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Affected by human activities, the naturally occurring river network in the southeastern plain of Yinzhou has gradually evolved into a natural–artificial composite water system, and changes in river connectivity due to changes in river network systems have caused water security problems, including urban flooding. To clarify the river connectivity change and its relationship with the urbanization process, this paper discusses an evaluation method for river connectivity based on complex networks and cellular automata (CA) from the perspective of complex systems, quantitatively analyzes the spatial–temporal characteristics of the structural and functional river connectivity in the study area during the 1990s–2020s, and reveals the impact of river nodes and chains on the connectivity level under the disturbance of natural or human factors. The results contained the following revelations: ① River connectivity showed a decreasing trend in the initial and rapid development stages of urbanization from the 1990s to the 2010s and a limited increasing trend in the optimization and upgrading stages from the 2010s to the 2020s. ② River network degradation and ongoing connectivity decline are found in the northeastern part of the study area. The highest river connectivity exists in Dongqianhukaifaqu. ③ The number of river nodes and chains should be maintained at approximately 80% for normal river connectivity. The nodes of high degree in the inflow area are listed in the key protection areas. ④ Changes in river connectivity are significantly correlated with the urbanization process. Changes in the functional connectivity level affect the magnitude of a flood. This study provides a theoretical basis for river network connectivity improvement and flood prevention in plain areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of urban agglomerations around Poyang Lake is an important starting point of the strategy for the improvement of central China, but the spatial agglomeration of industry and population brings great pressure to the ecological environment. It is of great practical value to explore the impact of rapid urbanization on the water use efficiency of important ecological functional areas. Considering the undesired output of industrial production, this paper adopts the SE-SBM model to measure industrial green water use efficiency, comprehensively considers different aspects of urbanization of the urban agglomeration around Poyang Lake, empirically tests its inhibiting or boosting effect on industrial green water use and explores its spatial spillover effect with the help of a spatial metrology model. The results show that (1) the industrial green water use efficiency of urban agglomerations shows an overall upward trend, and the efficiency value of central cities is significantly higher than that of non-central cities and continues to show a state of diffusion; (2) social urbanization, environmental urbanization, and balanced urbanization can significantly improve industrial green water use efficiency, while industrial urbanization or industrialization inhibits the improvement in water use efficiency; (3) considering the spatial spillover factor, there are significant positive local effects between population urbanization and balanced urbanization, and significant positive spatial spillover effects between industrial urbanization and environmental urbanization; (4) the original model can pass the significance test by replacing the output-oriented water use efficiency with the input-oriented or non-oriented water use efficiency; the study area is extended to Jiangxi Province, and the impact of urbanization on industrial water use efficiency is basically consistent. We should adhere to the new type of urbanization that improves well-being and is friendly to the environment, rationally plan the industrial spatial pattern of urban agglomerations, adhere to the ecological and environmental threshold on undertaking industrial transfer, and promote the flow and sharing of green production factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research addresses the urgent challenges posed by rapid urbanization and climate change through an integrated interdisciplinary approach combining advanced technologies with rigorous scientific exploration. The comprehensive analysis focused on Wuhan, China, spanning decades of meteorological and land-use data to trace extreme urbanization trajectories and reveal intricate temporal and spatial patterns. Employing the innovative 360° radial Fibonacci geometric growth framework, the study facilitated a meticulous dissection of urban morphology at granular scales, establishing a model that combined fixed and mobile observational techniques to uncover climatic shifts and spatial transformations. Geographic information systems and computational fluid dynamics were pivotal tools used to explore the intricate interplay between urban structures and their environments. These analyses elucidated the nuanced impact of diverse morphosectors on local conditions. Furthermore, genetic algorithms were harnessed to distill meaningful relationships from the extensive data collected, optimizing spatial arrangements to enhance urban resilience and sustainability. This pioneering interdisciplinary approach not only illuminates the complex dynamics of urban ecosystems but also offers transformative insights for designing smarter, more adaptable cities. The findings underscore the critical role of green spaces in mitigating urban heat island effects. This highlights the imperative for sustainable urban planning to address the multifaceted challenges of the 21st century, promoting long-term environmental sustainability and urban health, particularly in the context of tomorrow’s climate-adaptive smart cities.

This research offers valuable perspectives on the nexus between urbanization and the smart environment within the Najran city, Saudi Arabian context. Najran City, with its diverse districts and evolving urban landscape, is at the forefront of adopting advanced technologies and participatory governance models to create a resilient, environmentally conscious, and sustainable urban environment, likewise positioning itself as a model of smart urban development but is also fostering an innovation-driven community equipped to address the difficulties and exploit the prospects given by the 21st century. The study systematically analyzes the multifaceted factors of smart city variables in Saudi Arabia and their direct impact on urban sustainability through extensive quantitative investigations. This study reveals the positive correlations between smart city attributes, on the attainment of urban sustainability. In order words, the smart city’s attributes such as IoT (Internet of Things) devices, smart infrastructure, and data-driven solutions are linked to the creation of a resilient urban environment in the face of urbanization and sustainability challenges. On the other hand, the study noted that the integration of smart technologies might lead to unintended consequences in urban planning. For example, an overemphasis on technology may overshadow human-centric approaches, which might potentially affect the community well-being and social cohesion. Study’s insights provide policymakers, urban planners, and players with an in-depth knowledge of the pathways to harness smart city attributes for sustainable Najran urban development. The implications of this research extend beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia, serving as a valuable reference for regions worldwide grappling with similar urbanization and sustainability challenges in the 21st century. By harnessing the potential of smart cities, Saudi Arabia and other nations can pave the way for greener, more resilient urban futures.

