Ecological Planning Research Articles

Sequential action-based dynamic decision-support model for urban ecological planning

Decision-makers often encounter the challenge of efficient long-term ecological planning to consider economic and environmental trade-offs. This challenge becomes particularly complex while addressing dynamic ecological responses to ongoing urban development. Thus, we developed a sequential action-based dynamic decision-making model to simulate sequential action mitigation measures over time, while considering the dynamic ecological responses that emerge with urban development. We used a multi-objective optimization algorithm to identify optimal plans that maximize landscape connectivity and edge density, while minimizing the implementation costs per action. We focused on utilizing ecological corridors and habitat creation as mitigation measures from 1980s to 2010s. The results show that the initial low-investment strategy adopted in 1980s and sequential planning led to significantly improved ecological benefits beyond the 2000s when compared to the single-action planning approach implemented in 2010s. In contrast, an initial high-cost investment in the 1980s gradual declined the ecological benefits starting from 1995. We have demonstrated that adopting sequential planning provides valuable insights into effective urban ecological planning, especially when analyzing time-series data. This sequential approach enables decision-makers to make informed choices, thereby ultimately facilitating sustainable urban and regional planning.

Towards an urban ecosystem model through a cross-cultural Chinese and greek knowledge analysis

PurposeIn the post-pandemic era urban ecosystem planning has become critically important. Given the emphasis on relevant issues concerning the complex interactions between human civilizations and natural systems within urban environments in the new normal, this article aims to enrich the field of knowledge management developing a cross-cultural analysis for clarifying the role of knowledge in planning and urban ecosystems.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is conceptual in nature. Based on a theoretical foundation built by a critical literature review and data from the China Statistical Yearbook and China’s National Bureau of Statistics, this paper introduces some emerging real-impact topics regarding the connections between humanistic knowledge and urban planning. A comparative analysis between the capital city of Chang’an in the Tang dynasty of China and the capital city of Athens in Ancient Greek was used for explaining the influence of knowledge on successful urban planning.FindingsThe understanding the role of cross-cultural differences in knowledge management and practices for urban ecosystems offer the opportunities for rethinking consolidated approach to the interaction among social, economic, and environmental dimensions in urban settings.Originality/valueThis paper implies a new inter-disciplinary research field of great interest for the real impact KM community by illuminating how knowledge management is central in urban planning and across cultures.

Which bird traits most affect the goodness-of-fit of species distribution models?

Species distribution models (SDMs) are numerical tools that combine species occurrence (or abundance) data with environmental variables, to predict the species’ distribution spatially. SDMs are increasingly used for purposes of conservation planning and management of ecosystems. The model performance can be measured as the goodness-of-fit (GOF), which describes how well it fits (e.g., the discrepancy between the statistical model and the data observed). However, there is still a need for a deeper understanding of the ecological characteristics of the modelled species which can affect the accuracy of those models. Here, we compared the goodness-of-fit of SDMs, considering several ecological characteristics of 56 bird species: Most frequently used environment, body mass, home-range, species specialization index (SSI), diet specialization and detectability. All SDMs were performed on the same dataset, and the relative frequency of each species was also incorporated to account for occurrence heterogeneity. GOF of SDMs was not significantly correlated with species’ frequency, home-range, body mass, degree of detectability or level of diet specialization. Overall, the birds with more accurate SDMs (GOF) were species of grasslands and the GOF was positively associated with SSI, indicating that more habitat-specialized species are better predictable. Our findings suggest that is important to focus not only on statistical issues potentially related to model performance but also on ecological characteristics of single species because can improve the performance of modellistic procedures, increasing their predictive power.

