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Background: Appalachian Kentucky is a rural area with a high prevalence of asthma among adults. The relative contribution of environmental exposures in the etiology of adult asthma in these populations has been understudied. Objective: This manuscript describes the aims, study design, methods, and characteristics of participants for the Mountain Air Project (MAP), and focuses on associations between small area environmental exposures, including roadways and mining operations, and lifetime and current asthma in adults. Methods: A cohort of residents, aged 21 and older, in two Kentucky counties, was enrolled in a community-based, cross-sectional study. Stratified cluster sampling was used to select small geographic areas denoted as 14-digit USGS hydrologic units (HUCs). Households were enumerated within selected HUCs. Community health workers collected in-person interviews. The proximity of nearby active and inactive coal mining operations, density of oil and gas operations, and density of roadways were characterized for all HUCs. Poisson regression analyses were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios. Results: From 1,459 eligible households contacted, 1,190 individuals were recruited, and 972 persons completed the interviews. The prevalence of lifetime asthma was 22.8%; current asthma was 16.3%. Adjusting for covariates, roadway density was positively associated with current asthma in the second (aPR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.04–2.48) and third tertiles (aPR = 2.00; 95% CI 1.32–3.03). Increased risk of current asthma was associated with residence in public, multi-unit housing (aPR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.27–3.18) compared to a residence in a single-family home. There were no notable associations between proximity to coal mining and oil and gas operations and asthma prevalence. Conclusions: This study suggests that residents in rural areas with higher roadway density and those residing in public housing units may be at increased risk for current asthma after accounting for other known risk factors. Confirming the role of traffic-related particulates in producing high asthma risk among adults in this study contributes to the understanding of the multiple environmental exposures that influence respiratory health in the Appalachia region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural settlements are places where agricultural and livestock farming activities are carried out, have a relatively low population density, industrial and commercial activities do not develop and directly take form by human, environmental, and cultural interaction. Rural dwellings and add-ons constitute the characteristic texture of rural settlements. Rural dwellings can be defined as not only housing places, but also places where many activities are carried out and include add-ons with storage and production volumes based on the economic activity of the owner of the dwelling and the requirements of the region. These add-ons form the plan design of the residences (as closed, semi-open, and open spaces) depending on the living conditions of the region and the needs of the users. With these qualities, rural dwellings are sustainable structures that reflect the natural and human characteristics of the environment. However, in line with the economic and sociocultural developments experienced today, the influence of user behaviors and life habits is gradually decreasing in space design, and the uniform formation attracts attention. Although this situation does not pose much of a problem in terms of living dynamics in urban settlements, especially actions affecting the organization of space and not taking into account living habits cause different problems and pose a risk to the sustainability of dwellings in rural settlements. In order for the structures not to become unidentified and lose their characteristics of belonging to the place, it is necessary to pay attention to the climate, topography, and use of local materials in the new buildings, as well as to analyze all add-ons related to the actions performed by the users in the housing, especially in rural dwellings. If this factor affecting the formation is ignored, the dwelling will be 1 insufficient to respond to the needs of the user due to the living dynamics of the region where it is built, and this condition will negatively affect both spatial and sociocultural continuity. For this reason, in this study, the add-ons belonging to rural dwellings determined by inventory studies carried out within the scope of the master's thesis study titled "A Research on Rural Dwellings and Their Add-ons: The Case of Tongurlar Village" were analyzed in terms of function, plan characteristics, construction system, and material, and the types of add-ons affecting the dwelling organization were examined. The fact that the buildings that approach the dwelling with today's spatial perception only to meet the need for housing The fact that the buildings that approach the dwelling with today's spatial perception only to meet the need for housing alone cannot respond to the living dynamics of the settlement and do acquire add-ons over time was explained through the new dwellings located in Tongurlar Village. Moreover it has been revealed that the type projects prepared by authorized institutions for those who want to build their own housing in the rural, although it is mentioned that they are compatible with the vernacular architecture and living conditions, are produced without considering the add-ons, and it is stated that this may cause sustainability problems. In the conclusion part, solution suggestions for the problem are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the various ways in which local governments in China accommodate migrants through housing policies, and what are the forces that drive these variations? Through systematic coding of policy documents from 97 prefecture-level cities, this study captures the patterns of migrant housing policies using cluster analysis. We found that 18.6 per cent of the cities adopted a residual approach. Most cities adopted a rental-based approach (public and private rental, and collective rental) that could only meet migrants' short-term housing needs. Only a few cities (12.4 per cent) adopted a citizenship-oriented approach, which best fits the central government's overarching goal of facilitating migrant workers' long-term settlement in the host cities. Regression analyses examining the determinants of local migrant housing policies showed that the policy variations were not only shaped by economic and political concerns but also the salience of urban issues (problem-solving functions) and previous welfare generosity (path-dependency tendencies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable housing is an important determinant of health equity (Swope & Hernández, 2019). Yet, there are few studies exploring housing insecurity in rural areas. In the current study, we examined the similarities and differences in housing insecure experiences across four rural areas in the state of Maine. We used a qualitative case study approach in which each of the four areas represented a case. We conducted interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders (N = 70) to better understand how housing insecurity manifested in each area. Participants discussed a variety of housing insecure experiences in their communities. However, the types and magnitude of these challenges differed across the four areas; findings indicated that rural areas are different from urban areas and from each other. That there are differing patterns of housing insecurity across rural communities has important implications for which housing policy and social service supports are most needed in each community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable resource potential calculation is the basic premise for the country to formulate planning and carry out rural housing land consolidation, which can deepen the research on the economical and intensive use of rural construction land. This paper evaluates farmers' area demands of rural housing land by using the consumption utility function, analyzes the spatial pattern characteristics of demand and potential, and puts forward suggestions for the resource optimization of rural housing land based on the survey data of 613 farmers and land use data in the Pinggu District of Beijing in 2005 and 2018. Research shows that the utilities of life, production, and the ecological are carried and measured by the