Fringe Areas Research Articles

Biodiversity and environment in cities —A case study of birds in urban and suburban areas of Japan

In Japan, the environmental degradation in the urban and urban fringe area advanced from rapid economic growth to begin at the mid-1950s. The environmental aggravation such as large-scale development of the city with little consideration of environment, air pollution and the noise and so on had a big influence at the biological diversity. The habitation space of the creature is decreased or disappeared, and biological diversity suddenly is decreased. This tendency continued after stability of the economic growth of the mid-1970s. The environment of the urban area was not desirable space for the creatures. In addition, it decreased the ecosystem service. However, this problem lies in administration and private consciousness, and improves the consciousness of inhabitants and the reduction of the pollution, as well as the maintenance and creation of the urban greening advanced, and the environment of the urban area was improved

The Impact of Online Transportation Services on Indonesian Urban Non-Working Trip Volume and Distribution Pattern: A Case Study in Bandung City

The development of digital technology has made it much easier for most people to access online communication through smartphones. Such a phenomenon has encouraged operators to develop an online transportation service system, which has also been growing in Indonesian urban areas. The urban community accepts the new alternative of the application-based transportation system since it offers a much more efficient way to reach transportation services. Moreover, the online transportation system also offers a much wider range of destination locations. It is believed that the creation of an application-based transportation service system will affect metropolitan areas' social and economic conditions and how urban communities’ travel. The development of this application-based transportation service would change the configuration of urban non-working trip distribution patterns, which should be understood as inputs for the urban transport development plan. This research aims to understand the impact of online transportation services on non-working trip distribution patterns in Indonesian urban areas, with Bandung City as the case study. The method used in this research is statistical descriptive, using respondents' responses to map the influenced trip generation and distribution patterns. The results show that online transportation has enabled the community to travel more easily and reach wider areas. Such changes have formed a new travel pattern that extends the destination locations to a wider peri-urban area. In the future, the government should anticipate urban fringe area land use growth, changing the region into more "urbanized-built-up" areas.

Influence mechanism of injection process parameters on iridescent pattern defects on optical molded parts

AbstractIridescent patterns are insufferable molding defects during mass manufacturing of polymer optic devices by using injection molding (IM) technique and seriously affect the appearance and imaging performance of parts. However, at present, the research on the factors affecting iridescent pattern defects is lacking, resulting in the difficulty of obtaining effective methods to weaken iridescent pattern defects. This article aims to clarify the correlation mechanism between injection process parameters and iridescent patterns and provide a theoretical basis for reducing iridescent pattern defects. Based on the process characteristics of IM and the optical mechanism of iridescent patterns, the correlation between iridescent patterns and influencing factors such as optical characteristics and the material structure is established. The influence mechanism of process parameters on iridescent patterns is further clarified by experiments. The results show the iridescent pattern color is related to the retardation, while the iridescent pattern brightness is affected by the retardation and transmittance. Process parameters change the retardation and transmittance by varying factors such as the thickness, birefringence, and crystallinity. Higher mold temperature, reasonable melt temperature, injection speed, and holding pressure are conducive to reducing the colorful fringe area and iridescent pattern brightness, thereby weakening the iridescent patterns on the part.

Temporal and Spatial Evolution Analysis and Correlation Measurement of Urban–Rural Fringes Based on Nighttime Light Data

Rural–urban fringe areas serve as crucial transitional zones within urban structures, and their spatiotemporal evolution holds significant reference value for scientifically planning urban configurations. The existing research predominantly focuses on large cities, overlooking the spatiotemporal evolution mechanisms of small- to medium-sized cities. This study employs nighttime light data as the data source to ensure continuous and consistent data, overcoming administrative boundaries. Taking Taizhou City as a case study, a combination of the threshold method and an improved Mann–Kendall algorithm is employed to reveal the evolution process of fringe areas. And a gravity model is utilized to unearth the interaction relationships among regions. The results indicate that from 2010 to 2020, the urban area expanded from 1097 km2 to 2791 km2, with fringe areas experiencing initial contraction followed by gradual expansion. The central urban areas of Jiaojiang, Luqiao, and Huangyan gradually merged, forming a concentrated region. Linhai maintained a high level of attraction, while spatial gravity weakened in other areas. This study quantitatively analyzes the expansion trends of fringe areas in small- to medium-sized cities, elucidating the attractive effects of time–cost distance and land resources on development and providing valuable support for subsequent spatial planning and governance.

