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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Quality Assessment and Spatial Distribution
of Human Settlements in Western China:
The Case of 12 Provinces, Municipalities
and Autonomous Regions
1
School of Architecture and Art, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 203106, China
2
Social Innovation Design Research Centre, Anhui University, Hefei 203106, China
Submission date: 2023-12-21
Final revision date: 2024-02-19
Acceptance date: 2024-04-13
Online publication date: 2024-06-13
Publication date: 2025-01-09
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(2):1109-1123
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
To improve the unbalanced development in the western region, it is necessary to explore
the construction level of the human settlement. Regarding social well-being, this paper uses data
spanning the period from 2015 to 2020 and develops a system of indicators to assess human settlements
in western China along five dimensions: Health and Safety, Social Development, Economic Conditions,
Environmental Health, and Working Conditions. The study concludes that, firstly, Yunnan possesses
the highest human settlement quality index with a relative proximity of 0.478, while Qinghai has
the lowest, with a human settlement quality index of 0.209. Secondly, concerning temporal dimensions,
the spatial distribution pattern of human settlement quality in western China generally exhibits
a southeast high and northwest low pattern. In addition, coordinated, stable, and sustainable development
is crucial to maintaining the advantage of human settlement quality. Thirdly, there is not necessarily
a positive correlation between economic development and human settlement quality. Therefore, in terms
of distribution types, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia belong to the “high human settlement quality-high
economic level” type, whereas Shaanxi, Chongqing, Xinjiang, and Ningxia belong to the “low human
settlement quality-high economic level” type. Yunnan, Gansu, and Guangxi are in the “high human
settlement quality-low economic level” category, while Guizhou, Tibet, and Qinghai belong to the “low
human settlement quality-low economic level” category.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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