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Under the auspices of the national strategies for urban-rural integration and rural revitalization, a focus on the functional evolution and spatial reorganization mechanisms of urban agriculture is of great theoretical and practical significance. This paper analyzes research progress in urban agriculture functional transformation and presents key scientific issues in urgent need of attention in future research. This paper aims to promote high-quality, ecologically sound development of urban agriculture and provides a scientific basis for integrated development of urban and rural areas. We have found that: 1) Research into urban agriculture functional transformation mainly focuses on evaluation and division of urban agriculture development transformation into type models, including multi-functional transformation and sustainable development of urban agriculture, spatial organization and production organization pathways of urban agriculture, land use and bidding mechanisms applied to urban agriculture development, and problems arising from urban agriculture and its multi-dimensional effects. At present, research related to the functional transformation of urban agriculture is guided by the theories of agricultural development, agricultural multi-functionality, and agricultural product demand, focusing on land alienation, ownership security, and diversification of agricultural production subjects in the process of urbanization. 2) The development of urban agriculture presents complex characteristics (i.e., it is multi-subject, multi-linkage, and multi-objective), and coordination of mixed social relations based on the demands of different stakeholders can also pose difficulties. The process and results of the cooperative game of urban agricultural space rental competition and subject interests exert crucial impacts on the restructuring of urban agricultural production system and spatial organization. The dynamic mechanisms of functional evolution and spatial reorganization of regional urban agriculture systems need to be studied. An urgent need exists to strengthen research into land bidding, land tenure, and related stakeholders in urban agriculture development from the perspective of regional systems. It is necessary to clarify the basic and dominant factors influencing the evolution of urban agriculture systems based on different scales, subjects, and perspectives and to elucidate the rent competition mechanism underlying spatial reorganization and ecological and environmental effects. 3) Future research needs to solve key scientific issues regarding three aspects of urban agriculture functional transformation. First, from the perspective of the rural-urban continuum, to clarify the interaction linkage and coupling mechanism between endogenous and external forces driving regional functional evolution in urban agricultural systems. Second, to reveal the key mechanism of spatial restructuring of regional urban agricultural systems and clarify synergies among stakeholders and the logic of land bidding. Third, based on the ecological and environmental impacts of the functional evolution of regional urban agriculture systems and spatial reorganization, comparative studies on the ecological impact of regional functional transformation of agricultural systems at different locations on urban-rural spatial gradient transects are needed.

With the continuous advancement of urban renewal, innovative and creative spaces in the urban village have attracted much attention as a new model of space restoration. In the process of material space transformation, the emotional identity and place identity of innovative and creative spaces in urban villages are reconstructed. However, communities and residents in the urban village remain often been neglected in previous studies, most of which focused on the material and economic perspectives. In other words, the emotional mechanisms and spatial influences of relevant subjects in innovative and creative spaces have not received sufficient attention. By focusing on the innovative and creative spaces of Huangpu village in Guangzhou as an example, this study employed in-depth interviews, network text analysis, and other methods to explore the impact of innovative and creative spaces on residents' sense of place and their role in creating a local emotional identity within the context of urban renewal from the perspective of emotional geography. The innovative and creative spaces of the urban villages exerted a different impact on the local emotion and space identity of multiple subjects through the reshaping of the material environment, culture, and social relations. The improvement of the material environment of the innovative and creative spaces in the urban villages enhanced the emotional identity and local attachment of residents. The cultural values of modern industrial forms were not able to shape the local and cultural identities of residents but increased the level of makers. The local identity of the tenant group was based on creativity and cultural atmosphere. The innovative and creative spaces of the urban villages formed a social network relationship with industry as the link by strengthening the interaction and connection between the subjects, establishing a common emotional attachment and local identity, and transforming the original traditional living space into a multi-dimensional space with consumption, production, and leisure attributes. The emotion and atmosphere of the innovative and creative spaces were displayed during the interaction between makers and residents and during the production of creative products and made different subjects participate in the process of space-remodeling. Not only did this process strengthen the perception and recognition of innovative and creative elements and rural areas, but it also established the recognition of a common local value. Given the current emphasis on the reuse of stock space resources, such as industrial heritage and historical buildings, it is particularly important to focus on the emotional connection between humans and the environment. From the perspective of emotional geography, it is of great significance that the emotional effect and meaning of constructing innovative and creative spaces on rural development are elucidated. This study provides not only a theoretical perspective for a deeper understanding of the relationship between the innovative and creative spaces and the locality of urban villages but also insights into promoting culturally oriented urban renewal.

Nowadays, the challenges of energy depletion, environmental pollution and food security caused by extensive agriculture development are attracting global attention. In China, the construction of ecological farms is a key initiative to effectuate the goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, contributing to high-quality agricultural development. Based on this, this study selects the national-level ecological farms directories issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of China in 2021 and 2022, and collects the corresponding economic, social and physical geographic data for GIS spatial analysis and Geodetector. The results are as follows: (1) The distribution of ecological farms in various provinces of China is uneven and spatially clustered. It generally presents a 'high in the east and low in the west with concentrated cores' pattern. The construction scope significantly expanded over time, and the high-value areas of nuclear density are concentrated in East China, with the development core transitioned from East China to Central China. (2) Environmental conditions, industrial foundation, economic and social development level, science and technology level and financial support all significantly affect the spatial distribution of ecological farms in China, among which the science and technology level has the most significant enhancement effect on other factors. (3) Environmental conditions provide the construction basis for ecological farms, while economic and social development level and financial support determine the number of ecological farms. The industrial foundation affects the scale of ecological farms in China, while the level of science and technology eliminates the restrictions of other factors to a certain extent. This study provides a reference for optimizing the spatial distribution pattern of ecological farms in China and promoting ecological agriculture. In addition, it presents a viable approach to safeguarding food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban expansion and the demand for sustainable regional economic development make rural land a resource base for spatial regeneration, transformation, and upgrading. From the perspective of land development rights, this paper analyzes the rural spatial transformation mechanism and rural governance logic in Fenghe village, Guangzhou. The results show that: (1) Fenghe village has experienced three stages of rural forming development, "hollowing" and space transformation. The subject of land development rights has shifted from rural collectives and villagers to external capital enterprises. Rural development pathways and land‐use patterns have changed from single to diversified. The space presents trends of community, commercialization and modernization. (2) Changes in the subjects of land development rights have caused the diversification and transformation of rural space. Homesteads, idle agricultural land, industrial formats, and infrastructure have gradually become standardized, market‐oriented, diversified, agglomerated, and systemized. With the diversification, complexity and consumerization of rural living groups, social relations, subject connections and rural spaces tend to be modern development models. (3) The reconstruction of rural space contains the logic of capital games and negotiated governance. Urban capital reaches a benefit balance between rural collective and villagers, obtains the right to rural land development, and forms multi‐subject collaborative governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]