Industrial Park Renovation Strategy in a Poverty-Alleviated County Based on Inefficient Land Evaluation

Abstract

China has entered a new era of high-quality urban development. As an important stock resource in the city, old industrial parks face new situations of transformation and regeneration due to various problems such as chaotic land layout, low industrial efficiency, and lack of supporting facilities. However, existing research primarily focuses on case studies in large cities and rural areas, lacking fine-tuned adjustment plans for county-level cities in China. Therefore, this article aims to establish a decision-making and evaluation framework applicable to economically underdeveloped areas, providing a reference for the transformation of inefficient industrial land in county-level cities nationwide. Based on expert consultation, case studies, and other methods, a low-efficiency land evaluation model is constructed from three dimensions: spatial efficiency, operational efficiency, and industry screening, to tap the potential value of stock land. The research data are primarily provided by government departments and processed and quantified using GIS software. Based on the quantitative evaluation results of the Shengfang Industrial Park in Lianhua County, Jiangxi Province, three major strategic directions for land parcels with different renewal potentials are proposed: retention and improvement, rectification and renewal, and redevelopment and utilization. Targeted renewal strategies for the case industrial park are proposed from the aspects of spatial renewal and implementation mode guidance. The results of this study could provide suggestions for local government decision-making, which could contribute to the improvement of resource utilization efficiency and economic benefits. The findings could also provide references for the planning and development of industrial parks in other impoverished counties. Future research could focus on long-term monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and the application of evaluation results.

1. Introduction

Experiencing rapid urbanization for decades, China’s cities have entered the stock land development stage which is people-centered and oriented towards high-quality development. Based on existing findings, the commonly reported issue in most areas is the highest and most significant underutilization of low utility land in the industrial sector, low land utilization efficiency, and poor ecological and environmental benefits [1,2]. The research area in this study faces similar issues where spontaneously formed industrial parks initially lack planning, resulting in inefficient spatial utilization, varying industrial efficiency, and a disorderly mix of industries, which prevents the formation of industrial chains. Meanwhile, there is a demand for efficient enterprises to settle in the local area. Therefore, such parks require a scientific decision-making approach to facilitate expansion, efficiency improvement, and transition from extensive development to intensive development mode.

Various explorations in the industrial land evaluation system show that determining the model for regenerating existing industrial land requires comprehensive consideration on industrial categories, output benefits, corporate willingness, and land survey data including land ownership and property rights, as scientific basis for classification [3,4]. But the existing research and practices primarily focus on case studies of large cities such as Shanghai and Suzhou [4,5], prefecture-level cities such as Yantai [6], and rural areas [7]. The research scale mainly revolves around macro- and meso-levels, such as provincial and municipal scales, while there is a scarcity of studies conducted at the smaller scale considering cadastral units as the basic unit. Furthermore, the research conclusions predominantly lean towards recommendations for macro-level policies and implementation mechanisms, neglecting the need for finely tailored land parcel adjustment plans.

General county-level cities, which are important part of China’s urban system and key supports for the development of urban–rural integration, are usually neglected. They are of great significance for promoting New Urbanization Construction in China (New Urbanization Construction refers to the new urbanization planned by the Chinese government in June 2013, which is different from the previous approach of intensive, intelligent, green, and low-carbon urbanization) and building new urban–rural relations. There are a total of 1472 counties and 394 county-level cities in China, accounting for nearly 30% of the country’s urban population. By the end of 2020, all 832 poverty-stricken counties in our country have been lifted out of poverty. In 2019, Lianhua County, Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province, was officially lifted out of poverty and faced the dual tasks of “improving urban functions” and “enhancing urban quality”.

Therefore, due to the urgent need for updates in inefficient industrial parks, existing research lacks fine-tuned adjustment plans at the parcel scale specifically targeting county-level cities. At the same time, there is a demand for high-quality development in numerous recently impoverished counties in China. This study aims to establish a decision-making and evaluation framework tailored to economically underdeveloped areas. By identifying and evaluating in detail, specific transformation directions can be clarified. Based on the evaluation results, strategies for the regeneration of industrial parks are proposed in terms of spatial planning and implementation approaches, providing a reference for the revitalization and transformation of inefficient industrial parks in county-level cities nationwide. The research adopts a methodology involving a literature review and multiple rounds of expert interviews and discussions to determine the evaluation dimensions, scoring criteria, and the corresponding relationship between evaluation results and regeneration strategies. Quantitative evaluation of each dimension’s indicators is conducted using GIS, with data primarily sourced from first-hand information provided by government departments. Practically, the findings of this research can offer valuable guidance for the planning and development of industrial parks in impoverished counties, enhancing resource utilization efficiency and economic benefits in these areas, as well as supporting the management and monitoring efforts of local authorities. Theoretically, this study provides insights with broader applicability. The proposed indicator system draws inspiration from practices in other regions, offering a framework for future research in similar contexts.

