Research on the measurement and zoning of rural human settlements in economically developed areas under “nature-economy-society” coupling

Under the framework of the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), rural residential quality of life (REQL) has become a core issue in measuring regional coordination and sustainable development. For economically underdeveloped or ecologically fragile areas, scholars have focused on natural and material space attributes, ignoring the complexity of REQL in economically developed areas. In this study, a comprehensive analysis framework based on “nature–economy–society” coupling is established, Guangzhou city, Guangdong Province, China, is selected as a case study, the spatial differentiation trend of regional REQL is analyzed, a coupled coordination degree model is used to reveal the relationships between different dimensions of REQL, and a bivariate spatial analysis model is constructed to control the partitioning of REQL. The results show that (1) the REQL in Guangzhou is at the upper-middle level, with patterns of “strong in the south and weak in the north” and “the plains are better than the hills”; (2) the “economy-society” system is the most closely coupled, and economic development significantly promotes the improvement of the social service level. The degree of coordination of the “nature-society” system is the lowest, and the ecological advantages have not been effectively transformed into public service capabilities. (3) Based on the comprehensive characteristics of quality and coordination, four types of control are considered: “comprehensive leading optimization areas”, “collaborative upgrading cultivation areas”, “potential recovery and strengthening areas” and “key reconstruction intervention areas”.