Urban dynamics and its impact on habitat and eco-environmental quality along urban-rural gradient in an urban agglomeration (India)

The ecological environment in cities has posed a severe threat due to rapid unplanned and haphazard urbanization worldwide. Thus, an ecological assessment environment is essential for policy implications and sustainable management of urban ecosystems. This study aims to assess urban dynamics and their impact on the habitat and eco-environmental quality in English Bazar Urban Agglomeration (EBUA), Eastern India. A remote sensing-based habitat and eco-environmental quality index have been developed for 2001, 2011, and 2021. The habitat and eco-environmental quality have been assessed along urban-rural gradient (URG) using a multi-ring buffer approach. The spatial metrics were also used to assess the sensitivity and elasticity. The model has been validated (r2= 0.72 for habitat quality and r2= 0.65 for eco-environmental quality) based on the imperviousness extracted from Sentinel 2 data. The findings showed that (i) vegetation cover and water bodies decreased by 56.72 % and 67.99 %,(ii) habitat quality deteriorated by 39.30 % (iii) the areas with very high eco-environmental quality decreased from 37.20 % (2001) to 5.26 % (2021) (iv) the habitat and eco-environmental quality improved from the core towards the fringe and rural areas (v) the landscape pattern i.e. area mean (AREA_MN) and aggregation index (AI) of the built-up areas had negative impact on the habitat and eco-environmental quality. The study's findings provide a new perspective regarding the relationship between urban dynamics and habitat and eco-environmental quality for sustainable urban development.

"Emergence of Channapatna Local Planning Area – An Alternative to Decongest Bengaluru, Karnataka, India "

There has been quite a debate to understand the scope and opportunities related to the fringe areas of urban cores and their associated areas. Indeed, planners envision fringe areas as ‘great alternatives’ to ease out housing pressure in cities. As many of the fast growing Asian cities, Bengaluru shows quite a rapid and haphazard development in terms of urban processes. The city has expanded rather comfortably since 1990s in a concentric pattern, but presently it is facing immense challenges in terms of land availability. City planners have struggled to find solutions, while taking measures for the decentralization of city functions in the case of fringe areas. This research highlights the physical set up and the existing land use components to understand the extension and development possibilities of the fringe region of Channapatna lying adjacent to the Bengaluru city. The study area is Channapatna, which is famous for its handmade wooden toy and doll making industries. The region is a fringe area that promises to be a great setting for residential and industrial activities. Nonetheless, the paper focuses on the current villages in the region, which are generally agriculture-oriented and thus the preservation of the land use and related conservation measures are needed in a single planning platform. The study describes the demographic parameters and discusses the current land use and future planning measures. Therefore, the focus is not on Bengaluru as the Indian software capital, but on Channapatna in Bengaluru fringe area, which has tremendously benefited from the city development efforts. As such, this development includes economic growth and sustainable planning measures that would promote the co-existence of the rural and urban land uses, safeguarding the interests of the local artisans and farmers while paving the way for urbanization. This paper highlights the demographic aspects of the villages considered for a comprehensive and cluster level planning of Channapatna with changing land uses showing its prospects in toy making industries and its nearness to the main city as a promising future of sustainable urban planning and development.

