Study on rural settlement hollowization process during 23 years in the northeast Loess Plateau of China based on analysis of RS&GIS

Based on the field investigation and analysis of RS data of rural settlements in the study area during the 23 years from 1979 to 2002, we reached the following main conclusions. First, four principles to define the rural settlement hollowization are provided: house-age principle, house-function- change principle, house-abandon principle and population-sharply-decrease principle in the core-zone of a rural settlement. Second, the space model of rural settlement hollowization is divided into three types: ring-shape type, fan-shape type and belt-shape type. Third, the description of the state of rural settlement hollowization by absolute-hollowization rate and relative-hollowization rate shows the velocity and level of the different rural settlement hollowization. Fourth, one hollowization-setllement space is divided into three belts: the core zone, the buffer belt and the new belt. This paper provides five time and space process models from 1979 to 2002: core-zone-grow process, core-zone-swell process, buffer-belt-grow process, buffer-belt-swell process and new-belt-grow process. Fifth, three driving powers of rural settlement hollowization are discovered: lower land-using cost, lower house building cost and lower house moving cost.