The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 provides the literature review. Section 3 highlights the selection of the study area, the data collection procedure, and the research methodology. Section 4 details the results of the case study on rural industrial land. Section 5 offers the regeneration strategies and implementation models. Section 6 specifies the practical and theoretical significance. Section 7 outlines the research conclusions. Section 8 identifies the limitations and prospects.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Literature Review on the Evaluation of Low-Efficiency Land

There has been a gradual increase in research related to the evaluation of inefficient land use in recent years.

The research on land performance evaluation can be traced back to the study of land tax theory in classical economics. It has rich content and covers various scales, multidimensional systems, and multiple methods. In terms of research scale, most studies are based on overall urban land use [8,9,10], while others evaluate different functional zones within cities [11]. The evaluation systems emphasize input–output efficiency and the economic, social, and ecological benefits of land use [12,13], rate of land consumption (LCR), the population growth rate (PGR) [10,14], and land-use mixing [15]. The use of big data and digital technologies, such as GIS, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) [12], and population heat maps and point of interest (POI) data, is also a research trend [13].

Based on this foundation, research has been expanded to evaluate the efficiency of industrial land use. Research found that land distortion can be a crucial barrier to development [16]. In terms of research scale, it focuses on macro- and meso-evaluations at the provincial, urban cluster, city, and park levels [4,5,6,17,18]. Researchers have proposed different evaluation indicator systems to assess inefficient industrial land. In terms of evaluation dimensions, most studies emphasize comprehensive evaluations of economic, social, and ecological benefits. They construct indicators from multiple perspectives, including land use intensity, land structure, industry prospects, social and ecological benefits, and land use regulation benefits [17,18]. Researchers have established scientifically rational evaluation indicator systems by analyzing and comparing the applicability and weight allocation of different indicators. In terms of methods, indicators are often assigned weights using methods such as the Delphi method, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), entropy weight method, and target value method. Optimization calculations are performed using tools such as SPSS, comprehensive index models, and BP neural networks [19,20,21].

The literature also addresses the analysis of influencing factors in the evaluation of inefficient industrial land. These factors include land planning and management, industrial structure and technological level, environmental protection, and resource utilization [22,23,24,25,26]. By conducting in-depth studies on these influencing factors, the formation mechanisms and impact pathways of inefficient industrial land can be revealed.

In summary, the evaluation of inefficient industrial land is an important prerequisite and support for the reuse of inefficient industrial land. It is necessary to comprehensively consider various factors and adopt scientific and effective evaluation methods and models to promote sustainable urban development and rational use of resources.

2.2. Literature Review on the Industrial Land Renewal Model

Regarding the study of industrial park renewal models, it can be classified according to the renewal subjects, which mainly include government, enterprises, social organizations, and the public. The models include government-led, market-led, multi-party cooperation, and enterprise self-renewal. For example, Xu analyzed four models of existing industrial land withdrawal: the government acquisition model, self-transformation model, public–private partnership model, and other models [27]. Self-renewal, as a small-scale and small-scale renewal method, is a powerful supplement and feasible path to the government-led model [28]. Ma proposed that in industrial land renewal, multi-stakeholders should achieve the division of labor among multiple subjects [29].

The regeneration mainly includes two aspects of transformation and regeneration, namely industry and space [30]. The transformation and regeneration of the industry mainly includes the transformation from resource-intensive to knowledge-intensive industries and the structural transformation of the industrial structure towards the adjustment of the proportion of secondary and tertiary industries. It also includes the transformation and regeneration of industrial clusters from parks that strengthen innovation and collaboration capabilities internally and develop globalization externally. The transformation and regeneration of space includes the functional replacement of industrial and manufacturing spaces with commercial, service, and cultural industries and the transformation of the benefits of extensive industrial parks.

In the past few decades, a large number of practical cases have been accumulated at home and abroad. This article selects four cases which are summarized according to their different regeneration modes and experiences (

Table 1. Comparison of industrial land renewal models.

Regeneration Main Body	Public–Private Partnership, with a Semi-Official Organization of Participation	The Government Builds the Platform, and the Market Leads the Regeneration	Government Guidance, Refined Management
Typical case.	Bethlehem Steel Corp, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania [31].	Shekou Industrial Zone, Shenzhen City [30].	Industrial park on both sides of Huanghe Road, Gaoxin District, Changzhou City [30].
Overview of the area.	16 km2, originated in 1857, once one of the steel manufacturing centers in the US. It stopped production in 1995, and large areas of factories and land were idle.	22.8 ha, an important industrial park that originated in the 1980s and vacant since 2007	9.7 km2, an industrial park that has been in use for over 20 years
Regeneration experience.	(1) Function reset, business district development. Keep 1/3 of the steelmaking production line, with steel culture as the theme, and transform the factory into the National Industrial History Museum. (2) Comprehensive improvement, ecological restoration. (3) Open up industrial park. Using the funds from the land sold to build emerging industrial parks brings employment opportunities. (4) Multi-subject participation to complete industrial upgrading. Non-profit organization economic development company, government, private consortium participation.	(1) Pilot of the “Industrial Reform M0” policy. (2) Comprehensive evaluation to tap into potential, updating in zones and stages. (3) Create a one-stop platform for content and services.	(1) Evaluate the potential of land use and establish different lists for industrial function transformation. (2) The government launched a catalyst project dominated by acupuncture and moxibustion type microenterprise projects. (3) Utilize reward and punishment mechanisms to improve production quality and efficiency

).