Mangrove forest drag and bed stabilisation effects on intertidal flat morphology

AbstractMangrove trees influence their physical environment by exerting drag on tidal flows and waves while also stabilising the sediment bed of intertidal flats. These processes influence sediment accretion, the mangrove habitat and their resilience to sea level rise. However, little is known about the magnitude and spatial extent of the effects of mangrove forests on sediment transport and the morphology of the intertidal flat. We use manipulated simulations with an extended process‐based numerical model, to study the influence of mangrove forests on intertidal flat morphology on a yearly timescale. The model includes the influence of mangrove trees on tidal flows, waves and sediment dynamics. The model is calibrated and validated with a comprehensive set of measurement data including hydrodynamics, sediment transport and morphological processes from an expanding mangrove forest in the sediment‐rich Firth of Thames estuary in Aotearoa New Zealand.Sediment accretion on the upper intertidal flat is predominantly influenced by the characteristic morphology of the established mangrove forest, with increased bed stability at higher mudflat elevations related to prolonged aerial exposure and drying of the bed. Our results show that, in comparison to the situation without mangroves, sediment accretion increases in the most seaward fringe area of the forest. The unvegetated intertidal flat fronting the mangrove forest captures less sediment compared to the situation without mangroves. The mangrove forest drag triggers the development of a steeper, convex‐up‐shaped, upper intertidal flat profile, especially during periods with higher water levels and waves. These effects are expected to influence the development and storm‐recovery of natural and restored mangrove forests and may contribute to the resilience and persistence of mangrove‐vegetated intertidal flats for coastal flood risk reduction.

Comparison of the driving mechanism between logistics land use and facilities: A case study from Wuhan metropolitan area

Investigating the spatial growth patterns and underlying mechanisms driving urban logistics space and activities with scientific quantitative methodologies holds substantial importance in advancing the sustainable development of urban logistics. From a perspective of spatiotemporal dynamics, this study has proposed a multinomial logit (MNL) cellular automata (CA) model to explore the spatial evolution of logistics land use and logistics facility locations in Wuhan metropolitan area from 2010 to 2018. The driving mechanism behind the spatial evolution of logistics in both land use and facilities has been compared in a bidirectional path. The results show that: 1) Both logistics land use and facilities exhibit a suburbanization trend characterized by a “center-periphery” non-equilibrium spread in space, and the evolution pattern of higher development in west and lower development in the east of the Yangtze River. The growth of small-sized facilities has basically formed a self-organizing spatial pattern in line with the structure of residents' demand. 2) The co-location indices (CLI) between logistics land use and facilities have shown a consistent decline from 2010 to 2018. This decline suggests an increasingly pronounced issue of spatial mismatch between logistics land use planning and actual facilities allocation, resulting in an unbalanced allocation of logistics resources and inefficient logistics activities. 3) Both logistics land use and large facilities concentrate in urban fringe areas due to its sensitivity to land price. The small-sized facilities tend to locate in residential area in central region. Finally, policy implications have been provided to guide practical planning and support the sustainable development of logistics.

SPATIO-TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF URBAN THERMAL ENVIRONMENT IN UDAIPUR CITY, RAJASTHAN, INDIA

Abstract. The Udaipur urban agglomeration was selected to analyse the urban heat island (UHI) effect in the area from 2005 to 2017. Landsat 7 ETM+ sensor data was used to derive land surface temperatures (LST) and map landscape characteristics. The agglomeration was classified into seven land use land cover classes including agriculture cropped, agriculture fallow, barren, built up, scrub, vegetation and water using unsupervised classification method. The LST results were obtained using NDVI method. Urban heat island intensities were mapped using z-score method. Regions with UHI values of above 2 standard deviations were considered to reflect UHI effect. Results show an overall decrease of 10.2 percent in agricultural cropped and fallow lands. The scrub class also shows a moderate decline of 2.3 percent. Increase in area were observed for built up, barren and vegetation classes by 8.8, 2.1 and 1.9 percent respectively. The dominant LULC change was the transformation of agricultural lands to built-up class. The class-wise mean LST observations increase in order of water, vegetation, cropped, fallow, built up, scrub and barren land. The mean LST records an increase of 1.7° C from 30.1° C to 31.8° C over the study period. Results suggest that UHI effects are more prominent in urban fringe area corresponding with the built up and barren land cover classes contrary to its core area. Built up areas surrounded by barren lands left vacant for city’s sprawl in the future exhibit highest UHI intensities.