Combining a hydrological model with ecological planning for optimal placement of water-sensitive solutions

Newer water management approaches aim to better utilize runoff by treating it as a resource rather than a nuisance and by promoting a more holistic handling of runoff. These approaches use nature-based green infrastructure solutions to increase infiltration and detain water. Identifying optimal placement for these solutions is challenging due to multiple and sometimes competing objectives. Here, we propose a methodology to help planners and stakeholders maximize the benefits of flood mitigation projects by identifying opportunities for sustainable development. Most studies examine placement decisions based on metrics obtained from hydrological models. However, solely depending on hydrological indicators, without accounting for social and ecological indicators, might bias the placement decisions. We propose combining hydrological and land-use planning models. We used the revised version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) known as SWAT+ to simulate existing hydrological conditions and the results as initial input for the conservation decision support software MARXAN. We added data on endangered species and distance from the human population as ecological and social indicators. This addition shifted the selected areas and provided a more complete view of runoff management than only hydrological indicators. Furthermore, we show that coupling SWAT+ and MARXAN can effectively balance hydrological concerns with ecological and social factors.

Construction and optimization of ecological security pattern based on landscape ecological risk assessment in the affected area of the Lower Yellow River

In the context of urban expansion and climate change, the world is under pressure from multiple ecological risks. Key ecological protection areas play a pivotal role in preserving ecological stability and promoting development. Due to its unique geographical conditions, the Yellow River basin has been facing huge ecological risk pressure. In the affected area of the Lower Yellow River (AALYR) as an agricultural hub, ecological protection has gradually become a key factor restricting the development of cities and agriculture. Taking AALYR as an example, the landscape ecological risk assessment (LERA) system is established based on three aspects “natural environment—human society—landscape pattern”. We construct a comprehensive cumulative resistance surface based on the risk assessment results as the basis for the future study. Ecological corridors are identified by minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) models to establish and optimize Ecological security pattern (ESP) in the AALYR. We found that the landscape ecological risks (LER) in the study area show a uniform spatial distribution, with a slightly higher distribution in the northeast than the southwest. The ecological risk levels are generally high in AALYR, indicating a more severe risk problem in this area. A total of 56 ecological sources were identified, with a total area of 21176 km2. The ecological sensitivity of AALYR was high, and 99 ecological corridors and 59 ecological nodes were extracted. Ecological corridors and nodes were consistently and densely distributed throughout the study area. The network analysis method improves the stability of the network structure after optimization. Based on the key components of the ESP, with the combination of geographical characteristics and local policy planning guidance, we constructed the “One Belt and One Axis, Two Cores and Two Corridors, Four zones” ESP. The study results may offer guidance and suggestions for the construction of ESP and ecological environment protection system in the world’s major river basins, and may also provide information for ecological planning of other similar river basins in the world.

EVALUATING A NADIR AND AN OBLIQUE CAMERA FOR 3D INFRASTRUCTURE (CITY) MODEL GENERATION

Abstract. The analysis of Earth’s surface is strongly associated with the creation of three dimensional representations. In light of this, researchers involved in any realm of research as, geological, hydrological, ecological planning, city modelling, civil infrastructure monitoring, disaster management and emergency response, require 3D information of high fidelity and accuracy. For many decades, aerial photos or satellite data and photogrammetry provided the necessary information. In recent years, high-resolution imagery acquired by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) has become a cost-efficient and quite accurate solution. In this framework, an infrastructure-monitoring project, named called “PROION”, focuses among others on the generation of very fine and highly accurate 3D infrastructure (city) model. The specific study evaluates a high-resolution nadir camera and an oblique camera for the creation of a 3D representation of the Patras University Campus. During the project, two identical flights over a part of the campus were conducted. The flights were performed with a vertical take-off and landing (Vtol) fixed wind UAV equipped with PPK receiver on-board. Based on the conducted flights, many data sets have been evaluated regarding the accuracy and fidelity. It was proved that both nadir and oblique cameras produced very accurate 3D representations of the University campus buildings. The RMSE error of the nadir imagery is almost two times higher than the respective error of the oblique imagery reaching 30cm.