The regeneration projects could be classified based on the level of updating and transformation, which can be roughly divided into three categories: demolition and reconstruction, organic regeneration, and comprehensive renovation. Based on the literature and project experience, this study associates these three models with three distinct modes of operation and investment and financing patterns [29,32,33] (Figure 1). Comprehensive improvement refers to regenerations that do not involve demolishing buildings, where the land use rights and purposes remain unchanged before and after the regeneration. It has strong public welfare significance, has lower funding requirements, and is mainly implemented by the government. The category of demolition and reconstruction refers to the basic demolition of existing buildings and reconstruction according to new planning, where the land use rights and land use purposes undergo significant changes before and after the regeneration. Organic regenerations refer to regenerations that basically retain the original urban block texture and architecture, with only a small amount of demolition. After the regeneration, the main focus is on holding and operating. These two types of projects involve large funding requirements, have high economic benefits, and are participated in by multiple parties such as the government and the market.

The literature also presents some application cases and related policy recommendations for evaluating inefficient industrial land. These cases involve different regions and industries, providing guidance and references for decision-makers based on evaluation results and analysis. Researches on industrial park renewal practices from different perspectives have been conducted, such as urban–rural integration [7], industry–city integration [34], scene theory [35], and full-cycle supervision [21,36,37], achieving territorial sustainability through the redevelopment of brownfield land into Sustainable Industrial Areas (SIAs) [38].

The existing industrial park renewal countermeasures suggest that the transformation and regeneration of the industry mainly includes the transformation from resource-intensive to knowledge-intensive industries and the structural transformation of the industrial structure towards the adjustment of the proportion of secondary and tertiary industries. It also includes the transformation and regeneration of industrial clusters from parks that strengthen innovation and collaboration capabilities internally and develop globalization externally [30]. The transformation and regeneration of space includes the functional replacement of industrial and manufacturing spaces with commercial, service, and cultural industries and the transformation from individual plots to “industrial neighborhoods” [30], along with measures such as infrastructure sharing [39]. In terms of governance, it is recommended to encourage the participation of multiple stakeholders [40] and explore diverse funding channels to ensure sufficient financial resources for redevelopment projects [41,42]. Institutionally, there should be a shift from existing redevelopment policies to a top-level design approach known as “one park, one strategy” [43]. This includes simplifying land procedures [44], establishing a coordinated mechanism for the redevelopment of low-efficiency land under the “multi-dimensional planning” framework [44], creating an enterprise performance evaluation platform [40,45], and implementing a mechanism for the withdrawal of low-efficiency industrial land [45].

3. Data and Methodology

3.1. Study Area

Shengfang Industrial Park is located in Shengfang Town, Lianhua County, Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province. It is situated southwest of the central urban area of Lianhua County, with a planned area of approximately 5 km² (Figure 2).

In the 1980s and 1990s, Lianhua was one of the hundred coal counties and hundred forestry counties in China. It had numerous coal mines, iron mines, limestone powder plants, and cement factories. Over 80% of the county’s fiscal revenue came from resource-based industrial enterprises. However, due to macroeconomic policy adjustments, environmental protection measures, mine closures, and resource depletion, these resource-based enterprises have mostly withdrawn from the county’s economic stage. The industrial sector in the county is now facing challenges in terms of transformation and upgrading [46].

The current land use of the park is mainly second-class industrial land, with a small amount of third-class industrial land, and lacks innovative industrial space. Meanwhile, some land parcels within the industrial park are vacant, resulting in low utilization efficiency, and some enterprises exhibit extremely low efficiency and outdated production capacity. The proportion of residential land in the park is low, and there is a lack of supporting facilities within 15 and 10 min living circles, resulting in a poor living atmosphere. Therefore, it is urgent to promote the renewal planning of Shengfang Industrial Park, guide industrial renewal, improve supporting facilities, enhance the quality of the park, and revitalize the region.

3.2. Data Source and Processing

This study focuses on the current status of land parcels within the Shengfang Industrial Park in Lianhua County in 2022. The land parcels have clear ownership and land use characteristics, making it easy to coordinate with the management authorities and highly operable.

The land use data used in this research primarily come from government departments, including the controlled detailed planning of the industrial park in Lianhua County, topographic maps of the industrial park (CGCS2000 coordinate system), and information such as land location and area. Relevant data such as building density and plot ratio were obtained by processing the information using CAD software. Industrial data mainly come from the enterprise directory and economic indicators provided by the Industrial Park Management Committee, including industry categories and enterprise tax revenues. The land use information was obtained through field surveys and interviews with the management authorities.

