Research on the Development Logic and Sustainable Transformation Path of Suburban Villages from the Perspective of Relational Turn: A Case Study of Panlongling Village

Against the backdrop of urban–rural element flow and rural transformational development in China, suburban villages, as frontier zones connecting cities and rural areas, are pivotal in promoting urban–rural integration and fostering sustainable growth. This study takes Panlongling Village in China as a case study, utilizing theoretical methods from the perspective of the relational turn in geography to analyze the relational logic of rural socio-economic phenomena and address related conflicts. Based on data from multiple field surveys and interviews, this study identifies problems already discovered in Panlongling Village’s development, such as superficial economic enhancement, low villager participation, unidirectional benefit flow, and so on. This study proposes a hypothesis about the causes of these problems and validates this hypothesis through Actor–Network Theory, including unequal benefit distribution, insufficient technical support, inadequate governance and supervision, and a lack of self-improvement awareness among the actors. This study further offers targeted future development pathways for the village’s industrial transformation through actor–network reconstruction, taking into account the multidimensional relationships of stakeholders within the village, urban–rural relations, and socio-economic–natural interactions. It highlights the importance of a people-centric approach, shared benefits among actors, and cross-regional and cross-scale relational connections, offering insights for promoting sustainable development and the transformational development of suburban villages.