corresponding internal land-use structure of rural housing land. The proportion of life land area was the largest, and the life and production land area decreased from plain to mountain, from 119.76 m2 to 89.07 m2 and from 44.87 m2 to 32.85 m2, respectively. The average area potential is 395.64 m2 and the change range is −30.35–1413.75 m2, which is basically in accordance with the normal distribution. The area potential can be divided into five grades, which are expressed by I, II, III, IV, and V in order of potential from small to large by using the natural fracture method. The utility needed should be enhanced and expanded, and the redundant utility should be removed and socialized in the village. The resource optimization and allocation of rural housing land should be promoted according to the idea of regionalization and classification. It provides scientific support for the reform of rural housing land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High heating expenses are observed in numerous Chinese rural houses located in severe cold regions due to the high heating demand, inferior envelope performance and low-efficiency heating equipment. The local traditional heating methods include Chinese Kangs and coal boilers with water-based radiators. The intermittent operation and manual regulation of these systems result in significant temperature differences and inadequate thermal comfort. This study presents the cost-optimal envelope renovation solutions with the minimized lifecycle cost (LCC) during a 20-year discount period and CO2 emissions of annual delivered energy consumptions. A single-family detached rural house in Harbin was used as a case building, illustrating the typical state of comparable houses in this climate context. Simulation-based multi-optimization analysis was conducted in this study using the building simulation tool IDA ICE and its integrated optimization tool AutoMOO. The results indicate that the cost-optimal renovation solutions with intermittent and continuous heating can cut CO2 emissions by 30% and 40%, respectively. The LCC with intermittent heating is still 7% greater than its pre-renovation case, which may require external financial support to encourage the renovation conduction, while the LCC with continuous heating decreased by 8% after renovation. According to the comparison results, cost-optimal solutions have significant advantages in both reductions of LCC and CO2 emissions over standard-based solutions. Moreover, utilizing intermittent heating is more effective than continuous heating in demonstrating the positive impacts of envelope renovation on increasing average temperature, decreasing temperature differences and lowering occupied time at low thermal comfort levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil, affordable housing programs aimed at low-income populations reach a limited number of people. In the northern region, conventional bricklaying is the preferred method of building affordable single-family houses, which are essentially sets of tiny houses on the outskirts of cities. Conventional bricklaying can damage the environment. This study, started in July 2019, aimed to understand the perception of using timber to build affordable houses by housing program stakeholders and determine why the beneficiaries of housing programs prefer brick houses to wooden houses in locations with building permits. We applied a SWOT analysis to a group of 60 individuals comprising government agents and wooden and brick house residents of cities located in the northern region of Brazil. Subsequently, we devised relevant strategies, validated by stakeholders involved in public policy, for the provision of wooden housing for low-income populations. We used R software to analyze the data, and the results showed that the beneficiaries of affordable housing programs were unaware of wooden architectural projects and their durability, despite the regional abundance of wood and its environmental benefits. We suggest using strategies based on the SWOT analysis and validated by a group of experts to include the Affordable Wooden Housing (AWH) Project in the National Rural Housing Program (PNHR) and Harvest Plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-scale rural home hotel clusters have brought huge pressure to the rural power grid. However, the load of rural home hotels not only has the inherent characteristics of rural residential buildings but is also greatly impacted by the occupancy rate, which is very different from conventional buildings. Therefore, the existing peak shifting strategies are difficult to apply to rural home hotels. In view of the above problems, this study took a typical visitor village in Zhejiang Province as the research object, which had more than 470 rural home hotels. First, through a basic information survey and power load data collection, the characteristics of its power load for heating, cooling and transition months were studied, and a "No Visitors Day" model was proposed, which was split to obtain the seasonal load curve for air conditioning. Then, combined with the characteristics of the air conditioning power load and the natural conditions of the rural house, a cluster control peak-load-shifting system using phase change energy storage was proposed, and the system control logic was determined and established. Finally, the collected power load data was brought into the model for actual case analysis to verify its feasibility and the effect of peak-load shifting. The results showed that due to the influence of the number of tourists, the electricity loads on weekends and holidays were higher, especially the electricity load of air conditioning equipment in the heating and cooling seasons. An actual case was simulated to verify the peak-shifting effect of the proposed regulation strategy; it was found that the maximum peak load of the cluster was reduced by 61.6%, and the peak–valley difference was 28.6% of that before peak shifting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• The application influence of three typical sunrooms in rural houses were compared. • The additional sunroom has the best performance in the rural area in Southeast Shandong, China. • The order of influence of factors on the heating performance of the additional sunroom in rural houses was given. • Additional sunroom optimization suggestions based on different angles are proposed. The sunroom, a passive solar heat collecting component, is widely used in rural residential houses in Southeast Shandong Province, China. However, many forms of sunroom are applied in this area, and the impact of their application on the indoor thermal environment, energy-saving, and economy is unclear. In this paper, the influence of additional sunroom, courtyard sunroom, and additional sunroom coupling with courtyard sunroom on the indoor thermal environment are tested and studied. A comprehensive evaluation method based on the Energy Plus and dynamic investment payback period analysis is adopted to evaluate the energy-saving rate and economy. Furthermore, the optimization of the sunroom is performed, and the impact of seven key structural factors of sunroom for the indoor thermal environment, energy-saving, and economy was analyzed and evaluated. The additional sunroom has the best performance in improving the indoor thermal environment compared with the courtyard sunroom and the additional sunroom coupling with the courtyard sunroom. Compared to the typical additional sunroom existing in this area, the heating performance of the additional sunroom after comprehensive optimization is improved by 7.1%. Compared with the typical ordinary rural residential house without additional sunroom, the energy-saving rate of the additional sunroom after comprehensive optimization is 44.8 %, and the indoor temperature increases by 2.38 ℃. The conclusions will provide a theoretical basis for improving the indoor thermal environment of rural residential houses in Linyi and other areas in cold zones where solar energy resources are not abundant and the construction of rural residential houses with sunrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth of China's economy and the supportive government policies and funds, the demand for and the expansion of rural housing in China are on the rise, which tightens requirements for rural housing. However, most of the present rural housing suffers from unplanned growth. The sprawl of rural housing adversely affects the quantity and quality of land resources, in particular, productive agricultural lands; therefore, it is necessary to regulate the growth of rural