How can land-use practices be modeled? Understanding the influence of knowledge, attitudes and emotional connections on urban residents' behavioral intentions regarding peri-urban areas from an MLU perspective

Multifunctional land use (MLU), as an effective way to increase the intensity and efficiency of land use, is an important concept and method for achieving sustainable land use. The behavioral intentions of urban residents towards peri-urban areas have a significant impact on both policy formulation and individual motivation. We used survey data from representative metropolitan areas in eastern, central, and western China to understand which factors influence participants' behavioral intentions towards peri-urban areas. The method of this study comprises three major steps. First, emotional connections (E) were identified and added to the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) model, yielding a KAEP model which is the foundation of the research hypotheses. Second, factor analysis was adopted to generate 14 land use functions that revealed the urban residents' attitudes toward peri-urban areas. Third, regression was used to understand the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, emotions, and practices. The results show that emotional connections are indeed an important factor in shaping behavioral intentions. Urban residents' differing expectations regarding peri-urban areas lead to four different types of behavioral intentions, including living, traveling, working, and retiring. The government should aim to broaden urban residents' access to knowledge on MLU and employ effective promotions. Rural planning and policies should adopt differentiation strategies according to the attitudes of urban residents. In addition, the government should improve the physical environment of the countryside to increase urban residents' emotional connections to rural areas.