Urban Flora Structure and Carbon Storage Potential of Woody Trees in Different Land Use Units of Cotonou (West Africa)

Urbanization is a current concern, particularly in Africa, where it is expected to continue and increasingly threaten the effectiveness of plant biodiversity, natural carbon sinks, and the sustainability of cities. This paper investigates the structural parameters and carbon storage potential of trees in the land use units of the city of Cotonou in southern Benin. A total of 149 plots at 2500 m2 each were randomly generated, and trees with a diameter ≥ 10 cm were inventoried. ANOVA revealed that the means of structural parameters (diameter and height classes) and carbon stock rate varied significantly (p < 0.001) across land use units in the city. Tree basal area is estimated at 4.52 ± 5.24 m2 ha−1, with an average of 12.72 (13) feet ha−1. The average diameter of the trees is estimated at 57.94 ± 29.71 cm. Approximately 1000 kg ha−1 (0.94 × 103 kg ha−1) of carbon is stored in the city of Cotonou. Green spaces (1.21 × 103 kg ha−1) and roads (1.19 × 103 kg ha−1) are the units that recorded the highest carbon stocks. Khaya senegalensis, Mangifera indica, and Terminalia mentally lead the top ten species with high stock potential. This study demonstrates the contribution of urban trees to global atmospheric carbon reduction, which varies by species, land use units, and tree density. Future research could investigate an i-Tree Landscape approach for urban carbon estimation. This could reinforce urban carbon data availability for urban ecological planning.

Analyzing spatial patterns and influencing factors of different illegal land use types within ecological spaces: A case study of a fast-growing city

The conflict between socio-economic development and ecological protection results in large areas of illegal land use within ecological spaces. Determining the spatial patterns and influencing mechanisms of illegal land use is important because it is harmful to the natural environment. Previous studies mainly considered macro-scale influencing factors, but rarely analyzed the influencing mechanisms behind different types of illegal land use (e.g., residential areas, industrial areas). Therefore, we assessed the spatial distribution of suspected illegal land use and then investigated the influencing factors of various illegal land use types by combining remote sensing and the maximum entropy algorithm. The accuracies of the models for almost all types of illegal land use were much higher than 0.8. The results indicated that 36.14% of the subdistricts exhibited illegal land use issues in terms of the first-level ecological red lines, and 56.63% of subdistricts had this problem within the second-level ecological red lines. Rural residential areas, residential areas, and industrial areas were the major types of illegal land use. In addition, population, elevation, and transportation had a great impact on the occurrence probability of illegal land use. Particularly, transportation-related factors, such as distance from roads, distance from trunk lines, and distance from highways, had a large impact on illegal residential and industrial areas. Proximity to public transportation facilities was associated with a greater risk of illegal commercial areas. Therefore, local governments should strengthen the management of high-risk areas and monitor them closely to prevent conflicts between urban development and ecological protection plans. They must pay sufficient attention to areas with higher population density, lower elevation, and closer proximity to public transportation facilities. Overall, these conclusions can facilitate the fine-scale protection of ecological spaces and provide a theoretical basis for sustainable ecological planning.

A comparative analysis of ecosystem service valuation methods: Taking Beijing, China as a case

Ecosystem service value (ESV) is a crucial metric used to assess the well-being that ecosystems provide to human. However, a unified and standardized approach for accounting ESV is currently lacking. Further investigation is needed for cross-comparisons and empirical analyses using different methods. In this study, we quantified Beijing’s ESV from 2009 to 2018 using the equivalent value factor (EVF) method and the gross ecosystem product (GEP) method. This quantification illustrated the evolving ecological status of Beijing over the decade and highlighted the differences between the two methods. We analyzed the two approaches based on functional classification, accounting value, application scope, and changing patterns, uncovering significant disparities in their evaluation outcomes. The GEP method employs a wider range of indicators than those used by the EVF method. In 2018, the calculation results of the EVF and the GEP methods were 423.43 × 109 yuan and 493.83 × 109 yuan, respectively. The accounting results of the EVF method rose notably over the decade, while those of the GEP method fluctuated. The main causes of these disparities are that the EVF method is heavily influenced by dynamic equivalent factors and land uses, with an emphasis on the water equivalent factor, making it more suitable for natural ecosystem assessment. In contrast, the GEP method is affected by multiple factors and is more suitable for regions with high urbanization, like Beijing. This study underscores the importance of methodological considerations in ESV assessment, guiding the selection of accounting methods suitable for diverse scales and regions, thereby enhancing the scientific rigor of ecological protection decisions and facilitating coordinated regional ecological planning and economic development.

