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Exploring Solutions to Improve the Evaluation of Development of Rural Villages: A Case Study of the Application of the Evaluation for the Construction of Beautiful Villages (ECBV) in a Village in South China

Author

Listed:
  • Chenxi Liu

    (School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK)

  • Fan Wang

    (School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
    School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China)

  • Xihong Gao

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China)

  • Harry Smith

    (School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK)

Abstract

Eco-village development has been considered by the Chinese central government as part of its rural revitalisation campaign and it is seen as a crucial/main solution to the increasingly serious rural issues caused by urban–rural inequality. A significant number of eco-villages are being or will be developed with government leadership and support under the guidance of a corresponding assessment. However, the latest Chinese eco-village assessment, the Evaluation for the Construction of Beautiful Villages (ECBV), has been found to have limitations related to the assessment process, method, and indicators, meaning that it cannot be used to perform a balanced evaluation of the social, economic, and environmental aspects of an eco-village. As assessing an eco-village is as essential as building it, it has become necessary to balance the criteria and improve the ECBV assessment so that it can review existing achievements, guide further development, and ensure better outcomes. Thus, this paper aims to: (1) identify the limitations of ECBV through a case study of a carefully selected Chinese eco-village, Zhenghu Village, by repeating the assessment process and analysing the assessment results, and (2) propose three possible solutions to improve the assessment by applying a revised ECBV assessment, the components of which are adopted and revised from an internationally recognised sustainability assessment, the Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs). The results of the case study confirm the limitations of the ECBV assessment. Besides, the research outcomes of these three possible solutions can improve ECBV assessment and also provide ideas for the improvement of other existing assessment methods. Moreover, other developing countries may apply the research process and method introduced in this paper to formulate or improve their own eco-village assessments.

Suggested Citation

  • Chenxi Liu & Fan Wang & Xihong Gao & Harry Smith, 2021. "Exploring Solutions to Improve the Evaluation of Development of Rural Villages: A Case Study of the Application of the Evaluation for the Construction of Beautiful Villages (ECBV) in a Village in Sout," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-23, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:685-:d:479187
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hege Westskog & Tanja Winther & Marianne Aasen, 2018. "The Creation of an Ecovillage: Handling Identities in a Norwegian Sustainable Valley," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Chang, Hongqin & Dong, Xiao-yuan & MacPhail, Fiona, 2011. "Labor Migration and Time Use Patterns of the Left-behind Children and Elderly in Rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 2199-2210.
    3. Changjie Zhan & Martin De Jong & Hans De Bruijn, 2018. "Funding Sustainable Cities: A Comparative Study of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City and Shenzhen International Low-Carbon City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    4. Adrian Pitts & Yun Gao & Vinh Tien Le, 2019. "Opportunities to Improve Sustainable Environmental Design of Dwellings in Rural Southwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-44, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Qin Ji & Jianping Yang & Qingshan He & Hongju Chen & Xiran Wang & Fan Tang & Qiuling Ge & Yanxia Wang & Feng Ding, 2021. "Understanding Public Attention towards the Beautiful Village Initiative in China and Exploring the Influencing Factors: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Baidu Index," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-21, October.
    2. Huayan Weng & Yongchao Gao & Xinyi Su & Xiaodong Yang & Fangyan Cheng & Renfeng Ma & Yanju Liu & Wen Zhang & Liwen Zheng, 2021. "Spatial-Temporal Changes and Driving Force Analysis of Green Space in Coastal Cities of Southeast China over the Past 20 Years," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-18, May.

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