housing and protect farmlands through spatiotemporally continuous monitoring. Currently, the monitoring of rural housing in China is mainly conducted via in-situ inspection of the national land survey, which is restricted by unfavorable conditions (e.g., weather, outbreaks, and traffic) as well as impairing real-time and reliable control over information collected. To resolve this issue, this study proposed an intelligent model to recognize rural housing in underdeveloped areas based on deep learning and mathematical morphology (MobileNet-MM). The model was based on high-resolution remote sensing data, MobileNetV2 (a convolutional neural network architecture well performing on mobile devices), and mathematical morphology. First, the obtained data were segmented and manually screened and tagged to construct a training dataset. Second, the training dataset was used to train MobileNet-MM, with the expansion operation being used to compensate for identification errors of deep learning. Finally, the accuracy of MobileNet-MM to identify and monitor rural housing was tested, resulting in 84.5% accuracy. The comparison of the accuracies of MobileNet-MM and ResNet34 (a state-of-the-art image classification model) indicated that ResNet34 misclassified a large area of rural housing that was mainly distributed on the edge of the region as well as cropland and vegetation as rural housing, with its weak ability to recognize actual rural housing. The MobileNet-MM model predicted rural housing accurately and land boundary precisely, with the misclassified area being scattered, and its average accuracy, is 10.6% higher than that of ResNet34. The novelties of this study were two-fold: (1) a high-resolution training dataset of rural housing in underdeveloped areas was generated, which provides data support for the development of subsequent models; and (2) an intelligent model to recognize rural housing in underdeveloped areas (MobileNet-MM) based on deep learning and mathematical morphology was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using CHFS data and quantile regression method, this study empirically analyzes the impact of current homestead housing on rural household financial asset allocation in China. The main findings are as followings: The homestead housing system effectively protects the residential rights and interests of rural residents, but it is constrained by the system and fails to give full play to the investment value; Only on the premise of meeting the needs of family mobility, homestead housing can effectively play the wealth effect; In the family risk portfolio, homestead housing and risk financial asset allocation are mutually exclusive; In private lending, the impact of homestead housing on the provision of loans is more complex, but not always statistically significant; The impact of homestead housing on family financial asset allocation shows obvious heterogeneity and differentiation. Further releasing the liquidity of homestead housing, enriching the level of rural financial products and services, and encouraging rural families to appropriately participate in venture financial asset investment are the reform direction to improve the welfare level of rural families and optimize the allocation of family assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike urban dwellings, it is very common for elderly people to stay at home alone in Chinese rural families, and some families have three generations in the same house who are in different situations, and their different family patterns lead to different highly sensitive parameters of building energy consumption. This paper first selects the three most common family patterns based on a questionnaire survey. The measured energy consumption behavior and electrical parameters, energy consumption time, and basic building parameters were input into DesignBuilder to build three building simulation models, and these were verified by comparing the predicted and measured values of the residential month-by-month electricity consumption. The global sensitivity analysis was then conducted using DesignBuilder software to determine the interactions between the variables by using the second-order Sobol index for cooling load, heating load, and comfort of the models to obtain standardized regression coefficients (SRC) for each factor to determine the most sensitive parameters. The results show that the different household patterns had little influence on the ranking of highly sensitive factors for heating and cooling, but annual electricity consumption and discomfort in different household patterns had a significant influence on the ranking of highly sensitive factors. For example, model 1 showed the most sensitivity to general lighting power density when optimizing the total amount of electricity was the goal, while the one that had the greatest degree of influence on the total amount of electricity in model 2 and model 3 was equipment power density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria control in Liberia depends upon universal coverage with pyrethroid-impregnated long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). Despite regular mass distribution, LLIN coverage and usage is patchy. Pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors may further reduce LLIN efcacy. Durable Wall Lining (DWL), a novel material treated with two nonpyrethroid class insecticides, was designed to be installed onto the surface of inner walls, and cover openings and ceiling surfaces of rural houses. Objectives: Aim: To determine the malaria control efcacy of DWL. Primary objective: To determine if DWL has an additional protective efect in an area of pyrethroid resistance. Secondary objectives: To compare surface bio-availability of insecticides and entomological efectiveness over the study duration. Design: A cluster randomized trial. Participants: Children aged 2–59 months. Control arm: 50 houses per 20 clusters, all of which received LLIN within the previous 12 months. Active arm: 50 houses per 20 experimental clusters, all of which received LLINs with the previous 12 months, and had internal walls and ceilings lined with DWL. Randomisation: Cluster villages were randomly allocated to control or active arms, and paired on 4 covariates. Main outcome measures: Primary measure: Prevalence of infection with P. falciparum in children aged 2 to 59 months. Secondary measure: Surface bioavailability and entomological efectiveness of DWL active ingredients. Results: Plasmodium falciparum prevalence in active clusters after 12 months was 34.6% compared to 40.1% in control clusters (p=0.052). The efect varied with elevation and was signifcant (RR=1.3, p=0.022) in 14 pairs of upland villages. It was not signifcant (RR=1.3, p=0.344) in 6 pairs of coastal villages. Pooled risk ratio (RR) was calculated in SAS (Cary, NC, USA) using the Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel (CMH) test for upland and coastal cluster pairs. DWL efcacy was sustained at almost 100% for 12 months. Conclusions: Findings indicate that DWL is a scalable and efective malaria control intervention in stable transmission areas with pyrethroid-resistant vectors, where LLIN usage is difcult to achieve, and where local housing designs include large gable and eve openings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural infrastructure development is crucial for the growth and well-being of people living in rural areas. The Panchayat Raj Institution has played a significant role in developing rural infrastructure in Thanjavur district, Tamilnadu, India. However, there is still a need to focus on providing better roadways, electricity, communication facilities, water supply and sanitation systems, transportation, and digital connectivity. The study showed that there are several research gaps that need attention for the effective implementation of rural infrastructure development programs. Addressing these gaps will ensure the sustainability of such programs and help achieve their desired outcomes. This study aimed at examining how the Panchayat Raj Institution (PRI) can facilitate rural infrastructure development with special reference to Thanjavur district. 