, and others. The research involved 17 villages, one aquaculture farm, one cultural and creative park, and one dike-pond system cultural leisure farm. Remote sensing (30 m resolution), land use change survey, and statistical and department data were used. Based on the analysis of the collaborative development mechanism of multi-functional reservoirs and land space, the production function, ecological function, and social function characteristics of the Shunde reservoir were assessed. The findings summarize the challenges faced by the current land space governance. The implementation strategy of the collaborative development of reservoirs and other land function spaces are discussed. The land spatial governance of Shunde is faced with problems of spatial fragmentation and nested distribution, aggravation of disaster and ecological risk, and the loss of cultural characteristics of Lingnan waterside villages. As an economic subsystem of the regional system, the foundation pond coordinates the functional coupling between this pond and different regional subsystems. The foundation pond also has a supporting and collaborative role in the regional system function, which is the basis to realize the coordinated development and sustainable utilization of land and space. Based on the production, and the social and ecological functions of reservoirs, the paper highlights land space governance strategies, including the implementation of reservoir function zoning governance, optimization of the main functions of key areas for coordinated development, protection of contiguous reservoirs and improvement of wetland ecosystem services, integration of reservoir cultural resources, creation of reservoir historical and cultural heritage path, promotion of regional cultural characteristics protection, and promotion of reservoir- and village-related industries. The collaborative governance of the park, functional optimization of the ponds near and at the center of the village, promotion of industrial upgrading, optimization of human settlements, and urban-rural integration are also highlighted. The results of this study enrich the research theory of reservoir systems and land space governance. The results also provide the basis for scientific decision-making of land space planning in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Keywords

• territorial space planning
• three zones and three lines
• dike-pond system
• multifunctionality of agriculture
• urban agriculture
• the pearl river delta