Implications of ecosystem services and ecological network coupling for ecological planning in karst regions of China

Since the beginning of the 21st century, recognizing the need for sustainable development and the protection of ecosystems, the United Nations and international agencies have been actively promoting the protection of the natural environment. The construction of ecological networks (EN), as one of these efforts, emphasizes the connectivity between natural patches and their ability to support ecosystem services (ES). Currently, constructing ecological networks using ecosystem services as a comprehensive evaluation criterion has become one of the important ways to maintain sustainable ecosystems. Karst regions have received much attention due to their fragile ecosystems, and this paper reviews articles from around the world that have studied ecosystem services and ecological networks in these regions. It found that this research is gradually maturing, although the number of published articles on research related to ecological networks is relatively small, with the largest number of papers taking the Chinese Karst region as a study area. Indicator factors for the construction of ecological networks in this region are usually based on ecosystem services, but they are usually not considered comprehensive enough, e.g., the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services are rarely considered. At the same time, the construction of ecological networks requires dynamic monitoring and optimization on a larger scale in order to provide assistance for longer-term environmental protection.

Envisioning Romania’s Path to Sustainable Development: A Prognostic Approach

The objectives of sustainable development aim to find a balance between economic, social, and ecological plans through which to reduce the use of the planet’s resources without somehow affecting human well-being. As we have already entered the second half of the time allotted to achieve these goals, it is necessary to note what progress has been made and to have a future analysis of what may happen to see what can be done to bring this plan to an end. Hence, the aim of this paper is to assess the extent to which Romania is projected to attain its sustainable development goals. In order to be able to forecast the route that some of the sustainable development objectives are heading towards (among which there are elements related to agriculture, energy poverty, pollution, innovation, youth education, etc.), values were forecast for a period of three years using the ARIMA method, having as historical data the period 2015–2021. According to the analysis carried out, for some objectives, the situation seems to be flourishing, but this is not the case for all the analyzed indicators. Thus, it should be taken into account that, at the European level, Romania occupies, in many cases, low positions in terms of the progress made and that it is possible that some of the objectives will not be met.

Integrating the impacts of vegetation coverage on ecosystem services to determine ecological restoration targets for adaptive management on the Loess Plateau, China

AbstractAchieving sustainable resource management is essential to address the rising demand for ecosystem services. The absence of targeted vegetation restoration based on ecological function positioning has, nevertheless, made it challenging to effectively combat the ecological decline. This study attempted to classify four dominant ecological function areas based on the assessment of water conservation, soil retention, habitat quality, and food supply and determined the vegetation coverage threshold by exploring the trade‐offs among ecosystem services and constraint effects between ecosystem services and vegetation coverage. The results highlighted the impacts of ecosystem services on vegetation coverage across the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 and established differentiated ecological restoration targets. The optimal vegetation coverage in the water conservation area was found to be 58%–63%, in the soil retention area was 52%–56%, in the food supply area was 34%–40%, and in the habitat quality area was 65%–70%. Finally, the study identified the subwatersheds with reasonable vegetation coverage, excessive restoration, and those that failed to reach the optimal vegetation coverage to develop targeted restoration strategies for each subwatershed according to its unique vegetation conditions. This study provides valuable insights into the specification of differentiated vegetation coverage targets and serves as a useful tool for more effective ecosystem planning and management.