After collecting the data, it was checked, corrected, and imported into a database according to statistical standards. The GIS software was then used to digitize the industrial park map and adjust the spatial coordinate information. The locations of the enterprises were marked as reference points to form the attribute information for each land parcel.

3.3. Establishing Inefficient Industrial Land Evaluation System

3.3.1. Selection of Evaluation Indicators

Constructing a scientifically reasonable, simple, and practical intensive land use evaluation index system is crucial for the assessment of industrial land intensive use. The selected evaluation indicators should possess characteristics such as scientific rigor, comparability, fairness, timeliness, and feasibility [47].

One of the criteria for selecting evaluation indicators in this study is the higher-level planning of the research area, particularly the industrial cluster planning for the air compressor industry in the region [46]. The selection of evaluation system indicators needs to align with the objectives of industrial renewal in the area. The planning aims to preserve and vigorously develop one dominant industry: the air compressor industry, forming an industrial cluster with forward and backward linkages in the air compressor sector. Based on the current situation, this study proposes the retaining of two high-quality industries: Baohai Company as the foundation for an advanced manufacturing industrial park and Yongte Alloy Company as the foundation for another advanced manufacturing industrial park. By establishing one central center and two sub-centers, the entire area will be developed into an advanced and green manufacturing industrial park in Shengfang Town. Ultimately, this will attract large-scale, locally suitable, high-end industries to settle in the area.

Moreover, this study refers to the evaluation system of the Zhoushi Industrial Park in Kunshan City [48], which shares similar characteristics in terms of scale and development challenge with the research area. Moreover, it has demonstrated strong practicality.

Therefore, certain modifications have been made based on local conditions: (1) Strengthening of typical indicators: taking into account various literature sources, the indicator of spatial efficiency and utilization intensity of land has been made more specific and detailed. (2) Addition of performance indicators: Due to the relatively low level of marketization in the micro-enterprise land market within the industrial park, there are significant differences in the land status of selected enterprises. Therefore, operational efficiency indicators specific to individual enterprises have been added. (3) Weakening of convergence indicators: The development of new urbanization requires industrial enterprises to have low energy consumption and pollution. However, since energy consumption and pollution are correlated with the types of enterprises and obtaining direct environmental benefit data is challenging, the category of enterprises has been selected as an indirect indicator.

In conclusion, this study has established three dimensions for the evaluation index system: spatial efficiency, operational efficiency, and industrial screening. Based on this, combined with the actual situation of each land parcel, six specific evaluation indicators are selected according to their importance and guidance, including floor area ratio, building density, plot size, usage, enterprise rating (A/B/C/D), and industry category.

(1) Space efficiency: Plot ratio, building density, land size, and usage represent the development and spatial efficiency of each parcel. The lower the plot ratio and building density, the less efficient the use of space. The larger the land size, the greater the potential for intensive use, and land use efficiency of self-use parcels is higher than that of rental or idle land parcels.

(2) Industrial enterprise operational efficiency: The enterprise rating (A/B/C/D) evaluation represents the operational efficiency of industrial enterprises, mainly determined by the per-mu (1 mu ≈ 666.667 m²) tax revenue of the enterprise from January to November 2021. The higher the per-mu tax revenue, the higher the rating, representing a higher operational efficiency.

(3) Industry screening: Industry category screening represents the direction of industrial development. The industry category which represents the key industries supported by local policies or matches the development of the corresponding towns has higher efficiency.

3.3.2. Determination of Weights and Scoring Criteria

The definition and classification of the standards are based on literature research and multiple rounds of consultations and interviews with experts. These experts include professors and researchers from the Urban Planning Department of Zhejiang University, the Industrial Park Management Committee, the Urban Renewal Project Team of Lianhua County, and personnel from the Lianhua County Government.

For space efficiency, according to the literature, a higher efficiency floor area ratio (FAR) target is set at above 2 [48], but this indicator is more suitable for economically developed areas. Therefore, appropriate adjustments have been made. In this study, the FAR target was adjusted to be between 1 and 1.5. Building density, plot size, and usage are also determined through the same process of formulation. For operational efficiency, Enterprise ABCD Evaluation is mainly determined by the per-mu tax revenue of the enterprise from January to November 2021. After discussion, the ABCD ratings correspond to the following price ranges: 0–10,000 RMB, 10,000–20,000 RMB, 20,000–100,000 RMB, and above 100,000 RMB. For industry screening, the industries that settle in should align with the regional industrial planning mentioned earlier. For Lianhua County, equipment and new material manufacturing are the types of industries that should be given priority support for development. The final results have undergone multiple rounds of expert discussions and have received unanimous recognition from local government departments, industrial professionals, and other academic experts.

In this study, the weighting of the indicators was determined using the Delphi method, and the scoring experts were selected from the Urban Planning Department of Zhejiang University.

The final evaluation system and scoring weights are shown in the figure below (

Table 2. System of evaluation indicators and weight allocation for low-efficiency land.

