Abstract:The spatial pattern optimization and land consolidation of rural settlement is of great significance to carry forward rural revitalization by zoning and classification based on scientific recognition of suitable development types for various village. The rational spatial layout optimization of rural settlements can promote the intensive use of land resources and improve rural production and living environment, and while activate the idle land resource in rural and coordinate the rural and urban development. In order to scientifically divide the types of rural settlement, taking Lijin County as an example, a comprehensive zoning system was put forward, which firstly zoned the whole rural settlement into three different evolution direction regions, and then classified the former results into different types of rural settlement guiding the future land consolidation under the planning regulation which reflected the impact of planning and the urban core area on the future development of the countryside. That following steps were in process: first of all, considering planning constraints of urban developing boundary and historical cultural conservation planning, the rural settlement was divided into three different evolution direction regions which was urbanization, historical cultural conservation zone and general rural region. The rural settlement located in the urbanization or conservation zone were identified as urbanrural integration village (URIV) and historical and cultural village (HCV), respectively. Then, a comprehensive evaluation index system was established in five dimensions of resources, population, economic conditions, infrastructure and location environment for the general rural region. Among the index system, the entropy weight method was applied to assign the weight of indictors, and the Ward hierarchical clustering was used for classifying the general rural region into different types on the basis of similarity or diversity: cluster developing village (CDV), keeping and limiting village (KLV) and dismantling and consolidate village (DCV). Finally, according to the evolution direction and resource condition of rural settlements, the land consolidation strategy of different rural classifications was put forward for rural revitalization and improvement of living environment. The results showed that thinking of the first zoning and then classification for the whole rural settlements was more scientific and reliable for classifying the different type of rural settlement, which can effectively implement regulation and guiding for the rural developing under the control of the urban developing boundary and historical cultural conservation planning. Compared with the traditional zoning method, the Ward hierarchical clustering method system can efficiently reflex the similarity among regions and diversity between the different zoning to the full extent, which can be superior to the all indictor comprehensive evaluation. The total rural settlement in Lijin County can be divided into five different types, which was urbanrural integration village (107 villages), historical and cultural village (6 villages), cluster developing village (21 villages), keeping and limiting village (180 villages) and dismantling and consolidate village (198 villages), and then a more specific strategy of land consolidation was put forward from the aspects of infrastructure, land reclamation, social security and environmental improvement. The framework of spatial pattern optimization and land consolidation of rural settlement can provide a new idea and method for the rural revitalization practice, building the beautiful countryside and improving the living environment in regional scale.