550 is the sample size of the study. Finally, 528 respondents are considered as the sample size for the study. Descriptive statistics, Friedman's multiple comparison tests, and One way ANOVA analysis are used to describe the sample, to show which are factors highly influenced, and to measure the linear association between the dependent and independent variables. Findings suggest that PRI can play a vital role in facilitating sustainable infrastructural developments if implemented effectively while emphasizing researchers' needs towards identifying research gaps surrounding issues related specifically to Roadways, Electricity, Communication, Water supply, Sanitation, Rural housing, and Transportation within targeted locations themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tapureli is an ancient settlement in Rough Cilicia connected to the Kızılgeçit Valley being located 32 km north of Erdemli in the province of Mersin. It attracts attention with its layout and size, continuity of settlement, well-preserved houses and churches. In this study, two decorated houses that we identified among the houses during our surveys in Tapureli are evaluated. There are architectural decorations in Ionic and Corinthian order at the entrances of the houses belonging to the Roman Imperial Period which are also used in the Late Antiquity. These are rare examples in Cilicia and in other regions. In this study, the architectural ornaments and layouts in these two houses are examined in detail. In this context, reconstruction suggestions are undertaken with the data obtained from the entrances of both houses and a dating proposal has been made based on architectural ornaments. The appearance of architectural ornament forms in Tapureli, indicates that architectural elements in cities were also in demand at the countryside. For this reason, the relationship of these houses with local ornament workshops and local craftsmen is discussed. In addition, the reasons for the presence and use of these decorations in the houses located in the countryside of Rough Cilicia are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings that cause energy and resource consumption during the construction, use and demolition stages damage ecological values, increase waste generation and negatively affect health and comfort conditions. In order to solve the aforementioned problems, it is of great importance to investigate ecological applications and to design buildings suitable for ecological architecture. Therefore, in this study, a model proposal is presented that aims to evaluate traditional rural housing examples from an ecological perspective and to reveal practices that can shed light on today's buildings. This model proposal, created by the first author in his doctoral thesis titled "A model proposal for the ecological evaluation of the traditional rural houses: Case of Yalova", prepared under the supervision of the second author, is objective, practical, guiding and also can be used in five different climatic regions of Turkey. The model proposal consists of four basic stages: Performance criteria, scoring system, evaluation standards and implementation tools. In the model proposal where scoring is made out of 100; There are five main categories of evaluation: land conservation and ecological values, energy conservation, water conservation, material conservation and indoor environmental quality. Yalova was chosen as the study area for testing the model proposal. The building sample evaluated in ecological terms achieved a success degree of "GOOD" by showing a success rate of 75.90%. The building received the highest score on water conservation, and the lowest score was on energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual pollution (VP) is the deterioration or disruption of natural and man-made landscapes that ruins the aesthetic appeal of an area. It also refers to physical elements that limit the movability of people on public roads, such as excavation barriers, potholes, and dilapidated sidewalks. In this paper, an end-to-end visual pollution prediction (VPP) framework based on a deep active learning (DAL) approach is proposed to simultaneously detect and classify visual pollutants from whole public road images. The proposed framework is architected around the following steps: real VP dataset collection, pre-processing, a DAL approach for automatic data annotation, data splitting as well as augmentation, and simultaneous VP detection and classification. This framework is designed to predict VP localization and classify it into three categories: excavation barriers, potholes, and dilapidated sidewalks. A real dataset with 34,460 VP images was collected from various regions across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) via the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (MOMRAH), and this was used to develop and fine-tune the proposed artificial intelligence (AI) framework via the use of five AI predictors: MobileNetSSDv2, EfficientDet, Faster RCNN, Detectron2, and YOLO. The proposed VPP-based YOLO framework outperforms competitor AI predictors with superior prediction performance at 89% precision, 88% recall, 89% F1-score, and 93% mAP. The DAL approach plays a crucial role in automatically annotating the VP images and supporting the VPP framework to improve prediction performance by 18% precision, 27% recall, and 25% mAP. The proposed VPP framework is able to simultaneously detect and classify distinct visual pollutants from annotated images via the DAL strategy. This technique is applicable for real-time monitoring applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of the century the Mediterranean coast has experienced an intense urban development, mainly driven by northern European migrants with habits closely linked to tourism who decide to establish their residence in areas with a warmer climate. Although there are abundant works focused on the study of these mobilities in coastal tourist settings, the territorial transformation triggered in inland rural areas has not been covered with the same attention so far. Through a quantitative empirical approach, based on data obtained from official statistical and cartographic sources, we analyse the settlements that have arisen in the middle valley of the Almanzora river, a unique rural setting of British residents which has experienced exponential growth of irregular land occupation in recent years. This work uncovers two clear models of occupation: the scattered settlements included within the pre-existing agricultural plots and the secondary urban developments that have proliferated in environments of low agricultural productivity. Finally, this study concludes that the regularization of these settlements poses significant challenges both at the legal and planning levels and shows that the profitability of agriculture is a mitigating element of the tourist-residential phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article brings elements of reflection about pedagogy and alternation. Going from bibliographical research, the goal of this production was to reflect on its role in the protagonism of the CFRs (Rural Familiar Houses) alternants in the Amazon. It was possible to verify a proposition of rural education, having as principle the alternation pedagogy, forming and emancipatory educational practice, aimed at regional development, allowing for the protagonism of the alternants. They also noticed educational experiences aimed at the rural setting that meet the needs of the amazonian man. They're projects that elaborate and materialize their curriculums according to the reality of amazonian folk, blending the studies with the work of productive unities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Rural territories have undergone considerable changes in their ways of occupying and using land due to urban expansion to develop new rural housing schemes, a situation that leads to economic, social, physical-spatial and environmental transformations of the rural landscape. This is the case of the populated center of the Chucuní village in Ibagué-Tolima, which in the last ten years has presented a significant process of territorial transformation. In the present study, the changes in land use and occupation in the zone are addressed, establishing multiple causes that have given rise to the generation of socio-environmental conflicts. For this, a multitemporal comparative analysis was carried out between 2009 and 2019 of the property structure, the growth of the urban area, the biological coverage of the soil and the identification of environmental conflicts in light of the regulatory framework of territorial ordering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Darkale of Soma, Manisa is a historical rural settlement in Western Anatolia. The aim of this paper is to identify the characteristics of Darkale houses and to present a typology based on their authentic architectural characteristics. The method is evaluation of the housing units with the tools of the discipline of