Category	Evaluation Indicators	Interval	Score	Weighting or Importance
Space efficiency	Plot ratio or Floor area ratio	0–0.5	1	2
		0.5–1.0	4
		≥1.0	7
	Building density	0–15%	1	1
		15–30%	3
		30–40%	5
		≥40%	7
	Plot size.	0–1.8	1	1
		1.8–4.0	3
		4.0–8.0	5
		≥8.0	7
	Usage	Idle/Unused	1	1
		All for rent.	3
		For personal use and rental.	5
		For personal use only.	7
Operational efficiency	Enterprise ABCD Evaluation	D/T	1	6
		C	3
		B	5
		A	7
Industry screening.	Industry categories	Other.	1	2
		Garment and footwear manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and food production, building materials and mineral resources.	4
		Equipment manufacturing, new materials.	7

). The calculation formula is as follows: Q is the comprehensive evaluation score for inefficient land use; r is the weighting of the indicators; and a is the score for the indicators. An overall score of 50–100 points indicates intensive use; 25–50 points indicates moderate use; and below 25 points indicates inefficient use.

The experiences and practices of the Zhoushi Industrial Park were considered when determining the score ranges. This approach ensures that the scoring system used in this study is relevant and applicable to the specific context and characteristics of the research area [48]. The final results have also been recognized by local government departments, industrial sectors, and the academic community.

$$Q=\sum _{i=1}^n{r}_i{a}_i$$

4. Results

4.1. Evaluation Results of Low-Efficiency Land in Lianhua County

(1)

Space efficiency analysis

According to the statistical results, most of the buildings in Shengfang Industrial Park are low-rise factories, with most of the plots having a plot ratio between 0.5 and 1.0 and only a small amount of residential land having a plot ratio above 1.0. Enterprises with a building density greater than 40% generally have an earlier construction age and a larger scale. The distribution of available land is relatively scattered, and there are large areas of idle land. Overall, the land use efficiency of the park is relatively low and lacks systematic planning (Figure 3).

(2)

Operations Efficiency Analysis

According to the statistical results, there are a total of 45 industrial enterprises in Shengfang Industrial Park, of which five are newly established enterprises. Based on the per mu tax revenue of the other 40 enterprises from January to November 2021, most of the enterprises have a per mu tax revenue of less than 100,000 yuan, indicating a low operating efficiency (Figure 4).

(3)

Industry Category Analysis

The development plan of the air compressor industry (cluster) (2019–2023) [46] and other related plans indicate that the air compressor industry is the leading industry in Lianhua County in recent years with a good development prospect. Currently, the leading industries in the Shengfang Industrial Park are equipment manufacturing (air compressors), electronic information, new materials, etc., which are similar to the leading industries in the surrounding cities and counties of Lianhua. However, the current industrial layout is relatively scattered, and the current industrial chain is incomplete. Although the air compressor industry has initially formed a scale of aggregation, the upstream and downstream industries are still incomplete (Figure 3).

4.2. Comprehensive Evaluation Results

Assign weights to the above indicators and calculate the overall land evaluation results by superimposing them. The land with scores between 50 and 100 points should be reserved and improved; the land with scores between 25 and 50 points should be renovated and regenerated; and the land with scores below 25 points should be recommended for relocation, while the unused land should be utilized. Land with scores below 50 points will be mainly regenerated in the future, and classified guidance will be given for stock space development (Figure 5).

In order to explain the correspondence of the decision in more detail, we take a plot as an example (Figure 6), which was updated for Omawei Logistics Park. In terms of specific evaluation index, the floor area ratio is between 0.5 and 1.0, and the building density is less than 30%, but the plot area is 66,700 m², and the current use condition is idle, so the spatial efficiency is very low. Obviously, this area is not the leading industrial land and does not produce economic benefits. Generally speaking, the score of this plot is less than 25 points. Therefore, the decision on this plot is to recycle the land, reuse it, and transform it on this basis and replan the land for scientific and technological innovation research and development. We will elaborate in the next chapter and attach our update schedule (Appendix A) for each plot, detailing our multi-mode renewal project database for industrial land (

Table A1. Multi-mode renewal project database for industrial land.