Automatically drawing vegetation classification maps using digital time‐lapse cameras in alpine ecosystems

AbstractAlpine ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Monitoring the distribution of alpine vegetation is required to plan practical conservation activities. However, conventional field observations, airborne and satellite remote sensing are difficult in terms of coverage, cost and resolution in alpine areas. Ground‐based time‐lapse cameras have been used to observe the regions' snowmelt and vegetation phenology and offer significant advantages in terms of cost, resolution and frequency. However, they have not been used in research monitoring of vegetation distribution patterns. This study proposes a novel method for drawing georeferenced vegetation classification maps from ground‐based imagery of alpine regions. Our approach had two components: vegetation classification and georectification. The proposed vegetation classification method uses a pixel time series acquired from fall images, utilizing the fall leaf color patterns. We demonstrated that the performance of the vegetation classification could be improved using time‐lapse imagery and a Recurrent Neural Network. We also developed a novel method to accurately transform ground‐based images into georeferenced data. We propose the following approaches: (1) an automated procedure to acquire Ground Control Points and (2) a camera model that considers lens distortions for accurate georectification. We demonstrated that the proposed approach outperforms conventional methods, in addition to achieving sufficient accuracy to observe the vegetation distribution on a plant‐community scale. The evaluation revealed an F1 score and root‐mean‐square error of 0.937 and 3.4 m in the vegetation classification and georectification, respectively. Our results highlight the potential of inexpensive time‐lapse cameras to monitor the distribution of alpine vegetation. The proposed method can significantly contribute to the effective conservation planning of alpine ecosystems.

Optimization of urban and rural ecological spatial planning based on deep learning under the concept of sustainable development

At present, the speed of urbanization in China is constantly accelerating. At the same time, due to the severe situation of tight resource constraints, severe environmental pollution, and ecosystem degradation, vigorously promoting the construction of ecological civilization has become a key planning direction. However, traditional urban and rural ecological spatial planning is influenced by factors such as region, terrain, and spatial scale, which cannot adapt to the current spatial planning requirements. To achieve sustainable urban and rural ecological spatial planning, we propose a method that uses the optimized remote sensing images and convolutional neural networks to achieve spatial planning. In the analysis of the application effect of the usage method, the experimental results show that increasing the amount of data such as image size can improve the execution performance of the computer when the computer is not fully utilizing its resources and its computational volume fails to saturate the computational capacity. The parallel configuration designed in this experiment can accelerate the performance of the computer better, and the acceleration effect becomes more obvious as the difficulty of the algorithm increases. The Faster RCNN algorithm proposed in this experiment has the highest retrieval accuracy in the Flickr30K dataset and MS-COCO dataset compared with other algorithms. In Flickr30k data set, compared with other models in the table, the model used in this paper has the highest retrieval accuracy. The retrieval accuracy of R@1, R@5, R@10 increased by 23.1%, 8.1% and 5.3%, respectively. In MS-COCO data set, the retrieval accuracy increased by 19.2%, 13.1% and 8.3% respectively. The above results confirm that the combination of remote sensing images and convolutional neural network technology can perform simple ecological planning of a city's urban and rural areas, which proves that the method proposed in this experiment has practicality.

Comprehensive evaluation of urban greenspace ecological values marketability through the spatial relationship between housing price and ecosystem services