architectural conservation. The characteristics evaluated are the lot size and organization, unit-neighbor relations, storey system, spatial organization, construction technique, and material usage. The houses are representatives of the "Hayat house" typology that has been used for centuries in Anatolia. However, the presence of limited courtyards, possibility of houses composed of a single building mass, the partial carving of the units into the hillside, possibility of single storied units and the relation of housing with each other in all three dimensions, and streets continuing throughout the house masses in form of passages differentiate Darkale houses from the other Hayat houses. In addition, the continuing of the maintenance of housing units with traditional materials and techniques; weaving, cuisine tradition, winter food preparation such as pomegranate juice making, olive oil soap production and their storage, domestic fowl raising on the ground floor and courtyards of the houses are intangible qualities of Darkale. The major conservation problems of Darkale houses are abandonment, the functional transformation of spaces and usage of contemporary techniques and materials in the physical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architectural solutions for social housing executed in rural mountain settlements in Cuba have not always met the needs and characteristics of their natural and social environment. The objective of the research was to define its historical references from the triumph of the Revolution to the present, its stages of development, main exponents, and the social conditions that influenced its evolution. A documentary study was carried out that included publications on the subject, archival materials and other sources. Historical-logical methods, and analysis-synthesis and inductiondeduction processes were used for the study and interpretation of the results. The investigation allowed to define the design criteria used in social housing in these settlements, and their common characteristics. It is concluded that the house under study has gone through different stages, prevailing in its design, technological approaches that move away from the characteristics of its context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rural habitat in the Aures region is an excellent example on vernacular and human architecture. It reflects how inhabitants of this region responded to their requirements in an ingenious way and how local builders have succeeded to respond to challenges of climate, building materials and cultural expectations despite the particularly harsh environmental conditions of the Aures. The aim of this study is to determine the strategies used in vernacular constructions to deal with the severe climatic conditions that prevail in the Aures region. Precisely, rural dwellings in Ain Zaatout village (Beni Ferah) were studied to emphasize the importance of the architectural properties of the traditional houses in terms of thermal performance and climatic adaptability. In this regard, an extensive literature review was carried out on previous studies that investigated the Aures settlements. Accordingly, a comprehensive knowledge on typical Aurassien village and various data including spatial organisation, architectural characteristics and construction materials and techniques have been gathered. Based on this background, a qualitative analysis supported by field measurements was conducted. Then, two representative houses were selected as case studies for monitoring comfort parameters in summer period. Finally, the traditional and contemporary houses were compared in terms of their thermal performance. Through this study, the most frequently used strategies and their effectiveness were derived. The results indicate that vernacular rural habitat in the Aurassien villages is creatively adapted to the environmental conditions and uses various climate responsive strategies. The study additionally reveals that vernacular constructions in the Aures are more adapted to the climate constraints and social needs than contemporary residential buildings. These results were confirmed by hydrothermal values where main indoor temperature in a traditional rural house was less than external values by 3 °C and more humidified, while in modern house indoor temperature records were more than the exterior by 1°C. Thus, vernacular climatic responsive strategies must be considered as a reference for nowadays environmental issues in rural areas. Moreover, they can be feasible for contemporary buildings and, consequently, they could contribute greatly towards improving indoor thermal comfort whilst reducing buildings energy demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic analysis in rural areas has been dominated in recent decades by socio-economic and socio-political perspectives. The new materialism can constitute a way of progress in rural geographical studies that involve the material and the human in the form of hybrid experiences. Materiality can be expressed in three ways: (1) the surface matter that corresponds to the traditional elements of the material rural space, (2) the materiality that would be associated with a joint and undifferentiated vision of human artefacts in a village, mainly the set of rural houses and (3) the experimental materiality that has an individual dimension, the result of the multiple processes of destruction, revival and reconstruction that simultaneously happen in one place. The experimental materiality is of the most interest for geographic analysis since it is where the materiality of the rural house and the individual are hybridized in the process of recovery of the traditional rural house. In the process of recovery of materialities, binary oppositions built in the rigid framework of modernity can be dissolved and established fluid postmodern alternatives co-produced between people and materiality. The new materialism in rural geography can be an alternative path that allows analyzing heterogeneous realities in a hybrid way and contributing in a practical context to the development of new rural policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant farm workers recruited under Canada's temporary employment programs work in difficult environments, under poor working conditions, and live in unsafe housing in remote rural communities. Fearful of repatriation or replacement, many accept their working and living conditions as part of a necessary sacrifice to improve their living conditions and those of their families in the countries of origin. At the same time, some migrant farm workers assert their agency by escaping from farms, subverting regulations, or challenging various forms of discipline used to control their bodies and activities. Following Isin and Nielsen (2008), we refer to these actions as "acts of citizenship." Drawing on research conducted among migrant farm workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Quebec, Canada, we situate these acts, particularly the tendency to escape from abusive and exploitative working relationships, in a particular space and time shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, we demonstrate the link between these acts and certain conditions and opportunities that arose at that time, such as increased support for migrant farmworkers by a non-governmental organization and the facilitation of movement of migrant farmworkers across the Canada-U.S.-border by the "migration industry.