Identification of irregular extension features and fragmented spatial governance within urban fringe areas

Ecological fragmentation and environmental degradation are the main problems faced by urban fringe areas (UFA). The urban sprawl of UFA is the most complex, varied, and sensitive area for urbanization. However, the research on spatial governance in the UFA of megacities is still in the early. Therefore, this paper takes Xi'an as an example, using nighttime light (NTL) data as the basic data. ArcGIS software is used to generate contour lines and filter the boundary of UFA. We explored the characteristics and fragmentation of uneven expansion of the UFA and carried out spatial governance of the landscape fragmentation problem. Results show that: The UFA has been experiencing dynamic changes for a long time and the area reached 720.57 km2 in 2020. The landscape of the UFA is significantly fragmented. The dominant landscape changed from a single land use to a more mixed. Factors such as traffic networks and heritage sites are the main influencing factors for the fragmentation of UFA. To improve the landscape fragmentation of UFA, focusing on bottom-line control, ecological restoration and other aspects of governance may be effective ways. In addition, connecting urban areas with rural hinterlands, and carrying out targeted planning play an important part in the sustainable development of regional landscapes.

Ecosystem sensitivity and landscape vulnerability of debris flow waste-shoal land under development and utilization changes

Debris flow waste-shoal land (DFWSL) is a new type of ecosystem in ecologically fragile areas of debris flows that is extremely sensitive to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Existing studies have focused on the availability and utilization of DFWSL and impact analysis of DFWSL use with external environmental changes but have neglected to evaluate the vulnerability and sensitivity of the DFWSL system itself. To gain a more in-depth understanding of the sensitivity and vulnerability of the DFWSL system and the spatial relationship between them. In this study, a comprehensive and general methodology was developed to quantitatively illustrate the spatiotemporal changes of sensitivity and vulnerability of DFWSL and explore the spatially heterogeneous relationships between these relations and several socio-ecological drivers, integrating land transfer matrix, global Moran’s I and local Moran’s I, geographical detector, and multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) methods. Results show that the main land use types in the DFWSL, from 2014 to 2022, were cultivated and construction land. During that period, the area of cultivated land and water area decreased by 24.3% and 49.36%, respectively, while the area of forest land and construction land increased by 42.29% and 31.71%, respectively. Overall system sensitivity decreased during this period. The severe sensitive (Mid-High and High) area gradually decreased to the periphery areas and river basin outflows. The mild sensitive area increased (81% in 2014, 83% in 2018, and 90% in 2020) and was mainly located in the central area, mainly affected by elevation, rainfall, slope, and NDVImax. Landscape vulnerability (fragmentation) was mainly present in the central area, which was dominated by human activity (cultivated and construction land). The distributions of landscape vulnerability and sensitivity displayed a non-correspondence spatial correlation. This study improved our understanding of the spatial distribution characteristics of vulnerability and sensitivity of DFWSL and provided a basis for devising solutions to problems associated with disaster reduction and development.