During the rapid urbanization phase, the trade-off between ecosystem services is the most severe and also the most effective stage to implement ecological management. Exploring the natural—social driving mechanisms for trade-offs contributes to the coordinated development of the social economy and nature. Taking the typical mountainous city (Yibin) that is currently in the rapid urbanization phase and ecologically fragile as an example, utilizing a combination of difference comparison, trade-off–synergy index (TSI), optimal-parameter-based geographical detector model (OPGD), and multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR), we spatially assess the nature and intensity of ES relationships and explore its social–natural driving mechanisms. Our findings reveal the following: (1) Varied geospatial patterns of four ESs—habitat quality (HQ), carbon storage (CS), soil conservation (SC), and water yield (WY)—with the greatest fluctuations in WY. (2) Significant changes in the nature and intensity of ES relationships over time, showing predominant positive synergies between WY-HQ, WY-SC, and HQ-CS, and negative synergies between HQ and SC, and trade-offs between WY-CS and SC-CS. (3) Distinct, time-varying driving factors for different ES relationships: climate and topography for WY, vegetation and topography for CS, topography and economic factors for HQ, and climate and topography for SC. Rapid urbanization has diminished the role of natural factors. (4) The regression coefficients reveal the local mechanisms of various driving factors, based on which targeted recommendations can be proposed. For instance, the establishment of interconnected small wetlands and green spaces in urban areas contributes to the enhancement of multiple ESs. The purpose of this study is to provide scientific insights into the driving mechanisms and optimizations of the key ecosystem services' relationships in areas that are currently undergoing rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most rapidly developing cities in China, Shenzhen grapples with an increasing challenge in managing water resources due to escalating conflicts with its soaring water demand. This study established a system dynamics (SD) model based on a causal loop diagram to explore the intricate interconnections within the urban water resources system. Through simulating water supply and demand in Shenzhen from 2021 to 2035, the model identified key sensitive factors and examined various utilization scenarios for multiple water resources. Results indicated that water scarcity posed a significant obstacle to Shenzhen's development. To tackle this challenge, several effective measures should be implemented, including enhancing water conservation capabilities, developing seawater resources, promoting water reuse, optimizing the economic structure, and managing population growth. Prioritizing water conservation efforts and maximizing the utilization of seawater resources were regarded as the most impactful strategies in alleviating the water crisis. Furthermore, the relationship between water conservation capabilities and seawater utilization scale was analyzed using the SD model, contributing to the development of a comprehensive water resources management strategy. The findings from this study would provide insights into robust methods for allocating water resources, thereby enhancing sustainable water management strategies applicable to regions facing similar challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization has profound impacts on ecological environments. Green spaces are a vital component of urban ecosystems and play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and enhancing sustainability. This study aimed to investigate the community composition characteristics of butterflies in urban green spaces within the context of rapid urbanization. Simultaneously, it explored the status and differences in butterfly taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, and functional traits among different types of urban green spaces, regions, and urban gradients to provide relevant insights for further improving urban green space quality and promoting biodiversity conservation. We conducted a year-long survey of 80 green spaces across different urban regions and ring roads within Hefei City, Anhui Province, with monthly sampling intervals over 187 transects. A total of 4822 butterflies, belonging to 5 families, 17 subfamilies, 40 genera, and 55 species were identified. The species richness, Shannon, Simpson, functional richness, and Rao's quadratic entropy indices of butterflies in urban park green spaces were all significantly higher than those in residential and street green spaces (P < 0.05). Differences in butterfly diversity and functional traits among different urban regions and ring roads were relatively minor, and small-sized, multivoltine, and long flying duration butterflies dominated urban green spaces. Overall, these spaces offer more favorable habitats for butterflies. However, some residential green spaces and street green spaces demonstrate potential for butterfly conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of literature discusses food insecurity in rural and urban contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Peri-urban food insecurity and coping strategies remain an understudied topic. To fill this gap, household cross-sectional survey data was collected from randomly selected 300 farm households in the peri-urban area of Jimma City and complemented with key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) to assess their food insecurity status and coping strategies in the face of rapid urbanization. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from farm households while an unstructured questionnaire was used to gather qualitative data from key informants. Twelve indicators involving the four food insecurity dimensions were identified to develop a food insecurity index and categorize households into four food insecurity levels. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is employed to determine the most important indicators of household food insecurity. The ordered probit regression model was employed to ascertain significant factors affecting farming household food insecurity. The results revealed that 46% of peri-urban farm households were food-insecure at various levels. The household food insecurity status varied with their level of human capital, physical endowments, risk aversion behaviour, and institutional barriers. The expansion of built-up areas and marketable crops, particularly eucalyptus trees have greatly affected the food security status of peri-urban farm households. Income diversification, farming diversification, social ties, and farming specialization were the main food insecurity coping strategies of peri-urban farm households. The findings of this study highlighted insights into the urban expansion of medium-sized cities and agricultural land loss, marginalization of staple food crops, and market food prices increase, which resulted in increased vulnerability to food insecurity and poverty among farm households in peri-urban areas. The recommendations drawn from these findings are formulating strategies that preserve agricultural land-use and promoting food insecurity mitigation programs that capitalize on the coping strategies of households in peri-urban areas in the face of rapid urbanization.