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose- The purpose of this article is the provision a context for the continuity and conveyance of hidden values in human habitations in a form of patterns for future plans. Design/Methodology/Approach- Hezaveh village, located in Markazi Province, is one of the habitats that has always been noted due to its location and physical traits. Hence, three residential samples were studied and analyzed. The research has been formed with an inductive approach based on field observations and documentary studies. The selection method of samples was based on diversity indicators in structural and functional patterns. They were extracted among the observed samples based on statistical data according to the number of families, type of livelihood, etc. Findings- The findings of the research demonstrate the way physical traits of habitats are considered in accordance with the natural environment, humans, and housing formation. Thus, housing can be understood as a fundamental type and pure form of a physical environment that represent those patterns. Because of the cold climate of the village, most houses have inner yards and are introverted. The ratio of the outer skin to the whole volume of buildings is low. Yards are relatively small and walls are thick. Moreover, the investigations revealed that there are somehow similar spaces in them. Practical implications- In its simplest use, the findings of the research might be deemed as a pattern or criterion for the design of rural housing which reflects the architectural properties of that region. Originality/Value- The analysis and inference methodology of a pattern for rural housing could be regarded as an innovation in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista: Módulo Arquitectura CUC is the property of Corporacion Universidad de la Costa, CUC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of ESTOA: Revista de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Cuenca is the property of ESTOA Revista de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Cuenca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Art-Sanat Journal / Art-Sanat is the property of Art-Sanat and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Considering the severe climatic conditions in the Sistan Region of Iran and due to 120-day winds and burning sun, it is imperative to adapt the traditional housing in this region to the climate. Unfortunately, the use of patterns disproportionate to the climate in recent decades has become a common problem considering the changes in people's lifestyles and livelihoods and technological changes. The question is "How can the historical and traditional architectural style in the Sistan region be used for developing contemporary housing?" Using a case study and a descriptive-analytical approach, the adaptation of rural houses to environmental conditions was investigated in five prominent historical villages of Sistan. Subsequently, solutions were proposed to adapt to the climatic conditions of the region. In addition, models for rural housing were proposed. Based on the findings of the field study, it seems that using the old models of traditional Sistani architecture is an effective strategy for designing housing suitable for the special climate of this region in the present era. Moreover, the findings highlighted the necessity to pay attention to the orientation of the building for better use of wind and natural ventilation, create natural and artificial windbreaks, use water and green space, shade the walls, and use introverted architectural models and central yards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Visión Electrónica is the property of Fondo de Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Affected by the development strategy of Rural Space Reconstruction in China, the demand for rural mass housing has peaked in the North China Plain in the past 20 years. However, due to the inefficiency of conventional design methods, the rural houses built appear to have a noticeable trend of urbanization and homogeneity. To propose a more effective design approach to change the hitherto unsuccessful homogenized phenomenon of rural design, the study is based on investigating the composition, configuration and characteristics of the dwellings in some traditional villages of the eastern Shandong Province, and it compares and analyzes the differences between conventional methods and generation methods through three design tests: Test 1 is for the reappearance of a general mode of planning, Test 2 is based on the definition of shape-grammar-based rules and Test 3 is mainly used for the optimizing and programming of rules. Furthermore, based on the three prototypes of homestead combination, three-level rules are determined through the three tests mentioned above: Level-1 describes the housing prototype consisting of four homesteads, which generates a variety of spatial relations through the translation of homesteads. Level-2 describes a neighborhood prototype consisting of 16 homesteads, which generates various samples through splitting prototypes and expanding homesteads. Level-3 describes a block prototype consisting of 64 homesteads, which controls open space and identifies a given base during sample filling. Through the analysis of the tests results, the rationality and feasibility of the generative design approach are verified, proving that this approach effectively solves the design monotony problem that commonly exists in rural mass housing in the North China Plain.

Background: Insecticidal mosquito-proof netting screens could combine the best features of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), the two most important front line vector control interventions in Africa today, and also overcome the most important limitations of these methods. This study engaged members of a rural Tanzanian community in developing and evaluating simple, affordable and scalable procedures for installing readily available screening materials on eave gaps and windows of their own houses, and then treating those screens with a widely used IRS formulation of the organophosphate insecticide pirimiphos-methyl (PM). Methods: A cohort of 54 households recruited upon consent, following which the structural features and occupant demographics of their houses were surveyed. Indoor mosquito densities were surveyed longitudinally, for approximately 3 months before and over 5 months after participatory house modification and screening using locally available materials. Each house was randomly assigned to one of three study arms: (1) No screens installed until the end of the study (negative control), (2) untreated screens installed, and (3) screened installed and then treated with PM, the insecticidal activity of which was subsequently assessed using standard cone assays. Results: Almost all (52) recruited households participated until the end, at which point all houses had been successfully screened. In most cases, screening was only installed after making enabling structural modifications that were accepted by the enrolled households. Compared to unscreened houses, houses with either treated or untreated screens both almost entirely excluded Anopheles arabiensis (Relative reduction (RR) ≥ 98%, P < < 0.0001), the most abundant local malaria vector. However, screens were far less effective against Culex quinquefasciatus (RR ≤ 46%, P < < 0.0001), a non-malaria vector causing considerable biting nuisance, regardless of their treatment status. While PM did not augment household level protection by screens against either mosquito species (P = 0.676 and 0.831, respectively), 8 months after treatment it still caused 73% and 89% mortality among susceptible insectary-reared Anopheles gambiae following exposures of 3 and 30 min, respectively. Conclusions: Participatory approaches to mosquito proofing houses may be acceptable and effective, and installed screens may be suitable targets for residual insecticide treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conceived to develop the optimum mix for cement-stabilized bamboo fiber–reinforced clay bricks for low-cost farm settlements. The concept was concerned with the provision of houses in rural areas as incentive to encourage youth participation in farming activities and at the same time reduce rural–urban migration. The input factors for the composite development were bamboo fiber (BF), sand proportion, and cement dosage. Mixture of the input materials were carried out per experimental runs obtained by the Box-Behnken approach. Responses analyzed were apparent porosity, water absorption, and compressive and flexural strengths. The results showed that the responses were significantly affected by the experimental factors. The developed models for each response were certified statistically fit for response prediction. Also, response surface plots revealed that each response was dependent on the interactive patterns between the input factors. An optimization procedure was carried out, and the optimum mix was 0.99%–1% by weight BF, 27.24% by weight sand and 24.82% by weight cement, yielding 13.78%, 12.66%, 8.86 MPa, and 1.98 MPa for apparent porosity, water absorption, compressive strength, and flexural strength respectively. A confirmation experiment carried out yielded error < 5% for each of the parameters, validating the models. Therefore, the optimum mix can be used in the development of low-cost clay bricks with the purpose of building low-cost farm estates for improvement of agricultural activities for the purpose of engaging more youth in farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning studies on rural housing are heavily shaped by concepts from urbanized countries with larger