In response to rural challenges such as population decline and unregulated development, the Rural Spatial Restructuring Act was enacted in March 2024. Starting in 2025, 139 cities and counties nationwide must establish basic rural spatial plans and wi...
In response to rural challenges such as population decline and unregulated development, the Rural Spatial Restructuring Act was enacted in March 2024. Starting in 2025, 139 cities and counties nationwide must establish basic rural spatial plans and will be permitted to designate and manage Rural Specialized Zones. However, discussions on the designation and management of these zones remain limited. This study focuses on developing criteria for designating Agricultural Landscape Zones, a type of Rural Specialized Zone, to preserve regional identity and rural character. Using GIS and spatial data, two rural areas with different characteristics were analyzed for potential Agricultural Landscape Zones. The candidate areas for these zones were identified by considering the scale of farmland and viewpoints for landscape resources to determine appropriate boundaries. In Dangjin City, a rural area with significant development, the area designated for Landscape Conservation Direct Payment (agricultural land) was much smaller compared to Sunchang County, a typical rural area. Thus, utilizing Agricultural Landscape Zones in Dangjin as buffers against unregulated development and as tourism resources proved more efficient. Conversely, in Sunchang County, the higher proportion of large-scale farmland made it feasible to create extensive agricultural landscapes. This indicates the need for further segmentation of the scale and function of Agricultural Landscape Zones to align with regional characteristics.