Delineating and Characterizing the Metropolitan Fringe Area of Shanghai—A Spatial Morphology Perspective

The metropolitan fringe area is of great significance to a city’s future growth. However, relatively little attention has been paid to delineating and characterizing the metropolitan fringe area from a spatial morphology perspective, which contributes to the planning and design of metropolitan fringe areas. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a morphology–based method to delineate the metropolitan fringe area and investigate the characteristics of its spatial morphology. Drawing upon a large–scale dataset on the spatial morphology of Shanghai, this study finds that the metropolitan fringe area is generally circular in shape and is dominated by residential, industrial, agricultural and forestry land. The metropolitan fringe area accounts for 24.65% of the total area of Shanghai and is mainly located between its outer ring and suburban ring areas. The distributions of spatial characteristics of the metropolitan fringe area suggest that the area has a relatively lower level in terms of building height, building density, and development intensity. Furthermore, the metropolitan fringe area of Shanghai contains five key spatial elements, including residential and industrial clusters, shadow spaces accompanying clusters, corridor lines, green wedges, and surfaces. The interaction of the five spatial elements lays the foundation for the prototype of the spatial structure of the metropolitan fringe area of Shanghai, which is of great significance to understanding the heterogeneity within the metropolitan fringe area in terms of the distribution of spatial morphological characteristics. Such heterogeneity also needs to be considered in the planning and design of the metropolitan fringe area.

Aeolian dust movement and deposition under local atmospheric circulation in a desert-oasis transition zone of the northeastern Taklimakan desert

Taklimakan Desert, in the northwest China, is one of the main sources of dust storms in the world. Frequent dust storms have seriously affected the ecological environment of surrounding oases. Quantification of dust deposition on the different underlying surface is vital to understand the local atmospheric cycling and its effect on movement of the dust particles in desert fringe areas. To examine the contribution of airflow from different direction to the dust deposition rate, the desert–oasis transition zone between the Korla oasis and the northeast edge of the Taklimakan desert is selected as the study area. 36 h backward trajectories of air masses arriving at the study site from 1st March to 31st May 2023, were determined by using the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model) model. The trajectories were categorized by k-means clustering into 3 clusters, which show distinct features in terms of the trajectory origins and the entry direction to the site. Dust collection tank were placed on five underlying surfaces from south to north: shifting sand desert, semi-shifting sand desert, desert vegetation, shelter forestland and croplands at the height of 0.2 m, 0.5 m, and 1.5 m. At the each of height, four dust collection tanks were arranged to collect the dust from 4 directions. Results show that, air masses from the south with highest frequency (46 days) and highest dust storm occurrence (91.3 %) is the main contributor of dust particles to the study area. Dust deposition rate on different underlying surfaces showed a significant decreasing trend from the desert to oasis, and the dust deposition on all underlying surfaces decreased with the height. Dust deposition corresponding to the southward wind direction is the highest, and the amount of fine dust particles are increased with the height of the dust collection tank. The results of this study could be helpful to forecast the potential occurrence and mowing pathway of dust storms, which can provide the basis for mitigation of the negative effects on the environment.

Impacts of high-albedo urban surfaces on outdoor thermal environment across morphological contexts: A case of Tianjin, China

The urban heat island (UHI) effect can exacerbate various environmental challenges related to high temperatures in urban areas. Increasing urban surface albedo is an effective strategy to mitigate UHI. However, the efficacy of high-albedo urban surfaces across varying urban contexts remains poorly understood. In this study, we leverage Urban Weather Generator to systematically simulate the effects of high-albedo roads, walls, and roofs on urban microclimate across Tianjin. Our simulation covers a typical meteorological year, representing typical weather conditions from January to December. Our results reveal that increasing road albedo is more effective in mitigating UHI in fringe areas, whereas increasing wall and roof albedo is more effective in mitigating UHI in central areas. Local climate zones with an urban aspect ratio of about 0.5 can obtain a maximum reduction of road surface temperature (-6 °C) and wall surface temperature (-3 °C). The temperature changes induced by albedo changes show evident seasonal characteristics: the road temperature decreases significantly in summer, while the wall temperature decreases significantly in spring and autumn. Our results could help guide UHI mitigation policies and urban planning in cities hoping to enhance urban surface albedo to balance urban growth and climate resilience.

