The Spatial–Temporal Evolution of the Trade-Offs and Synergy between the Suburban Rural Landscape’s Production–Living–Ecological Functions: A Case Study of Jiashan in the Yangtze River Delta Eco-Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone, China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Author,
Thank you for your article Spatial-Temporal Evolution on Trade-Offs and Synergy of 2 Suburban Rural Landscape Production-Living-Ecological Func-3 tions: A Case Study of Jiashan in the Yangtze River Delta Eco-4 Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone, China.
The article deals with a very important topic and the results are certainly useful guidance for decision makers. Especially when upgraded with further improvements as you indicated in chapter 6.
The methodology is described clearly, but the complexity of the topic makes it difficult for the reader to follow. Especially for a reader unfamiliar with the region, the article is more difficult to understand.
We appreciate the good structure of the article and the clear language. We appreciate the absence of acronyms in the abstract. However, we would expect all acronyms to be explained in the text when they first appear in the text, and for acronyms to be used consistently throughout, which will make the text clearer. You might consider adding a table of acronyms.
Perhaps some more concrete data could have been added to the article to give a better picture of the region (e.g. adding the number of inhabitants in the region and their increasing trend).
We are also missing a disaster resilience indicator, which is an essential element that must be included in the planned development of the region. As I am not familiar with the region in question, I cannot give any prologues as to what should be taken into account, perhaps flood risk, the incidence of drought, severe weather such as storms, for example. In addition to other factors that are important for development planning, resilience to natural disasters is also very important.
Can you give a concrete example of a change that has worsened the situation in one of the indicators?
Could you add in Chapter 5 Conclusions an example of potential concrete action to improve sustainability and biodiversity?
Some minor remarks:
Figures 1 and 3 are relatively small, larger figures would contribute to better clarity.
In line 28: is one trade that is repeated redundant?
On line 184, use the acronym EF, which is not explained before.
Best Wishes
Author Response
Comment 1: The methodology is described clearly, but the complexity of the topic makes it difficult for the reader to follow. Especially for a reader unfamiliar with the region, the article is more difficult to understand.
Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Therefore, I have explained in the abstract the simple situation of the Yangtze River Delta region, the importance of studying the production-living-ecological functions, and the representativeness of Jiashan as a research area. The modified location is included in lines 12 to 21 in P1 in the abstract.
Comment 2: We appreciate the good structure of the article and the clear language. We appreciate the absence of acronyms in the abstract. However, we would expect all acronyms to be explained in the text when they first appear in the text, and for acronyms to be used consistently throughout, which will make the text clearer. You might consider adding a table of acronyms.
Response 2: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Therefore, I have added a glossary of abbreviations in the appendix (P21) to help readers better understand the abbreviations used in the article.
Comment 3: Perhaps some more concrete data could have been added to the article to give a better picture of the region (e.g. adding the number of inhabitants in the region and their increasing trend).
Response 3: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Therefore, I have added specific figures related to Jiashan County’s population and economy in recent years in lines 116 to 126 in P3.
Comment 4: We are also missing a disaster resilience indicator, which is an essential element that must be included in the planned development of the region. As I am not familiar with the region in question, I cannot give any prologues as to what should be taken into account, perhaps flood risk, the incidence of drought, severe weather such as storms, for example. In addition to other factors that are important for development planning, resilience to natural disasters is also very important.
Response 4: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. If the research area is in a high-risk area for natural disasters in China (such as Hubei Province), then the disaster resistance index is very important. However, the Yangtze River Delta region, especially Jiashan County, is a relatively safe geographic location in terms of the occurrence of natural disasters, so natural disasters rarely occur, and basically no disasters such as floods, droughts, and storms occur. Therefore, the ability to resist natural disasters is not included in the indicators in this article.
Comment 5: Can you give a concrete example of a change that has worsened the situation in one of the indicators?
Response 5: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. There are indeed few examples in the article of how changes in one indicator cause the deterioration of another indicator, so I added an example of how increases in the PF and LF have caused deterioration of the EF in lines 259 to 269 of the article (P8).
Comment 6: Could you add in Chapter 5 Conclusions an example of potential concrete action to improve sustainability and biodiversity?
Response 6: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Since the main challenge facing Jiashan County is the problem of coordinated development of the economy and ecology, it is very important to know how to improve sustainable development. Therefore, I provide some suggestions regarding the problem of coordinated sustainable development in lines 675 to 697 of the article (P20).
Comment 7: Figures 1 and 3 are relatively small, larger figures would contribute to better clarity.
Response 7: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. I have enlarged the image in the article.
Comment 8: In line 28: is one trade that is repeated redundant?
Response 8: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Therefore, I have made a change in lines 32 to 33 of the abstract (P1).
Comment 9: On line 184, use the acronym EF, which is not explained before.
Response 9: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Therefore, I have defined EF in line 193 (P5), and I have added a table in the appendix that defines the abbreviation used in the article.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis article looks at the growth of suburbanization in the Jiashan region of China. The authors identify a gap in the literature looking at suburban regions at the inflection point between rural and urban regions. The model is well designed, and addresses issues of spatial autocorrelation, which is likely in land us/land cover change studies. The results of the model are well explained and tied back into the academic literature. Overall, I have no major concerns with the article. Thank you for the opportunity to review your research. Best of luck in your future research.
Author Response
Comment 1: This article looks at the growth of suburbanization in the Jiashan region of China. The authors identify a gap in the literature looking at suburban regions at the inflection point between rural and urban regions. The model is well designed, and addresses issues of spatial autocorrelation, which is likely in land us/land cover change studies. The results of the model are well explained and tied back into the academic literature. Overall, I have no major concerns with the article. Thank you for the opportunity to review your research. Best of luck in your future research.
Response 1: Dear reviewer,
Thank you very much for your affirmation and valuable comments on our research. We are glad to know that you approve of our model design and the treatment of the spatial autocorrelation. We will continue to deepen the research on the urban-rural boundary area and further improve and expand it in future work. Thank you again for your support and encouragement of our research, which inspires us to make greater progress in future research.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsPresent the results in a more structured manner, using subheadings to organize findings by main points and include relevant figures, tables, or maps that are well-labeled and referenced in the text. Discuss the implications of your findings in greater depth in the discussion section, comparing your results with other studies, addressing unexpected results, and explaining their impact on future planning and policy in the Yangtze River Delta. Consider citing more recent studies to show the contemporary relevance of your research.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageEnsure the manuscript is free of grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, use consistent terminology throughout, and ensure all sources cited are included in the reference list and formatted according to the journal's guidelines.
Author Response
Comment 1: Present the results in a more structured manner, using subheadings to organize findings by main points and include relevant figures, tables, or maps that are well-labeled and referenced in the text. Discuss the implications of your findings in greater depth in the discussion section, comparing your results with other studies, addressing unexpected results, and explaining their impact on future planning and policy in the Yangtze River Delta. Consider citing more recent studies to show the contemporary relevance of your research.
Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Therefore, in the discussion section, I have elaborated on the challenges Jiashan County is currently facing and how to deal with them, and I have provided corresponding suggestions for future policy planning. Regarding the comparison of my research results with other research results, I have added a comparison with the latest research on the production-living-ecological functions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in lines 675 to 697 of the article (P20). Regarding the citations, I have also added the latest relevant citations.
Comment 2: Ensure the manuscript is free of grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, use consistent terminology throughout, and ensure all sources cited are included in the reference list and formatted according to the journal's guidelines.
Response 2: Thank you for pointing this out. l agree with this comment. Therefore, I have carefully checked the terminology, grammatical errors, and references in the article and have made format adjustments according to the journal's requirements.