The spatial-temporal distribution pattern of China's cultivated land has changed dramatically from 1990 to 2020, and the problem of cultivated land fragmentation has become more prominent. However, the existing research lacks a focus on the two specific land use types, paddy fields and dryland. In this study, the spatiotemporal distribution pattern and the fragmentation driving mechanism of paddy field and dryland during the years 1990 to 2020 were identified by using the center of gravity center migration model, standard deviation ellipse, and land-use dynamic model for the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River as an example. The results show that there are significant differences in the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of paddy field and dryland in the MRYRUA. Among the provinces and cities, Hubei province and its Xiangyang city showed the most obvious trend of change. The loss and gain of paddy fields and dryland is related to economic and policy contexts in each period. The main driving factor of paddy field and dryland fragmentation is natural condition, whereas a relatively important factor is the per capita disposable income of rural residents. The effects of each factor on paddy field and dryland fragmentation were not independent; any two factor interactions had a stronger effect on paddy field and dryland fragmentation than a single factor. In general, this study provides guidance and references for the main grain-producing areas undergoing rapid urbanization relating to cultivated land conservation, food security, and sustainable agricultural utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Africa is rapidly urbanizing, there is perhaps no other urban policy area more pressing than the elimination of slums along with the development of equitable access to affordable housing for low-income residents, which requires immediate attention. Ethiopia has taken on this challenge through its Integrated Housing Development Program (IHDP), a policy that incorporates slum clearance and resettlement through a government-led development of condominium housing targeting those displaced and other low- and middle-income households. However, construction of most condominiums has taken place at large-scale conglomerations on periphery of the city considered peri-urban. These sites are far from the city center where slum clearance took place and where most social and economic activity continue to be concentrated. Utilizing a survey instrument, this study examines the mediating effect of IHDP residents' perception of access to public, urban facilities, and transportation condition, two dimensions of spatial equity. The analysis found that those living at peri-urban IHDP sites perceive lower levels of spatial equity compared to urban IHDP condominium residents. Moreover, peri-urban residents' perception of spatial equity is a statistically significant mediating factor on the relationship between their location and lower levels of overall satisfaction living at their IHDP condominiums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the rapid urbanization phase, the trade-off between ecosystem services is the most severe and also the most effective stage to implement ecological management. Exploring the natural—social driving mechanisms for trade-offs contributes to the coordinated development of the social economy and nature. Taking the typical mountainous city (Yibin) that is currently in the rapid urbanization phase and ecologically fragile as an example, utilizing a combination of difference comparison, trade-off–synergy index (TSI), optimal-parameter-based geographical detector model (OPGD), and multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR), we spatially assess the nature and intensity of ES relationships and explore its social–natural driving mechanisms. Our findings reveal the following: (1) Varied geospatial patterns of four ESs—habitat quality (HQ), carbon storage (CS), soil conservation (SC), and water yield (WY)—with the greatest fluctuations in WY. (2) Significant changes in the nature and intensity of ES relationships over time, showing predominant positive synergies between WY-HQ, WY-SC, and HQ-CS, and negative synergies between HQ and SC, and trade-offs between WY-CS and SC-CS. (3) Distinct, time-varying driving factors for different ES relationships: climate and topography for WY, vegetation and topography for CS, topography and economic factors for HQ, and climate and topography for SC. Rapid urbanization has diminished the role of natural factors. (4) The regression coefficients reveal the local mechanisms of various driving factors, based on which targeted recommendations can be proposed. For instance, the establishment of interconnected small wetlands and green spaces in urban areas contributes to the enhancement of multiple ESs. The purpose of this study is to provide scientific insights into the driving mechanisms and optimizations of the key ecosystem services’ relationships in areas that are currently undergoing rapid urbanization.

ABSTRACTAs Africa is rapidly urbanizing, there is perhaps no other urban policy area more pressing than the elimination of slums along with the development of equitable access to affordable housing for low-income residents, which requires immediate attention. Ethiopia has taken on this challenge through its Integrated Housing Development Program (IHDP), a policy that incorporates slum clearance and resettlement through a government-led development of condominium housing targeting those displaced and other low- and middle-income households. However, construction of most condominiums has taken place at large-scale conglomerations on periphery of the city considered peri-urban. These sites are far from the city center where slum clearance took place and where most social and economic activity continue to be concentrated. Utilizing a survey instrument, this study examines the mediating effect of IHDP residents’ perception of access to public, urban facilities, and transportation condition, two dimensions of spatial equity. The analysis found that those living at peri-urban IHDP sites perceive lower levels of spatial equity compared to urban IHDP condominium residents. Moreover, peri-urban residents’ perception of spatial equity is a statistically significant mediating factor on the relationship between their location and lower levels of overall satisfaction living at their IHDP condominiums.

