Analysis of spatial patterns of rural community life circles in Longzhong loess plateau

The complex topography and harsh natural environment of the Loess Plateau in Longzhong have hindered village planning, construction, and development in the region. Currently, the structure of living circles remains unclear, and supporting facilities are inadequate and poorly planned. To refine the spatial structure of rural residents' daily lives, the concept of living circles was introduced to address travel challenges. The extent of these living circles is affected by accessibility of public service facilities and barriers to travel. Using land use data (such as the distribution of settlements and supporting facilities), DEM, population density, and road networks, this study employed the MCR model, gravity model, and ArcGIS spatial analysis to examine the patterns of rural community living circles. The focus was on analyzing the living circle structure of rural communities on the Loess Plateau in Longzhong, considering both natural and artificial environmental constraints. The results indicated the following. (1) The preliminary results of the life cycle obtained through weighting and superimposing factors at the element level, along with conducting a cost-distance analysis, illustrated the spatial distribution pattern of the rural community life circle in the Anding District of Dingxi City. (2) The layered structure of the basic, central, town-based, and county-based life circles corresponded to the natural village groups, central villages, township towns, and county towns (central urban areas) within the village and town systems, which reflected the multiscale spatial characteristics of rural life circles. (3) The simulation results based on the MCR model and gravity model aligned more closely with the actual situation, demonstrating the service scope and configuration requirements of rural life circles at different levels. The results of this study can provide theoretical guidance for rural planning, construction, and management in the hilly and gully areas of the Loess Plateau.