Cross-Lab Initiative for Urban-Rural Continuums (URCs) along the Silk Roads

Silk Roads, a major human infrastructure connecting Europe with East Asia, played important role in promoting human civilization and society formation. Among the many routes, the 14800 km long one that rans from the Mediterranean coast to Xian in western China is the core. Over 700 modern cities fall in a 100-km buffer zone (2.85 million km2), including nine capital cities of the 11 countries. Some of these cities have long history, being established prior to the Silk Roads. For example, Baghdad was one of the earliest societies before Persian empires, and Xian in China and Tehran in Iran served as the bases of major empires. Geographically, these routes were shaped by avoiding major deserts (e.g., the Karakum Desert) and glacier mountains (e.g., the Tianshan), allowing for minimal exposures to climate extremes and easier access to water that in other parts of the Asian Drylands Belt (ADB). Our cross-lab efforts are made to examine these cities through the lens of urban-rural continuum (URC). Multiple social-environmental conditions along eight directions from the urban center to rural landscapes were explored for anisotropic changes, their interdependencies, and the spatial aggregations of the URC in different parts of the Silk Roads.

Project news

Two presentations will be made at 2023 IALE and AGU annual

TBD

TBD

Open Data Resources

We share data with the broader community. The latest information and resources from our project can be found here for exploration and education.

Data use policy

The Data sharing policy is under development! Use of this data is for demonstrative and educational use only. To publish this data or apply it in other for-profit endeavours, please contact Dr. Jiquan Chen for information.

Publically Open data

Silk Routes (shape file)

Buffered zones (25 km, 50 km, 75 km, 100 km)

Access and download datasets:

• Satellite Data
• Spatial Data
• Socioeconomic Data

 

Publications

Journal Articles

1. TBD
2. TBD

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Team Members

	Jiquan Chen	Professor, MSU PI Michigan State University	jqchen@msu.edu
	Yousef Khajavigodellou	Research Assistant Michigan State University	khajavig@msu.edu
	Ranjeet John	Assistant Professor, USD PI University of South Dakota	Ranjeet.John@usd.edu
	Venkatesh Kolluru	PhD Student University of South Dakota	venkateshkolluru95@gmail.com
	Sakshi Saraf	PhD Student University of South Dakota	Sakshi.Saraf@coyotes.usd.edu
	Li Tian	Associate Professor, CAS PI IGSNRR-CAS	tianli@igsnrr.ac.cn
	Lifeng Zhao	Gaduate Student IGSNRR-CAS	ZLF198618085972620@outlook.com
	Wei Fang	Assistant Professor, PU PI Pace Unviersity	wfang@pace.edu
	Peilei Fan	Professor, TU PI Tufts University	peko100@gmail.com
	Zutao Ouyang	Assistant Professor, AU PI Auburn University	Zutao.Ouyang@Gmail.Com

Contact

Center for Global Change and Earth Observations

202 Manly Miles Bldg. 1405 South Harrison Road
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823

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