The systematic decline of rural areas in the process of rapid urbanization has become a global trend, creating greater challenges for sustainable rural development. As the spatial projection of socio-economic development and living environment in rural areas, the continuous tracking of rural settlements (RUS) is crucial to quantify the imbalance of rural development. However, consistent information on RUS is highly needed but is quite deficient in current research. In this study, a cost-effective mapping model was proposed to produce an annual RUS dataset in the rapid urbanization region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) in North China during 1990–2020, and the temporal-spatial regularity of RUS changes was further analyzed. The location-based and the area-based comparison verified the effectiveness of our model, with a mean overall accuracy of 85% and a mean correlation value of 0.88, respectively. The total area of RUS in the BTH region increased by 2561 km2 from 1990 to 2020, while the average size of RUS remained stable after 2005. The annual change trends in RUS appeared with increasing and decreasing accounting for 76.33% and 23.67%, respectively. The centroids of RUS in Tianjin and Hebei have moved closer to Beijing, while those in Beijing have moved away from the former. Notably, we have identified 56.3% counties in the BTH region belong to the "Convex-I" change type in RUS. In general, our work can help to consistently quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of RUS in a cost-effective way, providing more explicit spatial information and continuous temporal information for rural residential land management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape ecological risk can be attributed to the cumulative effect of long-term disturbance in the regional landscapes by various risk sources. Fortunately, zoning control strategy can be expected to optimize the regional ecological risk using the dynamic perspective of the "history-present-trend" of risk occurrence. This study aims to scientifically understand the spatial differentiation pattern of landscape ecological risks, and then formulate spatial zoning management and control strategies. A systematic investigation was also made on the dynamic risk management and control needs of rapidly urbanized areas. The new framework was established for the landscape ecological risk assessment and management zoning from the spatiotemporal dynamic perspective of "history-present-trend". Taking the Jiangyin City of Jiangsu Province as the research area, the differentiated management and control strategy of risks was proposed to explore the spatiotemporal process, evolution characteristics, and future trends of landscape ecological risk. The combination characteristics of landscape risk levels were obtained from the coupling perspective of "history-current period and trend". The results showed that: 1) The cultivated land decreased by 12.76% from 2005 to 2020, whereas the construction land increased by 13.53% with the evolution of urbanization. There was a drastic transformation of landscape types, where the landscape fragmentation continued to increase. Among them, there was the more serious conversion of cultivated and ecological land into construction land. The fragmentation and uneven distribution were found in the landscape of cultivated and ecological land, with a significant trend in the agglomeration distribution of construction land. 2) The ecological risk presented a spatial distribution pattern of "low in the north and high in the south". The low-risk areas were distributed in the northern waters and the core area of township construction land, whereas, the high-risk areas were distributed in the southern waters, along the river, and the marginal area of township construction land expansion. Therefore, Jiangyin City was focused mainly on the expansion of construction land in the process of rapid urbanization. The high intensity and scattered construction caused the fragmentation landscape of cultivated and forest land, indicating the high risk. 3) The landscape ecological risks were categorized as the maintenance, upgrading, mitigation, and fluctuation types, according to the dynamic process of risks. The proportion of risk maintenance type was the highest, followed by upgrading and easing types, while the fluctuation type shared the lowest proportion. Furthermore, the control needs and trends of risks were further analyzed in the different regions to determine the specific prevention areas, according to the current situation and future trends of risks. There were also significant variations in the urgency of risk prevention for the management and control in different regions. Among them, much attention should be paid to the high-risk areas with serious out-of-control or a basic level of control. In summary, the risk assessment and management framework with the perspective of a "history-present-trend" landscape is beneficial to understanding the complex interaction between landscape and external disturbances in the urbanized areas from the dynamic process of time and space. The findings can also provide the decision support for the urban ecological risk management for the optimization of regional territorial spatial layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the phenomenon of rapid urbanization in various parts of the world has led to a significant increase in PM2.5 concentration, which has emerged as a growing social concern. In order to achieve the objective of sustainable development, the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have established the goal of creating inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and human habitats (SDG 11). Goal 11.6 aims to decrease the negative environmental impact per capita in cities, with an emphasis on urban air quality and waste management. However, the global distribution of PM2.5 pollution varies due to disparities in urbanization development in different regions. The purpose of this paper is to explore the global spatial distribution and temporal variation of PM2.5 in cities with populations greater than 300,000 from 2000 to 2020, to gain insight into the issue. The findings indicate that PM2.5 concentrations are expected to continue increasing as urbanization progresses, but the rate of evolution of PM2.5 concentration varies depending on the continent, country, and city. From 2000 to 2020, PM2.5 concentration increased significantly in Asia and Africa, with the majority of the increased concentrations located in Asian countries and some African countries. On the other hand, most European and American countries had lower PM2.5 concentrations. The results of this study have the potential to inform urbanization policy formulation by providing knowledge about the spatial distribution of PM2.5 pollution during global urbanization. Addressing the issue of PM2.5 pollution is critical in achieving SDG 11.6 and promoting sustainable and coordinated development in cities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas mediate climate transformations and generate new forms of climate urbanism. Looking at climate action in the twelve fastest-growing cities in China with under one million people, this paper proposes a perspective on urban climate politics 'from elsewhere' that foregrounds the potential role of smaller urban areas in mediating climate transformations. The analysis reveals three climate action strategies that reflect practical, institutional, and personal spheres of climate transformations. Planning action in the personal sphere provides opportunities for urban transformations. A perspective 'from elsewhere' calls for greater attention to planning for diverse change strategies for climate transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundEqualization of medical services is fundamental to the development of people-centered urbanization in Chinese-style modernization. In the past few decades, the achievements of the Chinese economy have remarkably increased the quantity and quality of healthcare services. Under rapid urbanization, large-scale population floating has led to a mismatch between supply and demand for healthcare services and raised the tension between spatial demographic reorganization and the relative stability of public healthcare service facilities. The current studies of healthcare spatial deprivation (HSD) mainly are focus on either supply, or demand, or accessibility based on census data. Therefore, it is necessary to build a multiple index that could give a physical result by using ordinary indices and mixing them together by relative methods to overcome this problem.MeasureWe chose Ningbo city, Zhejiang province, located in the eastern coastal region of China, as the study area. Moreover, from 2000 to 2020, the urbanization rate of Ningbo rapidly increased from 55.75 to 78.0%. In order to show the HSD in a rapidly urbanizing city, we first consider the subdistrict as the scale, innovatively absolve the medical accessibility to the IRD (Index of Relative Disadvantage), and construct the Index of Healthcare Relative Spatial Deprivation (IHRSD) framework. Based on the seventh national census data, we apply an IHRSD with Entropy Weight Method, 2SFCA (Two-step Floating Catchment Area Method) and GDM (Geographical Detector Model) to measure where and who are vulnerable to deprive in healthcare.ResultMeasured by IHRSD, (1) There is stronger healthcare spatial deprivation in peri-urban and developed-town in Ningbo; (2) Young childhood and fertile-women are vulnerable to healthcare spatial deprivation, in fact, they are spatially deprived in healthcare; (3) The socio-demographic attribute is a significant factor in healthcare spatial deprivation, especially the level of aging and population clustering; and (4) The relationship between healthcare spatial deprivation and accessibility shows an inverted U-shaped structure.ConclusionOur experiments show that the problems of HSD are mainly from the characteristics of the population, the layout of healthcare service institutions, the accessibility of the traffic system and the natural conditions. Although the constructions of equalization of primary medical and health services, hierarchical diagnosis, and treatment, and the “healthcare complex” are currently trying to reduce the phenomenon of HSD. Faced with groups and location, the acquisition of the accurately healthcare service supply is the key to realizing healthcare spatial equity.

