Open research questions in Regional Development and Environment
151 gap statements mined from Regional Development and Environment papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 660 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.
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What the literature leaves open
The need for comprehensive analysis of geographical elements. The challenge of classifying traditional village types and distribution areas.
The lack of complete data for some provinces. The complexity of measuring the synergistic effect of green finance and green technological innovation. The need to address regional fiscal pressure and its impact on the upgrading of industrial structure.
Green Finance, Green Technology Innovation and the Upgrading of China’s Industrial Structure: A Study from the Perspective of Heterogeneous Environmental Regulation · 2024 · DOIThe lack of a comprehensive study on the impacts of green finance and green technological innovation on the upgrading of industrial structure. The need for a more effective policy tool to promote the upgrading of industrial structure.
Green Finance, Green Technology Innovation and the Upgrading of China’s Industrial Structure: A Study from the Perspective of Heterogeneous Environmental Regulation · 2024 · DOIEmpirical research on the overall resilience of regional innovation ecosystems and their driving factors is still not sufficient. Existing studies have provided useful insights for exploring and evaluating the resilience of regional innovation ecosystems based on different sub-dimensions, evaluation methods, and theoretical frameworks, but further exploration is needed.
The Innovative Construction of Provinces, Regional Artificial Intelligence Development, and the Resilience of Regional Innovation Ecosystems: Quasi-Natural Experiments Based on Spatial Difference-in-Differences Models and Double Machine Learning · 2024 · DOIThe need for a mechanism analysis of green finance affecting carbon emission intensity. The lack of empirical evidence on the impact of green finance on carbon emissions reduction.
The need to enhance the adaptability and resilience of rural areas. The requirement to meet the needs of the target groups and the requirements of rural revitalization and ICH.
Research on the Redesign of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Based on Sustainable Livelihood—The Case of Luanzhou Shadow Play Empowering Its Rural Development · 2024 · DOIThe lack of a value accounting framework for climate-related ecological products in Wuzhishan City. The need to quantify the value of climate-related ecological products in Wuzhishan City.
Value Accounting of Climate Ecological Products: A Case Study of Wuzhishan City, Hainan Province, China · 2026 · DOIThe lack of effective institutional arrangements to integrate fragmented rural resources. The need for a complete industrial chain to promote regional balanced development.
Research on the Rural Revitalization Model and Path of Cao Village, Ruian, Wenzhou Under the Context of Common Prosperity · 2026 · DOIThe lack of effective cooperative legislation among cities in the Yangtze River Basin. The lack of standardization and inconsistent implementation of ecological protection policies.
The paper identifies challenges related to the evaluation of the effects of the judicial map reform, including the need to control for external shocks. The study faces challenges in terms of data quality and availability, particularly in terms of the reconstruction of data series in a detailed and homogeneous manner.
The lack of a collaborative governance framework for agricultural product supply chains. The need for a framework that integrates sustainability principles to promote long-term environmental and social well-being.
A Study on the Evolutionary Game of the Four-Party Agricultural Product Supply Chain Based on Collaborative Governance and Sustainability · 2025 · DOIThe study identifies the need for quantitative analysis of spatial genes at the individual settlement level as a challenge.
Space Gene Quantification and Mapping of Traditional Settlements in Jiangnan Water Town: Evidence from Yubei Village in the Nanxi River Basin · 2025 · DOIThe research needs to establish a stable pathway for village heritage preservation and cultural transmission. The study requires the integration of the Circuit Effective Conductance theory with ArcGIS spatial analysis methods to optimize the pathways of the heritage corridor.
The Research on the Construction of Traditional Village Heritage Corridors in the Taihu Lake Region Based on the Current Effective Conductance (CEC) Theory · 2025 · DOIThe construction techniques of Tujia houses still rely on oral tradition among craftsmen, - there is a lack of regularized digital properties for these techniques, - the existing techniques need to be refined and transformed into digital properties.
A Digital Analysis of the “L”-Shaped Tujia Dwellings in Southeast Chongqing Based on Shape Grammar · 2025 · DOIThe study needs to account for spatial spillover effects in the relationship between rural digital economy development and agricultural carbon emission efficiency. The study requires a comprehensive measure of agricultural carbon emissions, including emissions from agricultural material inputs, agricultural energy consumption, rice cultivation, and livestock breeding.
The Impact of Rural Digital Economy Development on Agricultural Carbon Emission Efficiency: A Study of the N-Shaped Relationship · 2025 · DOIFurther study on the optimization of corporate governance system. Exploration of the application of the collective shareholding reform in other rural regions.
Research on the Rural Revitalization Model and Path of Cao Village, Ruian, Wenzhou Under the Context of Common Prosperity · 2026 · DOITo conduct a detailed analysis of the implementation of the proposed program. To discuss the potential challenges and obstacles to the implementation of the program. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed program in improving the ecological protection in the Yangtze River Basin.