Project Type	Number	Project Name	Project Construction Content	Status Quo Land Use Function	Land Use Scale (m2)	Construction Time	Exploiting Entity
Industrial land transformation, bankruptcy auction	1	Cheng Fa company renewal and transformation	We will build Lianhua technical schools and secondary vocational schools	industrial land	110,000	2022	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation and government repurchase	2	Gusui garden food renovation	Transformation into a standard place, the construction of standardized workshop, the introduction of high-yield industrial projects	industrial land	8300	2022	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation and government repurchase	3	Jian-shen shoe machine renovation	the same as above	industrial land	33,300	2023	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation and government repurchase	4	New continent science and technology upgrading	the same as above	industrial land	20,000	2222	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation and government repurchase	5	Xiyingmen industrial renovation	the same as above	industrial land	15,000	2023	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation, bankruptcy auction	6	Eagle leather blue company renovation	the same as above	industrial land	32,800	2023	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation, bankruptcy auction	7	Lianhua textile renewal and transformation	Transformation into a standard land, the construction of standardized workshop, the introduction of low-pollution industrial projects	industrial land	16,200	2023	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation and government repurchase	8	Gise coffee renovation	Transformation into a standard place, the construction of standardized workshop, the introduction of high-yield industrial projects	industrial land	13,400	2022	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation, bankruptcy auction	9	New Henghua science and technology renewal and transformation	the same as above	industrial land	28,000	2023	Administrative Committee
Industrial land transformation, bankruptcy auction	10	Pingfeng electronic renovation	the same as above	industrial land	80,000	2024	Administrative Committee
Transformation, transformation and upgrading of industrial land use	11	Omawei Logistics Park renovation	Ma industrial reform, transformation into science and technology innovation research and development land	industrial land	66,700	2023	Administrative Committee
Transformation, transformation and upgrading of industrial land use	12	Chunyan wood industry renovation	Transformation into supporting service facilities, the establishment of an industrial neighborhood center	industrial land	10,900	2024	Administrative Committee
Transformation, transformation and upgrading of industrial land use	13	Sakura and wood industry renovation	Transformation into a standard place, the construction of standardized workshop, the introduction of high-yield industrial projects	industrial land	13,500	2024	Administrative Committee
Transformation, transformation and upgrading of industrial land use	14	Qiandu ceramic renovation	the same as above	industrial land	21,000	2024	Administrative Committee

, Figure A1) and residential and public service facilities (

Table A2. Residential and public service facilities.

Project Type	Number	Project Name	Update Mode	Project Construction Content	Status Quo Land Use Function	Land Use Scale (m2)	Construction Time	Exploiting Entity
Industrial land transformation, bankruptcy auction	1	Cheng Fa company renewal and transformation	Demolition and reconstruction, functional change, comprehensive renovation	We will build Lianhua technical schools and secondary vocational schools	industrial land	110,000	2022	Administrative Committee
Transformation, transformation and upgrading of industrial land use	12	Chunyan wood industry renovation	Demolition and reconstruction, functional change, comprehensive renovation	Transformation into supporting service facilities, the establishment of an industrial neighborhood center	industrial land	10,900	2024	Administrative Committee
Residential renovation	15	Factory dormitory transformation	comprehensive improvement	Public space improvement	Residential land	28,200	2022	Administrative Committee
Residential renovation	16	Reconstruction of shanty towns	comprehensive improvement	Public space improvement	Residential land	68,400	2022	Administrative Committee
Village renovation	17	Village renovation	comprehensive improvement	Public space improvement	Village land	17,100	2022	Administrative Committee
Farmers’ market Renovation	18	Farmers’ market Renovation	Demolition and reconstruction, functional change, comprehensive renovation	Rebuild and upgrade the Farmers’ market, set up supporting service facilities in the east, and set up kindergartens	Administrative office land	10,000	2022	Administrative Committee
Transformation of convenience center	19	Transformation of convenience center	Local demolition and construction, comprehensive renovation	Expand the convenience center, and transform it into an industrial neighborhood center	industrial land	15,000	2022	Administrative Committee

, Figure A2).

5. Discussion

5.1. Spatial Renewal Strategy Proposal for Shengfang Industrial Park—Categorized Renewal and Revitalization

Regarding the current situation and evaluation results of the Shengfang Industrial Park in the town, the main industry is the manufacturing of air compressors, with building materials and supporting services as secondary industries. The focus is on improving the quality of the environment and revitalizing the region.

Based on the results of low-efficiency land evaluation, this paper classifies and provides guidance for the development of stock space and explores various industrial land renewal models. There are mainly four types of renewal methods in this case.

Retention and promotion: mainly for enterprises with high current output efficiency and good development status.

Regeneration and renovation: for enterprises with average output and development status, upgrade and renovate by optimizing the factory environment while retaining the original enterprise.

Demolition and reconstruction: for enterprises with low output efficiency, poor development status, or dilapidated buildings, demolition and reconstruction will be carried out. According to the development needs of the park, public service facilities and scientific and technological innovation research and development sites can be established; standard factories can be built to introduce new enterprises that match the industrial positioning and output requirements of the park.

Land utilization: Construction and utilization of currently unused land, including building standard factories and introducing new enterprises, constructing various supporting service facilities to serve surrounding residents and workers.

5.1.1. Preserve Improvement/Renovation Regeneration

Regarding advantageous industries, the focus is on strengthening efficiency, expanding capacity, and improving quality.

Regenerating Reserved Land: Leading industries, large-scale enterprises, and land with high space utilization efficiency mainly retain the original enterprises, increase investment in scientific research and development, improve production technology, expand enterprise production scale, improve production efficiency, accelerate the ascent of enterprises from the low end to the high end of the value chain through space management measures, improve industrial space functions, optimize the production and living environment of the factory area, and achieve intensive and efficient use of enterprise land.