With cities sprawling and populations booming in developing regions, ensuring social sustainability in urban areas has become more urgent. This study investigates the challenges of implementing social sustainability initiatives for cities in developing countries, focusing on Dhaka as a representative city. A mixed-method approach involving structured questionnaire surveys and key informant interviews was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The study identified eighteen challenges to implementing social sustainability initiatives in Dhaka city, including a lack of poor urban governance, an inefficient city management system, a lack of political stability, a long delay in the planning approval process, etc. Additionally, experts identified additional challenges that require attention. The study offers empirical evidence to assist government officials, policymakers, and urban planners overcome these challenges and implement social sustainability effectively. To address the identified challenges, the study recommends revisiting the Structure Plan, Urban Area Plan, Detailed Area Plan, and Urban Sector Policy-2011. It highlights the crucial role of community social workers in mitigating specific issues in socially sustainable urban development. Eventually, the study will contribute to the implementation of SDG-11 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by bridging the gap between urbanization and socially sustainable cities.

Coastal wetlands are natural complexes situated between terrestrial and marine ecosystems and are one of the most productive ecosystems in terms of global biomass production. However, under the influence of intensive human activity, global coastal wetlands have undergone rapid degradation. In this study, RS technology, landscape ecology, and object-oriented methods were used to interpret remote sensing images from different periods and analyze the dynamic changes in landscape patterns and their driving mechanisms in coastal wetlands in the Luoyangjiang River estuary from 1983 to 2021 by considering changes in the landscape pattern index. The results show that the patch areas of all the types of wetland landscapes in the Luoyangjiang River estuary changed, and the patch areas of mangroves and Spartina alterniflora increased. The patch density of the coastal wetlands increased significantly, the index of mangrove aggregation increased, and the index of separation decreased. From the perspective of the overall characteristic value of the landscape pattern, the landscape diversity index and the evenness index of the study area gradually increased, and the difference in the proportion of different types of landscape was reduced. Additionally, the patch number and patch diversity significantly increased, the maximum patch index and the spread index decreased, and the landscape separation index significantly increased. Rapid urbanization and the implementation of many ecological restoration projects were shown to be the main factors driving changes in the landscape indices of coastal wetlands in the Luoyangjiang River estuary. In the study period, rapid urbanization significantly reduced the area of coastal wetlands, and the implementation of ecological restoration projects increased the fragmentation, heterogeneity, and dispersion of wetland landscapes in the study area and decreased the aggregation of wetland landscapes. Moreover, the distribution of all the types of landscapes gradually became more uniform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's urbanization has achieved rapid development in the past 20 years, with towns expanding in size and the population increasing, while rural society has also undergone dramatic changes. An in-depth study on the evolution process of rural settlements in the context of rapid urbanization is beneficial to the rational planning of villages and the promotion of green and sustainable urban development. Located in East China, Sishui County is in the transition area between three types of landforms: hills, plains, and mountains. The spatial distribution of rural settlements in the urbanization process shows obvious regional differences. To our best knowledge, research on the spatio-temporal evolution of regional settlements in Sishui County is rare. In this study, we chose Sishui County as the study area, utilized Landsat5 (TM) and Landsat8 (OLI) satellite data as remote sensing data sources, and applied Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis methods, central place theory, and core–periphery theory to explore the evolution process for the pattern, scale, and structure of rural settlements in this region from 2000 to 2021 and to investigate the influencing factors. The results show that: (1) in terms of the evolution of the rural settlement pattern, its distribution shows a gradual increase in the degree of dispersion, which indicates an overall development trend in the region of Sishui County in recent years and that the trend is gradually increasing; (2) in terms of scale evolution, the degree and speed of expansion in rural settlements of Sishui County have gradually decreased, and the scale grade has gradually increased; (3) in terms of structural evolution, the hierarchy system in rural settlements of Sishui County is constantly being improved and optimized from a simple to a complex core–periphery structure. These results will provide data support for the rational planning of villages and sustainable, high-quality urban development. They will also help local governments take appropriate measures to achieve coordinated and sustainable socio-economic and environmental development in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve sustainable urban development, it is essential to gain insight into the spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics and the driving mechanisms of the urban thermal environment (UTE). As urbanization continues to accelerate, human activity and landscape configuration and composition interact to complicate the UTE. However, the differences in UTE-driven mechanisms at different stages of urbanization remain unclear. In this study, the UTE of Shenyang was measured quantitatively by using the land surface temperature (LST). The spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics were chronologically studied using the standard deviation ellipse (SDE) and hotspot analysis (Getis–Ord Gi*). Then, the relationship between human activities, landscape composition and landscape configuration and LST was explored in a hierarchical manner by applying the geographical detector. The results show that the UTE in Shenyang continues to deteriorate with rapid urbanization, with significant spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics. The class-level landscape configuration is more important than that at the landscape level when studying UTE-driven mechanisms. At the class level, the increased area and abundance of cropland can effectively reduce LST, while those of impervious surfaces can increase LST. At the landscape level, LST is mainly influenced by landscape composition and human activities. Due to rapid urbanization, the nonlinear relationship between most drivers and LST shifts to near-linear. In the later stage of urbanization, more attention needs to be paid to the effect of the interaction of drivers on LST. At the class level, the interaction between landscape configuration indices for impervious surfaces, cropland and water significantly influenced LST. At the landscape level, the interactions among the normalized difference building index (NDBI) and other selected factors are significant. The findings of this study can contribute to the development of urban