Urban greenspace provides a variety of ecosystem services. A reasonable evaluation of such services, both from an environmental and from an economic point of view, can deliver a more comprehensive and accurate assessment of urban greenspace value and might be helpful for possible future market transactions. There seems to be a spatial correlation between housing price and ecosystem services. The hedonic price model takes into account also the greenspace around the residences. This study proposed a methodological framework combining the emergy accounting method and statistical model, taking Beijing as a case study. The relationship between housing prices and ecosystem services is explored, and the different types of urban ecosystem service are evaluated, taking into account the heterogeneity of different size, distance and perception of greenspaces. Ecological thermodynamics was applied to the housing price characteristic model, accounting for the ecological value embedded in the housing price, and provided a theoretical basis for the ecological value monetization evaluation and urban ecological planning. The results show that the improvement of each unit of ecosystem services value measured by means of the emergy accounting method will increase the housing price by 806.28 yuan per square meter. Small and micro parks have a more positive impact on housing prices than medium and large parks; The positive impact of grassland on housing price is greater than that of woodland, wetland and shrubs; Carbon sequestration has the largest positive impact on housing prices of other kind of ecosystem services. The methodological framework proposed in this study is helpful to further explore the ecosystem services provided by urban greenspace. The quantitative pricing results of different ecosystem services can be used as reference for relevant ecological trading and compensation policies. Qualitative analysis of parks and different ecosystems can provide value for urban greenspace planning.

Quantitative Model Construction for Sustainable Security Patterns in Social–Ecological Links Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning

With the global issues of extreme climate and urbanization, the ecological security patterns (ESPs) in the Qinling Mountains are facing prominent challenges. As a crucial ecological barrier in China, understanding the characteristics of ESPs in the Qinling Mountains is vital for achieving sustainable development. This study focuses on Yangxian and employs methods such as machine learning (ML), remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GISs), analytic hierarchy process and principal component analysis (AHP–PCA), and the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model to construct an ecological security network based on multi-factor ecological sensitivity (ES) and conduct quantitative spatial analysis. The results demonstrate that the AHP–PCA method based on ML overcomes the limitations of the single-weighting method. The ESPs of Yangxian were established, consisting of 21 main and secondary ecological sources with an area of 592.81 km2 (18.55%), 41 main and secondary ecological corridors with a length of 738.85 km, and 33 ecological nodes. A coupling relationship among three dimensions was observed: comprehensive ecological sensitivity, ESPs, and administrative districts (ADs). Huangjinxia Town (1.43 in C5) and Huayang Town (7.28 in C4) likely have significant areas of ecological vulnerability, while Machang Town and Maoping Town are important in the ESPs. ADs focus on protection and management. The second corridor indicated high-quality construction, necessitating the implementation of strict protection policies in the study area. The innovation lies in the utilization of quantitative analysis methods, such as ML and RS technologies, to construct an ecological spatial pattern planning model and propose a new perspective for the quantitative analysis of ecological space. This study provides a quantitative foundation for urban and rural ecological spatial planning in Yangxian and will help facilitate the sustainable development of ecological planning in the Qinling region.

İstanbul's Mega Projects Under Ecological Scrutiny: A Critical Assessment

The increasing interdependence between cities and economies has led to a rise in mega projects, which are large-scale investment projects aimed at meeting economic and political demands. While they are planned for economic development, they have significant negative impacts on nature, cities, and people. İstanbul is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and has become a popular location for planning mega projects. The 3rd bridge, 3rd airport, and Canal İstanbul are three mega projects developed by the government for urban development and social welfare. The purpose of the article is to reveal the ecological and spatial effects of mega projects in İstanbul. In order to achieve this aim, an analytical assessment method is applied using positive, neutral, and negative correlations for the selected mega projects in İstanbul. The inputs required for the analytical assessment method have identified in accordance with the fundamental principles of the eco-smart planning approach, which is established on the basis of ecological planning and smart city index. The outputs of the study suggest that ecological, social, and spatial impacts must be taken into account in the planning and implementation of mega projects. The study highlights that projects driven solely by economic priorities tend to result in negative urban, environmental, and social consequences in İstanbul.

