During the development of rural settlements, the loss of distinctive rural characteristics, caused by the contradiction between urban expansion and the ideal of pastoralism, has attracted widespread attention from researchers worldwide. To effectively understand the development and trends of the Research of Features and Characteristics of Rural Settlements (abbreviated as RFCRS), this paper uses the knowledge mapping software CiteSpace to conduct co-citation analysis, research collaboration analysis, keyword clustering, and keyword co-occurrence. The study analyzes the basic concepts, the literature distribution characteristics, research clusters, key issues, and development trends of RFCRS. The research found that the current key issues in RFCRS include “Eco-logical services and environmental protection of rural settlements”, “Sustainable planning and architectural design issues of rural settlements”, and “Human settlement environment and service facility construction of rural settlements”. This paper predicts that future RFCRS research trends will focus on the study of landscape features and characteristics based on ecology, climate, and aesthetics; study of architectural features and characteristics based on characteristic factors and hierarchical structure; and research on rural revitalization based on sustainable development principles. The paper also offers four priority research suggestions for researchers from different disciplines.

Climate change and urbanization intersect with escalating danger. Urban areas significantly contribute to climate change, which, in turn, poses severe threats to urban settings. The frequency and intensity of extreme events, like flooding and heat, are rising, with the need to enhance urban climate resilience (UCR) becoming more immediate. Scholarship tends to underrepresent general climate resilience in favor of specific hazards. This research seeks to contribute to the literature by exploring the case of Shanghai, China, discovering the mechanisms and characteristics of UCR governance, and examining how these outcomes are formed from a comparative gesture. The findings indicate that in Shanghai, 36.8% and 26.8% of climate resilience governance strategies are reflected in regional management and infrastructure construction led by the Water Affairs Bureau and the Meteorological Bureau. Furthermore, 30.6% of the strategies relate to the Water Affairs Bureau, showcasing a robust and integrated flood response. Meanwhile, 15.7% involve the Meteorological Bureau, boosting responses to high temperatures with better monitoring and early warning for increased flexibility and efficiency. Distinct governance processes for floods and extreme heat mirror these hazards’ inherent characteristics and societal perceptions. With strong government willingness and support, Shanghai has rapidly enhanced its flood resilience capabilities within a brief timeframe. Conversely, addressing the emerging risk of extreme heat is still in the early stages of evaluation, due to the lack of a clear disaster-bearing system and identified responsible agents. This research suggests that the future of climate resilience governance in Shanghai may emphasize identifying the characteristics of critical climate-related risks, expanding social autonomy through grassroots self-governance, procuring economic backing from the central government, and applying the tool of urban spatial planning.

China’s unprecedented rapid urbanization has encroached upon ecologically sensitive areas. Since 2013, Wuhan, a central urban hub in China, has adopted Ecological Control Line Planning (ECLP) to regulate urban growth and preserve ecological integrity. This study evaluates how ECLP is implemented in the Wuhan Metropolitan Development Zone (WMDZ), a critical region for harmonizing urban expansion with ecological preservation. The assessment integrates two fundamental aspects—conformity and utilization—with evaluations across spatial and ecological dimensions. This methodology builds a technical framework for rapid identification and detailed analysis of planning effects through LULC statistics and landscape connectivity index monitoring. The findings reveal that the ECLP is spatially conformable and utilizable, successfully curbing urban expansion and channeling development towards the urban growth boundary (UGB) and ecological development area (EDA). However, ECLP has not significantly mitigated the decline in ecological connectivity. Details include the following: (1) The general spatial consistency of the ECLP was 88.53%, with the EDA and ecological baseline area (EBA) achieving 85.18% and 88.98%, respectively. (2) Most of the increase in impervious land within ecological lines originated from agricultural and water areas, with only 7.02 km² of land transitioning to non-agricultural and non-ecological uses. (3) The integral index of connectivity (IIC) exhibited a more rapid deterioration post-ECLP implementation, suggesting the disruption or degradation of critical connectivity pathways or patches within the ecological network. (4) Core ecological patches experienced significant losses inside and outside the UGB, with losses within the UGB being 2.51 times greater. The findings underscore the importance of ecological connectivity in implementing ecological space protection planning and the need for the flexible governance of areas where protection and development conflicts arise.

Ecological networks in mountainous regions are vital for enhancing ecosystem functionality and ensuring regional ecological stability, alleviating the contradiction between land use and ecological development in rapid urbanization. However, the complexity of mountains and the need to establish a connection between ecosystem services and human well-being present significant challenges in constructing ecological networks. This study proposes an idea that identifies and derives an optimal scenario for ecological networks, integrating insights from ecosystem services and network analysis. The aim of the ecological network is to improve and protect the ecosystem’s stability while better guiding sustainable development in mountainous regions’ urban and rural areas. This study uses qualitative evaluation methods and a graph theory model to obtain the ecological network’s sources and links. The results indicate that (1) 58 important ecological source areas were identified, with a total area of 5746 km², mainly covered by woodland and water bodies. (2) An optimal and feasible scenario comprising 5 horizontal and 14 longitudinal corridors was established. Corridors rely primarily on the river system and mountains. (3) A total of 5 key ecological function areas and some ecological zones in important urban development areas were identified. Control measures for these ecological lands were proposed to enhance the effectiveness of ecosystem service construction. It can be concluded that identifying and deriving an optimal scenario of ecological networks in mountainous regions from the perspectives of ecosystem services and network analysis is feasible.

The Building Houses on Rented Land Model (BHRLM) was a pivotal land development model that drove Shanghai’s urbanization in the early modern era. This research examines the spatial generative mechanism of the Prepaid Building Houses on Rented Land Model (PBHRLM), prevalent during 1938–1941. It reveals how the wartime economic environment enabled interest alliances constituted with developers, landowners, and tenants to stimulate urban spatial growth. Firstly, we aim to analyze the features of architectural types linked to the PBHRLM using data-driven methods. Secondly, we aim to apply financial capital theory to investigate the innovations of financing methods. Finally, we draw on speculation theory to establish connections between the features of architectural types and the innovations of financing methods. The results include the following: (1) The PBHRLM’s dominant architectural types—new-styled lane houses, semi-shikumen lane houses, and garden houses—shared low-rise, high-density spatial features. (2) The PBHRLM’s innovations of financing methods lie in its convergence of financing and profitability, reflecting developers’ speculative intent. The research concludes that the PBHRLM operated as a spatial actuarial practice. Through risk games, the developers utilized the model to liberate land development from the control of financial capital and achieved multi-stakeholder synergy, generating small-scale, dispersed land development patterns. At the same time, surging housing demand thus perpetuated architectural types catering to the middle class with low-rise, low-tech tectonics and independent dwelling styles that continued to densely populate Shanghai concessions.