planning strategies to optimize the UTE for different stages of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization often leads to increase in surface runoff; its modelling is always the focus in the field of land use effect. One of the methodological issues is how to classify the landscape (land use/land cover) in the model. In this study, the long-term hydrological impact assessment (L-THIA) model was used to simulate the change of annual surface runoff during the rapid urbanization in Shanghai since 1965. Two landscape scenarios, based upon land uses and pervious/impervious surfaces, were compared, and the CN values were adjusted to validate the applicability of the two landscape scenarios. The results showed that there was almost no difference between the results based on the two landscape scenarios, and it was suggested that the simplified landscape scenario based upon pervious/impervious surfaces can be workable and efficient, while the land use scenario may not be necessary for the modelling considering its scale of interpretation of remote sensing data. It was found that there was a clear linear relationship between the percentage of impervious surfaces and surface runoff. For every 1% increase in impervious surface, runoff increased by 0.94%. In addition, the effect of precipitation on the modelling was also discussed, which indicated that with the increase in impervious surface percentage, the response of runoff change in both dry year and dry season was more sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chengdu has experienced a rapid urbanization in the past two decades, and its land spatial pattern has undergone severe changes. It's meaningful to investigate the tempo-spatial evolution of land spatial pattern and then contribute to high-quality development in Chengdu. Based on the Landsat-series satellite imagery and land use/cover datasets, this paper investigates Chengdu's land function change concerning Production, Living and Ecological (PLE) land. The methods of land dynamics degree, landscape pattern index and Pearson correlation were be employed to analyzes the tempo-spatial evolution of landscape pattern in Chengdu, and some suggestions were finally made. We found that there were severe dynamic degree of PLE land in Chengdu and the production and ecological land were decrease obviously before 2015. Contrastingly, the dynamic degree is decrease after 2015, high dynamic degree regions are move to the northeast from 2000–2019. In addition, the change of production land is the main factor affecting the landscape pattern of Chengdu. In general, we put forward the macroscopic strategy and suggestions of "one core, two belts, four regions, and one direction" to support the high-quality development of Chengdu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization, as a powerful engine supporting sustainable and healthy economic development, is an important force influencing the transformation of the socio–ecological system (SES). Assessing the spatial–temporal evolution of the SES's vulnerability under rapid urbanization is an important contribution to promoting regional sustainable development. Therefore, this study took the Loess Plateau as a case area, and, on the basis of constructing the SES's vulnerability evaluation index system, applied the integrated index method to analyze the spatial–temporal evolution of the SES's vulnerability of the Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2020 with the help of ArcGIS and Origin software and used the dominant factor method to identify the dominant factors affecting high-vulnerability areas. The results show that: (1) the SES's vulnerability of the Loess Plateau fluctuated and decreased. The overall distribution pattern was "high in the north/south, low in the middle". (2) The SES's exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability were all on the rise. Exposure and adaptability showed a distribution pattern of "high in the northwest and southeast, low in the southwest", while sensitivity was "high in the north/south, low in the east". (3) The dominant factors affecting high-vulnerability areas included exposure-dominant, sensitivity-dominant, exposure-sensitive-dominant, exposure-adaptation-dominant, sensitivity-adaptation-dominant, and strong-vulnerable-dominant types. Except for strong-vulnerable-dominant and exposure-dominant, the number of all other types of counties fluctuated upward. Finally, It was proposed policy recommendations to reduce vulnerability in high-vulnerability areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the changes and drivers of water ecosystem services (WESs) can provide guidance for the management of ecological restoration programs (ERPs). This study analyzed the changes in WESs (water yield and water purification) and landscape patterns in the Jianghuai Ecological Economic Zone (JHEEZ) from 2000 to 2020 and revealed the effect of landscape patterns on WESs in different periods (development priority and ecological priority) through a geographic detector (GD) and geographic weighted regression (GWR). During the development priority period, there was an increase in landscape diversity and aggregation, as well as a decrease in landscape fragmentation and complexity. Additionally, the area of water bodies landscape decreased while the aggregation of cropland and built-up land increased. In contrast, during the ecological priority period, landscape diversity, fragmentation, and complexity increased, while landscape aggregation decreased. The water body area also increased, and cropland fragmentation increased. Water yield experienced an initial decrease and subsequent increase, while water purification continued to improve. Patch density and the contagion index are the main factors affecting WESs, and the improvement of water connectivity and the reduction of fragmented Landscape are of great significance to WESs. This study analyzed the impact of landscape pattern changes on WESs from a geospatial perspective and provided a reference for the sustainable development of ERPs in the JHEEZ.

The spatial-temporal distribution pattern of China’s cultivated land has changed dramatically from 1990 to 2020, and the problem of cultivated land fragmentation has become more prominent. However, the existing research lacks a focus on the two specific land use types, paddy fields and dryland. In this study, the spatiotemporal distribution pattern and the fragmentation driving mechanism of paddy field and dryland during the years 1990 to 2020 were identified by using the center of gravity center migration model, standard deviation ellipse, and land-use dynamic model for the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River as an example. The results show that there are significant differences in the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of paddy field and dryland in the MRYRUA. Among the provinces and cities, Hubei province and its Xiangyang city showed the most obvious trend of change. The loss and gain of paddy fields and dryland is related to economic and policy contexts in each period. The main driving factor of paddy field and dryland fragmentation is natural condition, whereas a relatively important factor is the per capita disposable income of rural residents. The effects of each factor on paddy field and dryland fragmentation were not independent; any two factor interactions had a stronger effect on paddy field and dryland fragmentation than a single factor. In general, this study provides guidance and references for the main grain-producing areas undergoing rapid urbanization relating to cultivated land conservation, food security, and sustainable agricultural utilization.