populations and attendant conservation pressures on agricultural or otherwise protected land. In particular, Anglo-American theorization on counterurbanisation and the differentiated countryside have enabled planning theory to engage with and compare multiple planning realities, albeit with the secondary effect of distorting appraisal in countries that do not reflect their originating context. This may unwittingly result in the pathologisation of rural planning practices that do not conform to expected norms in rurally-dominated countries with low populations and distributed rather than concentrated land ownership patterns. Ireland, as a northern European country with a proportionately large rural population, illustrates the importance of examining path dependencies as a means of forming meaningful and effective responses to challenges such as the decline of rural settlements and decarbonization. Case study data are presented to illustrate the specific dynamics of housing and planning in rural Ireland, and attention is drawn towards examples of endogenous and exogenous responses to the path dependencies identified. We argue that path dependencies are often more important in shaping rural places than the performance of the planning system itself, underlying the importance of wider perspectives on rural planning practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how poor-quality housing affects Vietnamese individuals' health, measured using the number of sick days, which directly affects productivity and economic growth. Our analysis addresses endogeneity issues generally ignored in previous studies. We provide evidence, robust to various alterations that, the absence of an indoor water tap and homeownership, harmful indoor cooking fuel type, and the poor physical structure of the dwelling have adverse impacts on individuals' health. Our findings indicate that the adverse effects of housing on health arise from a larger spectrum of housing issues in rural areas compared to urban areas. We also find that the intensity in deprived housing conditions has a non-linear relationship with health, suggesting that even some degree of housing assistance can have a beneficial impact on individuals' health. Our study provides useful policy guides and informs healthy living practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism can play an important role in rural development. Rural tourism can help diversify the rural economy, slow urbanization, and contribute to the economic viability and revitalization of these places. However, rural destinations need to audit the different resources they have to better understand what they can offer. Using the case of Kazakhstan, we adapt resource-based theory and use expert opinions and publicly available secondary data to assess the resource potential for the development of tourism in the rural areas of Kazakhstan. We use a range of methods such as descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, and correspondence analysis to show the resource potential of the 14 rural provinces in Kazakhstan in terms of transport infrastructure, housing & household amenities, communal services, natural & climatic, and cultural & historical resources. The findings reveal that rural Kazakhstan lags behind urban Kazakhstan in many indicators of socioeconomic development. However, experts agree that rural Kazakhstan is endowed with a multitude of natural, cultural, and historical resources. Investment in infrastructure in the areas of transportation, medical care, and communal amenities is needed so that the resources in these rural communities can be accessible for tourists. This type of analysis can be used in other emerging destinations to help them develop tourism and improve the lives of those in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is facing the challenge of high building energy consumption, especially for rural housing, because of the backward construction technology. This issue could be solved by net-zero energy rural housing. Therefore, the passive energy-saving procedures and energy-efficient building service systems of rural housing are needed to be studied apart from renewable energy adoption. Older people with unique thermal acceptability and adaptability become the primary residents in Chinese rural buildings, which calls for the redefinition of the indoor environment. This paper firstly conducted an overall questionnaire about the indoor environment sensation and expectations of the rural elderly in Sichuan province. Field surveys and measurements were carried out in a typical self-built rural house to investigate the thermal comfort of the local order people and the indoor thermal environment variations. Furthermore, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was used to propose a three-layer assessment model for the rural elderly living environment to find retrofit strategies. Results showed that: (1) the thermal environment of rural buildings could not meet the thermal comfort range of older people in summer. (2) The adaptive coefficient (λ) in the adaptive Predicted Mean Vote model was 0.065 for the rural elderly, which was lower than the value of 0.21 in the Chinese standard, indicating their poor thermal adaptability. (3) The summer living environment evaluation was "A little bad", and the most effective optimization method was to decrease the indoor temperature. (4) Based on the thermal comfort of older people, architectural and construction optimizations were proposed, which could achieve an energy-saving of 52.15 %, contributing to net-zero energy rural housing. • Environment improvement and energy saving of rural housing were studied. • The age-based metabolic rate of the elderly was proposed in aPMV. • The adaptive coefficient for the rural elderly was 0.065. • The evaluation model of rural living environment satisfaction was built by FAHP. • Passive retrofit procedures were proposed to achieve NZERH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the impact of the three pilot reforms of the rural land system (TRRLS) on rural residential land use transition (RRLUT) based on the land use transition (LUT) theory is crucial for promoting rural land system reform. However, there is still a lack of research on this, and the LUT theory also needs to be improved from a systematic perspective to eliminate the misunderstanding of LUT in academia. To address this, this study firstly attempts to deepen the conceptual model and the understanding of characteristics of LUT from a regime shifts perspective. LUT is the transformation of the land use system as one regime passes into another, where a difference in the analytical perspective of land use morphology generates different transition results. The process of LUT can simultaneously or solely involve dominant morphology and recessive morphology transitions, and there are two types of LUT: positive and negative transitions. Moreover, LUT in different regions may have pathway differences and the convergence of results. Then, a theoretical analysis framework of the pathways of RRLUT under the TRRLS is constructed to detect the impact mechanism by using Wujin district, China to obtain empirical evidence. The results reveal that the recessive morphology transition of rural residential land in Wujin under the TRRLS is significant, while the dominant morphology transition in land quantity structure and spatial distribution is relatively slow. Furthermore, two internal factors of population urbanization and migration, the demand for rural collective economic development, as well as the two external factors of the TRRLS and market factors, such as nonlocals' demand for housing and rural enterprises' demand for land, have, to a certain extent, weakened the resilience of the rural land use system and promoted RRLUT. Here, the TRRLS have, by removing the institutional barrier to RRLUT, become the key to the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the development quality of rural residential areas in plain areas requires scientific evaluation. Based on the rural residential area in Hengshui City, Hebei Province, the study selected four indicators of location, production, ecology, and management, to build an evaluation model for the suitability of human settlements and evaluated rural residential areas in Hengshui City. The findings indicated the following: (1) The most suitable areas are mainly concentrated in the geographical center of Hengshui City. The generally suitable areas are mainly distributed in the east of the city. The basic suitable areas are scattered in the west and northeast of the city. The