Integrating a heatscape index and a Patch CA model to predict land surface temperature under multiple scenarios of landscape composition and configuration

Effectively predicting and mitigating urban heat island (UHI) through regulation of urban landscape patterns remains a global challenge. This paper introduces a new framework for predicting land surface temperatures (LST). We introduce a heatscape index (SCSS) to establish a relationship between landscape patterns and LST within spatial grids. Furthermore, the framework employs an urban CA model, equipped with a sophisticated patch generation engine, to forecast urban landscapes under multiple scenarios. LST under these scenarios is then calculated based on the established regression relationship. Application of the framework in Wuhan yields valuable insights: (1) The regression coefficient (R2 = 0.85) between SCSS and LST indicates that changes in SCSS can well explain the spatial heterogeneity in LST, especially in areas with evident UHI effects. (2) The simulated and retrieved LST for 2015 shows high spatial consistency, achieving an R2 value of 0.81, indicating the model's credibility. (3) Scenario simulations demonstrate that rapid and compact urban land expansion would exacerbate the UHI effect, leading to extreme high-temperature areas expanding towards suburban regions and significant temperature increases in urban fringe areas. The proposed framework provides powerful tools for policymakers and urban planners to mitigate the UHI effect and enhance urban sustainability.

Effects of Linpan nature therapy on health benefits in older women with and without hypertension.

Nature therapy can significantly benefit the physiology and psychology of middle-aged and older people, but previous studies have focused on forest environments. The restoration potential of rural environments in urban fringe areas, which are more accessible to older people on a daily basis, has not been fully studied. This study assessed the effects of nature therapy on the physical and mental health of older women in a rural setting (locally known as Linpan) in the urban fringe area of Chengdu, China. We recruited a total of 60 older women (65.3 ± 5.5 years old) living in cities for 3 days of nature therapy in the winter (30 subjects) and spring (30 subjects), including 20 hypertensive patients. The results showed that the overall blood pressure, pulse and sleep dysfunction rating scores of the participants were significantly lower than the pretest levels, and the finger blood oxygen saturation, mid-day salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol were increased post-treatment. Increases in these biomarker indicates and increase in stress. There were significant differences in the changes in systolic blood pressure between the hypertension group (HTN) and the normal group (normal) (HTN decreased by 8.8%, normal decreased by 5.4%), salivary alpha-amylase content (HTN decreased by 0.3%, normal increased by 16.9%), and sleep dysfunction rating scores (HTN decreased by 59.6%, normal decreased by 54%). The decreases in systolic blood pressure and pulse in the winter group were higher than those in the spring group by 1.8 and 4.4%, respectively, while the increases in salivary alpha-amylase content and salivary cortisol content were lower than those in the spring group by 11.7 and 11.2%, respectively, and the decrease in sleep dysfunction rating scores was lower than that in the spring group by 7.1%. Our study concluded that nature therapy based on various health activities in the Linpan has significant health effects on older women. It can regulate blood pressure and pulse in older women, relieve cardiovascular disease, improve sleep quality. Meanwhile, older women with high blood pressure experienced a more significant effect than the healthy group.

A Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation Analysis of the Drivers of Urban Expansion on Peri-Urban Lands in Ilorin, Nigeria