This paper discusses the phenomenon of rapid urbanization and modernity that has omitted communities’ traditions. It evaluates the effectiveness of closing in on the sentience of ethics identity, it also presents solutions and instructions that create the balance between tradition and imitation, to conserve the history of our cities and social behaviors.

Species decline and community structure disruption of urban forest patches have been widely considered, but their mechanisms underlying rapid urbanization have not been fully studied. Here, a 3-year investigation of birds was conducted in 30 forest patches along an urban-suburban gradient of Wuhan, a rapidly urbanizing megacity in central China. Effects of urbanization and vegetation on the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversities of specialists, generalists, and total birds were separately tested. The results showed that the taxonomic diversity of total birds and generalists increased with habitat complexity, and remained highest with a moderate degree of urbanization, while that of specialists increased with increasing patch area size. Functional diversity of total birds and generalists increased with increasing habitat complexity and proportion of fruity plants and rapidly increased when patch area exceeded a threshold (c.a., 80 ha), whereas that of specialists positively correlated with the proportion of fruity plants. Phylogenetic diversities of all three groups of birds were positively correlated to habitat complexity and proportion of fruity plants, and generalists increased with plant diversity and rapidly increased when patch area exceeded the same threshold. These results suggest that high habitat complexity and moderate urbanization could maintain a high diversity of birds, and there was a small-island effect of patch area on bird diversity. Specialists were more dependent on fruity plants and more sensitive to urbanization. To sustain bird diversity, moderate urbanization, threshold of patch area, vegetation complexity and abundance of fruity plants should be integrated into urban forest planning and ecological-based management. • Bird diversity was tested in 30 forest patches in an urbanizing megacity for 3-yr. • Moderate urbanization and high habitat complexity maintained more birds. • Specialists in urban forests were more dependent on fruity plants than generalists. • Patch area showed a small-island effect on birds, with a size threshold of 80 ha. • Forest area and vegetation complexity are critical in urban forest planning/mgmt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Spatiotemporal UHI variations response to dynamic rural-urban transitions. • Three-stage analysis reveals long-term UHI and urbanization traits. • UHI patterns differ in two cities based on surrounding crop cycles. • The profiles in three stages show the horizontal and vertical expansion of the city. Urban heat island (UHI) not only reflects the environmental thermal comfort and energy consumption, but also affects the urban meso‑scale climate. There are many researches related with UHI mainly focusing on urban and rural area, while neglecting dynamic rural–urban transition especially in a rapid urbanization in China. Beijing and Zhengzhou are studied by using city clustering algorithm (CCA) and boundary generation algorithm (BGA) to delineate the urban, peri‑urban and rural boundaries from 2000 to 2023 within three stages. Fourier transform model was used to identify the UHI patterns. Results show: 1) Two cities have undergone obvious expansions in 20 years, with a consistent mean LST decrease from urban to peri‑urban and rural areas in three stages. 2) The distribution of UHII was more consistent in Beijing, while it varied more in Zhengzhou across seasons. 3) The UHI patterns notably differ, with Zhengzhou experiencing variable patterns and Beijing consistently showing oblate patterns. 4) The profiles of UHII and NDVI in two cities varied seasonally and reflected urban expansions in terms of longitude and latitude. Understanding the long-term changes and patterns of urban heat islands in different cities will provide information for formulating adaptive policies for urban sustainability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities and urban areas are an important part of global sustainable development, and the health and well-being of urban residents are closely related to the quality, quantity, and diversity of urban ecosystem services. Although the rapid urbanization process has changed the structure and function of urban ecosystems, which is notably different from natural ecosystems, the affected ecosystem services and their interactions—the trade-off impact of urbanization intensity on ecosystem services—remain to be discussed. Using land use/land cover and impervious surface area remote sensing datasets, and InVEST and RUSLE-related ecosystem services models to evaluate seven typical ecosystem services in Shenzhen, this study explored the evolution of multiple ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies during the transition from a natural ecosystem to an urban ecosystem, and how they are affected by urbanization intensity through correlation analysis and a discrete time-step simulation model. The results show that: (1) from 1978 to 2018, in the process of ecosystem transformation, grain production dropped from 228,795 tons to 11,733 tons, fruit production peaked in 1990 at 271,508 tons, and service capacity of both showed obvious degradation. Conversely, the cultural service capacity was remarkably enhanced. (2) With the increase in urbanization level, the trade-off and synergy of ecosystem services gradually transition from linear to nonlinear. The rapid urbanization process drives the nonlinear degradation of ecosystem services and the nonlinear enhancement of synergy. (3) Over the past four decades, ecosystem service bundles within the same kilometer grid have shown a quadratic curve-like decrease with increasing impervious surface area, slowly in the early stages and faster in the later stages. This study concludes that urbanization intensity has a significant impact on ecosystem service trade-offs, which can provide support for the formulation of ecological protection and restoration strategies in territorial space based on ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to climate change and rapid urbanization, contemporary cities face the dual challenges of providing sufficient stormwater management and adequate park services, which potentially conflict over limited space and resources. To solve these problems, cities are increasingly combining stormwater infrastructure with park space in ways that create new efficiencies. To date, most research has focused on the stormwater management performance aspect of these combinations and not the techniques employed to achieve the combined goals. To fill this gap, 23 sponge city parks in Shanghai were investigated to examine the combination of stormwater and park services. Our findings show that stormwater techniques were primarily combined with the park facilities of water areas, paved open spaces, and pathways. Additionally, we found that larger parks employed a wider range of techniques for managing stormwater runoff and supported broader sets of park activities, while those at smaller scales prioritized infiltration, detention, and purification measures, as well as concentrated on social and economic activities. This study is the first to explore SPC parks that integrate stormwater management and park services, thereby providing implications for SPC development in China and insights into the ways that