Renovation and upgrading: On the basis of retaining the original enterprises, environmental measures such as external space management and building renovation are taken to optimize the factory environment and promote the intensive and efficient use of existing land. Through environmental improvement, space is freed up for future expansion while meeting the current production functional land requirements, achieving sustainable self-supply of enterprise land, and reducing the demand for incremental land at the enterprise level.

5.1.2. Demolition and Reconstruction

For industries that require transformation, the approach involves relocating inefficient industries and introducing standardized land development methods.

Redevelopment mode: The construction of key industrial projects on newly built or redeveloped vacant land is a “standard land”. It is the most important approach for “industrial to industrial” regeneration. In response to the problems of low efficiency in land use of industrial parks and insufficient industrial agglomeration, activities are carried out, which involve sorting out inefficient industrial land, low output land, idle industrial plants, unused land, and building an air compressor park, concentrating on the upper and lower industrial chain enterprises of air compressors, and strengthening agglomeration effects. In this way, industrial “standard land” is built to achieve the redevelopment of inefficient urban land.

“Standard land” policy: It refers to industrial state-owned construction land that is sold based on basic indicators such as fixed asset investment intensity, plot ratio, environmental protection requirements, per mu tax revenue, industrial direction, and safety production requirements. Establishing a land use standard system can improve the level of intensive and economical land use. Through the “standard land” policy, approval procedures can be further simplified; administrative efficiency can be improved; enterprise burden can be effectively reduced; and the business environment can be continuously optimized. The land control standards for the industrial park in Shengfang Town is shown in

Table 3. Control indicators for the construction land of “standard land” for key industrial projects.

Industry	Fixed Asset Investment Intensity (10,000 yuan per mu)	Plot Ratio or Floor Area Ratio	Average Tax Revenue per Mu (10,000 yuan/mu)	Energy Consumption per Unit Increase (10,000 yuan/ton of Standard Coal)	Unit Emission Increase (10,000 yuan/ton)
Textile and clothing industry.	≥140	≥1.2	≥18.7	≥8.8	≥2644
Footwear industry.	≥140	≥1.2	≥14.5	≥6.7	≥1820
Chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing industry.	≥210	≥0.6	≥13.2	≥0.7	≥274
Metal products industry.	≥180	≥0.8	≥11.3	≥3.1	≥689
General equipment manufacturing industry.	≥190	≥1.2	≥14.4	≥5.5	≥4700
Specialized equipment manufacturing industry.	≥190	≥1.2	≥13.4	≥6.7	≥9391
Electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing industry.	≥190	≥0.9	≥23.0	≥5.7	≥9997
Computer, communication, and other electronic equipment manufacturing industry.	≥240	≥1.1	≥32.8	≥7.3	≥5275
Instrument and meter manufacturing industry.	≥170	≥1.1	≥29.7	≥8.1	≥19,433
Other manufacturing industry.	≥150	≥1.0	≥11.3	≥4.2	≥384

, which refer to the development and economic output standards being already set when the “standard land” project is sold, including plot ratio, building density, fixed asset investment intensity, energy consumption standards, tax standards, etc.

5.1.3. Organic Regeneration

(1)

Industrial Transformation to R&D—Activating Resources to Promote Transformation.

Industrial Transformation to Research and Development: Revitalize and utilize inefficient buildings, promote digitalization of major industries, and use the “Manufacturing transform to R&D” model to promote the development of science and technology industries. Transform outdated industries and old factories into science and technology industrial parks, focusing on supporting new industries and new business models, and emphasizing high-end technical talents. Optimization is needed in terms of plot ratio, building height, building design standards, and supporting facility ratios.

(2)

Industrial Transformation to Services—Complete Supporting Facilities and Resource Sharing.

Under the goal of “integrating urban and industrial development”, public service facilities and other urban space facilities should follow the principle of resource sharing. The facilities of industrial parks and cities should be planned synchronously. Therefore, suitable locations can be chosen to promote the construction of industrial neighborhoods with diverse functions and composite designs by updating low-efficiency land. The local government will construct and lease special-purpose rooms to industrial enterprises, reducing resource waste caused by redundant construction by various companies, more efficiently allocating limited land resources to industrial projects. Kindergartens should be built around industrial communities, and one kindergarten with nine classes should be built based on the number of residents in the surrounding area of Lianhua Industrial Park and the expected future population influx.

5.2. Exploration of Implementation Models for Industrial Park Regeneration

5.2.1. Policy Guidance: Government Guidance and Financial Security

The regeneration organization of the park should coordinate the positioning and relationships of various actors and improve the construction investment and financing system guided by the government, social participation, market-oriented operation. A sound communication and cooperation platform of “urban renewal” construction between the investment subject and financial institutions in Lianhua County should be established, advocating that each subject flexibly choose the property rights transaction method or promoting the renewal through cooperation.