Further research could investigate the long-term effects of the judicial map reform, - Studies could explore the impact of the reform on different types of cases or populations, - Research could examine the effects of similar reforms in other…
Strengthen cross-regional cooperation and build a collaborative management system, - Explore a model combining market-oriented operation with policy guidance, - Encourage social capital to participate in the protection and rational development of heritage…
The Research on the Construction of Traditional Village Heritage Corridors in the Taihu Lake Region Based on the Current Effective Conductance (CEC) Theory · 2025 · DOILack of effective evaluation of emission reduction measures - Insufficient awareness among citizens - Inadequate public participation - Shortcomings in the development of low-carbon…
Development and Challenges of Low-Carbon Cities in China: Current Situation, Influencing Factors, and Sustainability Strategies · 2025 · DOIThe study does not account for other driving factors that may influence LULCC and carbon storage, - The acquisition of certain land use constraints remains challenging, - The study is based on simulated data and may not reflect real-world scenarios, - The study focuses on the YRD and may not be generalizable to other…
Multi-Scenario Land Use and Carbon Storage Assessment in the Yellow River Delta Under Climate Change and Resource Development · 2025 · DOIFurther research is needed to integrate other driving factors into the dynamic simulation system, - Studies should investigate the impacts of SLR and LS on other coastal ecosystems, - Research should focus on developing more accurate and robust models for simulating LULCC and carbon…
Multi-Scenario Land Use and Carbon Storage Assessment in the Yellow River Delta Under Climate Change and Resource Development · 2025 · DOIRegional variability in application effectiveness, - Low farmer acceptance, - Insufficient extension technologies, - Limited studies conducted in arid, semi-arid, or extremely cold…
Further clarify the synergistic mechanism between green manure and agronomic measures, - Investigate the core processes and intrinsic mechanisms of green manure in soil improvement, - Explore the potential of green manure in enhancing soil quality and promoting sustainable agricultural…
China's land renovation data are only published at the provincial level, and there is a lack of smaller scale data such as city and county - The number of samples in this study is limited, and the heterogeneity effect of HSFC policy cannot be discussed from more dimensions - This study is a macro-level study, and it lacks more microscopic individual survey data analysis, so it cannot accurately describe…
Impacts and Internal Mechanisms of High-Standard Farmland Construction on the Reduction of Agricultural Carbon Emission in China · 2025 · DOI
Most-cited papers in Regional Development and Environment
- China’s rural revitalization and development: Theory, technology and management · Journal of Geographical Sciences · 2020 · 462 citations
- Coupling coordination analysis of rural production-living-ecological space in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region · Ecological Indicators · 2020 · 366 citations
- Urbanization and Informal Development in China: Urban Villages in Shenzhen · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · 2009 · 364 citations
- Measurement indicators and an evaluation approach for assessing urban sustainable development: A case study for China's Jining City · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2008 · 292 citations
- The New Land Development Process and Urban Development in Chinese Cities* · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · 1996 · 266 citations
- Towards the progress of ecological restoration and economic development in China's Loess Plateau and strategy for more sustainable development · The Science of The Total Environment · 2020 · 250 citations
- The growth and structural change of Chinese cities: a contextual and geographic analysis · Cities · 2002 · 172 citations
- From cities to super mega city regions in China in a new wave of urbanisation and economic transition: Issues and challenges · Urban Studies · 2019 · 170 citations
- Is environment ‘a city thing’ in China? Rural–urban differences in environmental attitudes · Journal of Environmental Psychology · 2014 · 167 citations
- Beyond greenbelts and zoning: A new planning concept for the environment of Asian mega-cities · Landscape and Urban Planning · 2000 · 165 citations
Most recent work
- The spatiotemporal pattern and driving factors of coupling coordination between ecological civilization and cultural tourism integration in the Yellow River Basin · Journal for Nature Conservation · 2026
- How does agricultural modernization promote common prosperity? Evidence from non-agricultural transformation and digital infrastructure · Economic Analysis and Policy · 2026
- The Pathway to Common Prosperity: An Empirical Assessment of Rural Characteristic Industry Policy on Income Growth and Equity · Agribusiness · 2026
- Specialty Agriculture and Income Growth Among Rural Residents in Poverty‐Stricken Areas: Empirical Evidence From China · Agribusiness · 2026
- Research on the urban-rural differences in ozone concentration contributed by biogenic emissions under the influence of anthropogenic emission reduction · Urban Climate · 2026
- The effects of the reform of the judicial map on the functioning of civil justice · Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization · 2026
- The local and aggregate effects of land-use regulation on farmland protection · Journal of Urban Economics · 2026
- A study on the synergistic relationship between the influencing factors of E-commerce and rural revitalization in China · Electronic Commerce Research · 2026
- Territorial analysis of the sustainable urban development strategy of the City of Győr · Modern Geográfia · 2026
- Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Evolution of the Inheritance System of Industrial Heritage at Various Levels in China Based on Multi-Source Data · Journal of Electrical Systems · 2026
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