the two properties can be combined in other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of rapid urbanization, the coordination of the population–land relationship, the optimal allocation of land resources, and the improvement in land-use efficiency are the keys to ensuring the sustainable development of the region. This study takes the Nanjing Jiangbei New Area (NJNA), a national development zone in China, as a case study to construct an analytical framework for the regional population–land–industry (PLI) coupling coordination relationship. A spatial organization model of population–land (PL) flow is used to calculate the coupling coordination degree of PLI factors. The allocation of land resources is adjusted and optimized through the characteristics of the actual population served in the area to determine the new urban population that can be effectively accommodated by the new district. The comprehensive evaluation of the coordination degree of PLI coupling shows that the area connected with Jiangpu and Dacang Street has high development potential in terms of population concentration and construction land layout and can be used as a key area for future development. Based on the analysis of the spatial layout of the PL flow, further suggestions are made to optimize planning for the future population concentration area in NJNA. This study can also provide a reference for the optimal management of land resources in similar areas at home and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmland is the most precious natural resource and the primary source of food for human beings. Urbanization not only occupies a large amount of farmland spatially, but also economically squeezes agricultural production, resulting in farmland marginalization and causing serious threats to food security. However, the manner in which rapid urbanization drives farmland marginalization in surrounding areas and the factors that might play a dominant role in this process remain elusive. Therefore, the present study considered rapidly urbanized regions of 128 county-level units in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of China from 2000 to 2020 as the study area. Methods such as spatial autocorrelation analysis, hotspot analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to explore the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and the driving factors of farmland marginalization. The results showed that: (i) the marginalization ratio of farmland in YRD from 2000 to 2020 was 31.34%, with a distinctly increasing trend, generally high in the central and southern and low in the north areas; (ii) marginalization exhibited different spatial agglomeration under different influencing factors: the economy-induced marginalization ratio was 23.19%, playing a dominant role, in general, distributed as high in the middle and low on the sides, while the nature-induced marginalization ratio was 8.15%, and in general, the spatial pattern shifted from discrete- to a clear- distribution of high in the south and low in the north; and, (iii) farmland area per capita, total power of agricultural machinery, GDP per capita and government farmland subsidies were the main factors driving farmland marginalization. In addition, nature-induced marginalization was primarily driven by economic level and topographical conditions, whereas economy-induced marginalization was primarily driven by production conditions. We suggest that in the future, corresponding policies and measures should be established to reduce farmland marginalization in rapidly urbanized areas and to ensure food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the forefront of implementing China's "Yellow River Major National Strategy," the lower Yellow River area has caused irreversible "constructive destruction" to the regional natural ecosystem and ecological functions while accelerating the process of urbanization and has become an area of sharp contradiction between ecological protection and high-quality development of the river basin. Therefore, based on ArcGIS and MATLAB software, this study used the InVEST and RUSLE models to quantitatively assess water yield, habitat quality, and soil conservation services of the lower Yellow River Region from 1990 to 2020 and analyzed the spatial and temporal characteristics and their interaction relationships of various ecosystem services. The results showed that： ① In the period from 1990 to 2020, the land urbanization process accelerated significantly, with the expansion of construction land increasing by 39.89%, whereas the area of other major land types had declined to varying degrees. ② From 1990 to 2020, the distribution patterns on the county scale and grid-scale in the lower Yellow River Region were relatively consistent. The water yield and soil conservation experienced a changing trend of first decreasing and then increasing, and the spatial distribution pattern of water yield gradually shifted to more in the east and less in the west. The spatial distribution patterns of soil conservation and habitat quality remained unchanged throughout the period, with the high values distributed in the hilly or mountainous regions of the higher terrain and the low values mainly in the plains of the gentle terrain. ③ At both the grid scale and county scale, the interaction relationships between various ecosystem services had been dominated by synergy and showed significant spatial heterogeneity. Especially at the county level, strong trade-offs were occurring in a few counties. For example, the relationship between water yields and habitat quality was a significant and strong trade-off between Weishan County and Huaiyin District. The study quantified the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of ecosystem services in the lower Yellow River Region and clarified the trade-off synergistic relationships between ecosystem services, which can provide a scientific basis for ecological protection and watershed management under the rapid urbanization process.

Lagos State, which is home to Lagos metropolis and the eighteenth largest urban agglomeration in 2018 in the world, has been characterized by rapid urbanization. An earlier study of the eastern segment of the state revealed dramatic urban growth in previously rural local councils where it replaced mostly ecological assets. For a statewide view of the landscape pattern changes, this study examined the western segment of the state to characterize the magnitude and trend of these changes. This was done with Landsat images for 1984, 2006 and 2015 along with ENVI 5.0 software and FRAGSTATS v.4.2 spatial pattern analysis program. Results show that cumulatively, the ecological assets, which comprised 75% of the area in 1984, have been whittled down to about 34% by 2015 having been lost through urban development. At the council level in 2015, the highest growth areas, in decreasing order of magnitude, were Alimosho, Badagry, Ojo and Amuwo Odofin local government areas. Both class and landscape-level metrics confirmed the dominance and fragmentation of the resultant landscape in 2015 by urban development. In 1984, vegetation dominated the landscape at 55% coverage and was the largest feature with the highest area-weighted contiguity or connectedness index. Thirty-one years later in 2015, built-up areas were the dominant patch with 54% coverage and the highest contiguity and area-weighted contiguity index, higher than vegetation. These findings have narrowed the information gap about the spatial and temporal changes in the ecological assets of the western segment of Lagos State as a result of rapid urban expansion.