The dynamic impact of landscape urbanization on ecosystem service multifunctionality in the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration: A panel VAR approach

AbstractUnderstanding the influence mechanism of landscape urbanization on ecosystem services (ESs) will provide useful guides for ecosystem conservation and urban sustainable management. However, the models used in existing studies tended to evaluate the various impacts of landscape urbanization on ES in the same period and fail to reveal the dynamic response of ES to landscape urbanization and the contribution of each impact variable, which is not conducive to the long‐term planning and management of urban ecosystems. To fill the gap, based on the panel data of the 141 counties in the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration (CCUA) from 2000 to 2015, this study applied the panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model to investigate the dynamic impact of different aspects (i.e., urban scale, density, shape, and compactness) of landscape urbanization on ES multifunctionality (ESM) and identified the key impact factors. The results showed that (1) the proportion of high‐level ESM decreased by 9.13% in 2000–2010 and then increased by 19.14% in 2010–2015; (2) the ESM of the CCUA existed significant spatial agglomeration, and the high‐level areas were concentrated in the southwestern mountains, while the low‐level areas were mainly located in the central plains and urban areas; (3) There was a strong non‐linear relationship between landscape urbanization and ESM, with variability in the intensity and direction of ESM's response to landscape urbanization shocks as time. Specifically, urban landscape scale and shape (i.e., percentage of landscape, largest patch index (LPI), and landscape shape index) were generally more influential on the ESM than urban landscape density and compactness (i.e., patch density and pacth cohesion index), with LPI making the greatest contribution. These findings will help to clarify the dynamic relationship between landscape urbanization and ESM, which could provide important guidance for ecosystem conservation and urban planning.

Spatial Heterogeneity and Formation Mechanism of Eco-Environmental Quality in the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) serves as a crucial ecological security barrier in China, and the scientific evaluation and understanding of the formation mechanisms of ecological environment quality (EEQ) in the YRB are of great importance for implementing dynamic regional ecosystem planning and protection. Therefore, this study aims to explore the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and formation mechanisms of the EEQ in the YRB from 2000 to 2020, based on land use remote sensing monitoring data, utilizing research methods such as the ecological environment quality index, centroid analysis, and the geographic detector. The results are as follows: From 2000 to 2020, the overall EEQ in the YRB showed a slight increasing trend, with a significant growth trend in the upstream and middle reaches, and a decreasing trend in the downstream. The spatial heterogeneity of the EEQ in the YRB was significant, with a south—high and north—low distribution pattern overall. During the study period, the spatial distribution pattern of the EEQ was relatively stable, with a notable increase in EEQ in the northwest of the YRB. The EEQ in the study area was jointly affected by natural and socio-economic factors, with precipitation, terrain fluctuation, and temperature being the dominant factors. The upstream EEQ was most affected by temperature, the EEQ of the middle reaches was most affected by precipitation, and the downstream EEQ was more vulnerable to the interference of slope and topographic relief. The influencing factors had a synergistic effect on the EEQ, and the explanatory power of socio-economic factors for a single-factor explanation of the EEQ was relatively low, but the explanatory power of the interaction between natural and socio-economic factors was significantly enhanced. These results can provide valuable insights for guiding and informing policy-making decisions related to ecological protection in the YRB.

Macedonia boulevard linear park design for reduced transport noise pollution

The modern urban life is characterized by the concentration of large masses of people in territories with a dynamic infrastructure. This requires ensuring and maintaining a higher ecological standard for the urban population. One of the axes of such standard is the provision of acoustic comfort to the urban environment, through decorative vegetation for noise dust and gas protection. An urban design should plan and provide eco-zones for every public space in the city, including boulevards and streets. The considered project offers specific solutions with sustainable plant species to achieve acoustic and aesthetic comfort of the environment, taking into account the adjacent environment and the status of the object – a monument of the garden – park art. By means of linear compositions, with physiologically resistant and long-lasting types of vegetation planted in a heavy urban environment, a good result for noise and dust protection was achieved. At the same time, decorative vegetation affects habitus, texture, color and aromas. Through a „Green Tram“ additional horizontal vegetative area is provided a microclimate and low noise pollution level. The research and analysis in the project also formulate the need for an urban planning strategy for ecological planning and organization in order to ensure long-term acoustic comfort for the city’s inhabitants.