Recognizing and managing construction land reduction barriers for sustainable land use in China.

Owing to the scarcity of land resources, commitment to sustainable land use is particularly critical to human development and environmental protection. As a characteristic and powerful means for China to deal with the excessive expansion and inefficient use of construction land, construction land reduction (CLR) is performing a significant role in the economic, ecological and social sustainability of land use. Nevertheless, being a product of the new policy, CLR has inevitably encountered multiple barriers in meeting multifaceted sustainability requirements. In order to holistically recognize and effectively manage interactive CLR barriers with limited management resources from a time dimension, this study designs an integrated approach based on qualitative research methods, multi-criteria decision-making and strategic planning matrix for tackling the identification, evaluation and planning of CLR barriers, respectively. From an empirical study of Shanghai's CLR practice, 18 CLR barriers are summarized with their direct and indirect impacts on sustainability assessed. Based on their overall impacts and planning periods, the 18 barriers are categorized into four strategic planning zones corresponding to different types of strategies in a strategic planning matrix. Results indicate that seven barriers (deficient regulations and policies, ineffective implementation of existing regulations and policies, inadequate incentive mechanism, limited funding, contradiction of benefit distribution, incomplete information disclosure, and lack of support from subjects involved) are grouped into the priority zone where all the required resources should be allocated with the highest priority, with three (internal conflicts at all levels of governments, lack of sustainability awareness, and lack of available experience) placed into the long-term zone, requiring a sustained investment of appropriately scaled resources. Research outcomes can provide support for policy makers and practitioners to allocate their resources and efforts to better manage and overcome these CLR barriers for sustainable land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]