Research on land use in the process of Chinese modernization: A problem-driven paradigm evolution

Land is both the core vehicle and fundamental constraint for China's modernization. The latest phase of China's modernization requires a territorial spatial governance system that fosters high-quality development. To address the new changes emerging during the quality enhancement period of Chinese-style modernization and drive land use transformation, it is imperative to examine both the coupling relationship and the emergent processes between the major issues identified at different stages of Chinese-style modernization and the academic responses from land use research. The present paper firstly traces the endogenous evolution of China's land use research based on the "problem-driven" logic of Chinese modernization. CiteSpace and VOS viewer provide empirical validation of its structure and trends using data from CNKI and Web of Science. By employing an analytical framework centered on China's large population and its pursuit of human-nature harmony, this study highlights the deep interconnection between national strategies, academic reserch, and the internal logic of modernization, and offers prospects for future land use research. It demonstrates that the thematic evolution of China's land use research constitutes a systematic response to the evolving era defining challenges within the Chinese modernization process, transitioning from "survival" to "development" and ultimately to "quality". Research themes across different periods align profoundly with macro-level policies, while the research paradigm has undergone a logical progression from "resources" to 'assets' and finally to "spaces", achieving a shift from singular focus to multi-dimensional integration. The rise of big data, coupled with the demand for efficient collaborative management, is expanding the scope and orientation of related research. Future research on land use will evolve towards a novel paradigm of high-quality development that integrates harmonious human-land relations, smart technology empowerment, and sustainable governance. The study is anchored in the discipline of land systems science, providing the theoretical foundation for the construction of an integrated research framework. This framework is intended to encompass the natural, economic, social, and technological dimensions. The objective is to unveil the evolutionary mechanisms of human-land system coupling that are driven by "problem-response" dynamics within the context of China's modernization process. This endeavor seeks to furnish theoretical underpinnings and implementation pathways for the establishment of a territorial spatial governance system that fosters high-quality development.