Rural–Urban Linkages and Development
A GIS ‐ MCDA Approach to Sustainable Cyclo‐Tourism and Rural Land Protection
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21649468 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Monica C M Parlato (0000-0001-8908-0147, Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry University of Padova Legnaro Italy, corresponding author), Andrea Pezzuolo (0000-0002-9955-9896, Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry University of Padova Legnaro Italy) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 14 |
| Pages | 4809-4826 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-30 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Land Degradation and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1085-3278 • E-ISSN: 1099-145X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ldr.5669 |
| OpenAlex | W4411501547 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
Over the past 60 years, changes in the European agricultural sector have driven migration flows from rural to urban areas, resulting in land abandonment and soil degradation. Rural, nature‐based tourism and outdoor recreation can help reverse negative trends, with growing academic interest in cycle tourism for its economic and social development potential. Cycle tourism significantly contributes to climate change mitigation thanks to its minimal environmental footprint and alignment with sustainable travel practices, especially when destinations are well‐connected and accessible without depending on private car travel or extended road trips. Despite growing interest in the economic aspects of cycle tourism, its role in sustainable planning and rural land protection remains underexplored. This study addresses a research gap by developing an innovative approach that integratesGIS and MCDA to identify optimal areas for rural cycle tourism development in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy. The methodology combines ecological, cultural, and infrastructural elements through QGIS‐based mapping, heatmap analysis, and MCDA to assess regional suitability for cycling tourism. This integrated approach serves as a strategic tool to simultaneously support rural economic revitalization and landscape conservation in historic rural areas at risk of abandonment. The findings reveal previously unidentified areas suitable for inclusion in cycling itineraries, demonstrating how sustainable tourism can contribute to rural regeneration while preserving cultural landscapes. This research proposes using cycling tourism to boost rural economies, promote sustainable land use, prevent environmental degradation, and enhance landscape resilience through better infrastructure planning
Business · Civil engineering · Economics · Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Geography · Land use · Multiple-criteria decision analysis · Political science · Recreation · Rural area · Rural tourism · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Sustainable tourism · Tourism · Tourism geography · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Ecology
Rural landscape, nature conservation and culture
Analytic hierarchy process
Assessing tourism's global environmental impact 1900–2050
Prospects for nature-based tourism
Sustainable cycle-tourism for society
Rural tourism
Traditional land-use and nature conservation in European rural landscapes
The effect of environmental change on human migration
A coalition for ‘small tourism’ in a marginal place
A conceptual model to integrate the regional context in landscape policy, management and contribution to rural development
A spatial decision support system for multi-dimensional sustainability assessment of river basin districts
Sustainability approaches and nature tourism development
Three pillars of sustainability
| Highly cited | No |
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