unsuitable areas are mainly concentrated in the north of the city. Most of the area of Hengshui City is suitable for the residence and development of rural residential areas, and 72.86% of rural residential areas are located in suitable areas, which is consistent with the geographical environment characteristics of plain areas. (2) The rural residential areas in unsuitable areas are mainly due to the low income, serious population loss and low urbanization rate, which are in line with the characteristics of rural residential areas. (3) The suitability of human settlements in rural residential areas in plain areas is mainly affected by the per capita agricultural land area, hydrology index, distance to river, distance to country, distance to a slow road, and distance to the fast road are low-level driving factors, of which distance to a fast road has the weakest influence. (4) There is a significant positive correlation between the environmental suitability and the distribution density of rural residential areas. The improvement of the suitability of human settlements can effectively promote the aggregation and distribution of rural residential areas. High-high clustering areas are mainly concentrated in the middle and northeast of Hengshui City, while low-low clustering areas are scattered in the north and southwest of Hengshui City. (5) The location index (LI) and management index (AI) play a limiting role in the suitability of human settlements in the northeast of Hengshui City, and the government should strengthen management intervention and infrastructure construction in the northeast of Hengshui City. The production index (PI) plays a limiting role in the suitability of human settlements in the west of Hengshui City and should consider the improvement of production capacity in the west of Hengshui City. The research results play a vital role in improving the carrying capacity of regional resources and the environment in the plain area, improving rural production, and living conditions, and promoting the development of rural planning in the whole region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collection covers the results of Dr Lu's research on China's social construction, social structure, social stratification, and development. Therefore, Dr Lu examines the lack of coordination between economic and social developments as the major reason behind social contradiction and how to solve this contradiction as a challenge for modern China. [Extracted from the article]

This study examines housing affordability among female-headed households, focusing on the differences between those living in rural areas versus those in urban areas. Existing literature on female householders lacks a contemporary understanding of the demographic, housing, and financial characteristics and the differences among rural and urban householders. Using multinomial logistic regression and 2013 American Housing Survey data for the analyses, this study identified statistically significant differences regarding housing affordability among rural and urban householders. The results of this research provide insight concerning the attributes of female householders, particularly those that live in rural areas, and their relationship to housing affordability. Our findings reveal housing cost burden as one of the prevailing struggles for female householders in the rural and urban areas of the US. Rural female householders spent a smaller percentage of their income on housing on average compared to urban householders, yet about half of all rural female householders were cost burdened. Female householders with children experienced more housing hardship and worse economic conditions than those without children. Our research points to the need for policy interventions that mitigate female-headed households' economic and housing challenges, particularly those in rural areas who may have difficulty accessing government programs and assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing quality is essential to human well-being, security and health. Monitoring the housing quality is crucial for unveiling the socioeconomic development status and providing political proposals. However, depicting the nationwide housing quality in large-scale and fine detail is exceedingly rare in remote rural areas owing to the high cost of canonical survey methods. Taking rural China as an example, we collect massive rural house images for housing quality assessment by various volunteers and further build up a deep learning model based on the assessed images to realize an automatic prediction for huge raw house images. As a result, the model performance achieves a high R2 of 0.76. Afterward, the housing qualities of 10,000 Chinese villages are estimated based on 50,000 unlabeled geo-images, and an apparent spatial heterogeneity is discovered. Specifically, divided by Qinling Mountains-Huaihe River Line, housing quality in southern China is much better than in northern China. Our method provides high-resolution predictions of housing quality across the extensive rural area, which could be a complementary tool for automatical monitoring of housing change and supporting house-related policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, rural housing has been transformed according to the new needs of its inhabitants, technological advances, and the media. This transformation has established a new relationship with the outside world that has influenced the inhabitants to appropriate the space differently. The research objective was to analyze the new popular rural housing in the municipality of Calpan. A questionnaire was applied to 121 people to obtain the information. The results show that the houses have 99 m2 of construction, have a built-up level (67.8%), all have a kitchen, bedrooms, and a spare bathroom, just over half have a dining room, and almost none count with a living room or study. Most houses have a high construction quality; adobe and tile were replaced by brick or block and concrete or prefabricated slab. Very few houses are overcrowded, and the Rural Popular Housing Quality Index was good. As for its external elements, they have a patio, and it was found that there is little space dedicated to agricultural activities. It is concluded that the idea of house has changed in response to external forces - demographic, social, economic, and technological. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic and social transition toward modernization is characterized by a massive outflow of rural labor, which raises problems such as rural job–housing separation and rural decline. Few studies have used rural labor employment microdata to quantitatively analyze the degree of separation between housing and jobs in different types of villages, especially in ecologically fragile mountainous and hilly regions. This article is based on a 2021 survey of 6181 rural households in 158 villages of Chongqing, a mountainous and hilly region of China, and divides villages into city edge, suburban, and outer suburban villages. In this study, the separation degree of housing–jobs (SDHJ) measurement model was created in order to explore the degree of separation between rural jobs and housing in terms of space–time dimension separation in these areas, and the different job–housing separation characteristics under different village types were distinguished. The results show the following. (1) The county's rural SDHJ has a clear regional differentiation law, and the degrees of separation between housing and jobs in all counties are in the following order: main urban area < northeast of Chongqing < southeast of Chongqing. The degree of separation between housing and jobs presents a spatial pattern of "medium–low perimeter high, local prominence" according to both the degree of temporal separation and the degree of spatial separation. (2) The degrees of separation between housing and jobs in various village types are in the following order: urban fringe villages < suburban villages < outer suburban villages. The distance effect was verified. The SDHJ is typically low in urban fringe villages and moderate in suburban villages, with distinct geographical disparities in labor distribution. The SDHJ is typically higher in the outer suburban villages, where laborers choose long-term long-distance employment. (3) This study proposes some countermeasures that could reduce the SDHJ for different types of villages. The findings have important policy implications for China's mountainous rural development and serve as a model for other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]