5.2.2. Land Supply Model: Flexible Supply, Implemented in Phases

Promoting the flexible land supply mode, implementing “standard land + commitment system” in steps.

Strictly implement phased land supply, establish a project access system, and supply land in stages based on the actual investment and construction progress of the project. Strictly implement “clean land” transfer, ensure clear property boundaries, adequate resettlement compensation, no legal or economic disputes, clear planning regulations, complete the infrastructure work, and prevent the situations of either land from being approved but not supplied or supplied but not used. Strengthen standard control and strictly control the threshold for the supply of new industrial land. Encourage the construction of multi-story standard factories for rent to reduce the land cost of industrial enterprises to promote the efficient and intensive use of industrial land.

In terms of construction schedule, recent constructions could focus on introducing industries and restructuring new buildings based on currently available land. Environmental improvements and upgrades to public spaces are carried out for apartments, shanty towns, and other areas. In the medium term, inefficient and outdated enterprises are recommended to vacate their premises for building renovations and industrial upgrades. In the long term, other inefficient enterprises that require renovation and renewal will be targeted for industrial upgrades (Figure 7).

5.2.3. Supporting Measures: Establish a Leadership Organization and Improve the Institutional Regeneration System

Establish a 1+N policy system. “1” refers to the formulation of the “Industrial Park Renewal Management Measures”, and “N” refers to relevant supporting policy documents, involving the planning and approval of the district planning scheme, optimization of project approval process, evaluation of municipal infrastructure and public facilities, introduction and exit of cooperative enterprises, renovation of old neighborhoods, rules of the urban renewal working group, use of expert pool, evaluation mechanism, and other policies in all aspects.

Establish an industrial park renewal office, responsible for formulating urban renewal policies, organizing the preparation of planning schemes, project plans, and funding arrangements for urban renewal areas, strengthening the supervision and evaluation of urban renewal project implementation.

Establish a comprehensive system for regeneration and formulate a three-year implementation plan and a five-year action plan, as well as an annual plan for urban renewal project construction, area planning schemes, and project implementation plans. Additionally, prepare various specialized plans for urban renewal based on practical considerations.

6. Practical and Theoretical Implications

The study has both practical and theoretical implications.

Practically, the findings provide valuable guidance for the planning and development of industrial parks in poverty-stricken counties. They contribute to improving resource utilization efficiency and economic benefits in these areas. The evaluation index system developed in the study assists in the management and monitoring of industrial parks, supporting the formulation of effective policies and measures by management authorities. Additionally, the research findings contribute to better land use management in industrial parks, promoting the rational utilization of land resources and environmental protection.

Theoretically, the study offers insights that have wider applicability. The proposed indicator system, inspired by practices in other regions, provides a framework for future research in similar contexts. Furthermore, the research enhances the understanding of intensive land use in industrial parks, providing theoretical support for their sustainable development.

7. Conclusions

Effective identification of low-efficiency land is the key to maximizing the benefits of urban development. Therefore, conducting a low-efficiency land evaluation is an important preliminary research work in the renewal of industrial parks. This article establishes a low-efficiency land evaluation index system and applies it to the renewal planning of the Shengfang Industrial Park in Lianhua County. Based on the land evaluation results, different modes are adopted for industrial land, including retention and improvement, rectification and renewal, and redevelopment. The current land that is relatively intensive and in line with the layout of the leading industry is retained and improved to enhance the public space environment. Based on the demand for industrial transformation and the reuse of existing buildings, the “industrial transformation to Ma” renewal mode is promoted. Based on the demand for industrial-city integration, the residential land and living facilities in the industrial community are regenerated and improved; an industrial neighborhood center is planned. Based on the industrial layout and land efficiency improvement, “standard land” is the main development mode. Finally, this article proposes localized renewal mode policy guidance, which improves the feasibility of industrial land renewal through diversified funding guarantee paths, flexible land supply modes, renewal bodies, and protection measures, providing theoretical and case references for the renewal construction of industrial parks.

8. Limitations and Future Recommendations

The regeneration planning proposal based on the evaluation of inefficient industrial land in this article is relatively idealized. The specific regeneration plan still needs to be determined with the opinions of various interest parties and further improved in the subsequent implementation plan. In addition, this study mainly focuses on the transformation and regeneration of industrial parks in poverty-alleviated county towns. There are still limitations in the selection of indicators and evaluation methods. For similar underdeveloped areas, the evaluation system can be further optimized based on specific cases to improve its applicability. At the same time, low-efficiency industrial land evaluation and regeneration strategies should be formulated according to their respective characteristics and development stages. In the future, comprehensive long-term monitoring and evaluation can be conducted to understand the sustained impacts of implemented strategies and make necessary adjustments and improvements. Emphasizing the involvement of stakeholders, including government agencies, local communities, industry representatives, and experts, is crucial for developing comprehensive and practical solutions that consider diverse perspectives. Additionally, research can focus on how to effectively apply research findings to the policy-making process and contribute targeted policies to address the challenges at hand.