Exploring the relationship between polder morphology and land system

Abstract

Polder, an important way of land use which widely exists in the lowland plain area, is the product of the long-term adaptive development of human and natural environment. However, the morphology of polder is constantly changing in different areas and even in the same area in different periods. Benefiting from the theoretical basis of Conzenian school, this study attempts to explain the evolution of polder morphology from the perspective of land system. Taking the Beemster in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Jinbaowei in Xuancheng, China as research samples, we compared the change process of land system and the differences in space and time of the corresponding polder morphological characteristics between the two samples, and verified the explanation with an example of Manhattan (former Dutch colony) block morphology in New York, USA. Our study indicates that the land system is the original gene of land morphology and the crucial influencing factor of polder morphology. This study helps to understand the reasons behind the morphology of polders and provides important references for land policy designation during the adaptive development of polders.