Aim: To examine the drivers of urban expansion on peri-urban areas in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
 Study Design: Cross-sectional survey research.
 Place and Duration of Study: Eyenkorin, Kwara State 2022.
 Methodology: From the literature review, fifteen (15) drivers of urban expansion at the peri-urban areas were highlighted. Afterwards a pilot survey was done on the 15 factors among experts in academia with relevant experiences in the built environment. The 15 factors were affirmed adequate for the study. A structured questionnaire survey on a 4-Point Likert Scale was administered to 332 household heads in the study area to colate opinions on how the highlighted factors influence urban expansion on the peripheral land. Weighted Mean Score, Factor Analysis and Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation were used to analyze the factors driving urban expansion in the study area. Weighted Mean Score was used to evaluate the individual factors driving urban expansion of peripheral lands in the study area. The Factor Analysis helped to identify the principal individual factors driving urban expansion at the study area and how they are related with to one another. Fuzzy Synthetic matrix was used to reveal the categories of factors driving urban expansion at the study area in order of their importance.
 Results: From study, Occupation and living related factors with a criticality index of 3.12 are the most critical drivers of urban expansion towards the periphery in the study area. This is followed by Accessibility comfort and Land speculation factors with a criticality index of 2.96; and Religious and Institutional factors with a criticality index of 2.72. However, in the study area, Socio-Cultural related factors with a criticality index of 1.22 are not significant drivers of urban expansion towards the periphery in the study area.
 Conclusion: The study revealed that there has been exponential spatial urban land use expansion in the peripheral area considered for the study. The study revealed that the factors driving urban expansion to the peripheral area centered around job/occupation related factors, housing and living factors, accessibility factors, religious and institutional factors. For the purpose of environmental preservation and a structured land use, attention should be given to the pace and pattern of urban expansion to achieve a sustainable land use. Hence, there is need to start giving attention to how urban expansion occurs and the land use activities that clusters around the landmarks driving the urban expansion at the peri-urban areas in order to ensure sustainable urban expansion especially in developing countries where this can be an oversight. This will help to optimize a balanced urban land use dynamics for the present and the future preservation of the environment.

Assessing spatiotemporal changes in landcover using geospatial and remote sensing techniques in the Southern fringes of Chennai.

Peri-urban areas are transitional zones on the outer boundaries of cities. These regions have immense growth potential, and it is necessary to observe the land use landcover changes to understand the dynamics of these transformations. The area selected for this study is towards the Southern fringe of Chennai, Tamil Nādu, India, and is analyzed using multi-spectral satellite imagery from Landsat 5 and 8. The primary objective of the study is to assess the change in landcover classes, namely water, land, and vegetation, over a 30-year study period between 1991 and 2021. The peri-urban regions majorly are arable land. Hence, NDVI is considered a suitable index to monitor the landcover changes. The spatiotemporal analysis indicates an increase of 19.43% in land /barren areas towards the Northern parts near the study area and along the transit and industrial corridors. No significant changes are observed in the areas of vegetation that could be attributed to efforts taken to conserve reserve forests and increase green zones in newer developments. A steep depletion of 46.86% of water bodies observed in the region also corresponds to water scarcity problems. Accuracy was assessed using ground-truthing methods, computing the confusion matrix and Kappa coefficient. NDVI is used efficiently in the landcover classification but does not indicate the difference between built-up areas and barren land. Change detection map prepared using ARCGIS indicates the areas that have been converted to other landcover over a period of 30 years. The study reveals an urgent need to bring in policy decisions to conserve waterbodies and green spaces in the initial stages of urban planning for sustainable developments in the fringe areas.

Trade-offs under pressure? Development of urban green space under economic growth and governance

Urban green space (UGS) is susceptible to shocks from multiple sources, including the economy and governance. It is now a global policy challenge to ensure the sustainability and livability of cities. Nevertheless, available studies have reached contradictory conclusions regarding the economic impact on UGS. Using statistical data, empirical studies in the Chinese context failed to differentiate between built-up areas and municipalities and neglected data matching within the study area. To address these gaps, this study explored the relationship between the economy and UGS at various quantiles by constructing unconditional quantile regression (UQR) models using panel data from 283 Chinese cities (2001–2019). The relationship between economic growth and the total area of UGS in the municipal zone (ugs_area) and UGS coverage of built-up areas (ugs_rate) was generally positive and statistically significant, according to the analysis. Furthermore, the study observed heterogeneity in the relationship between the economy and ugs_area and ugs_rate across different quantiles, indicating a growing presence of UGS appearing in the periphery of built-up areas. Cities strived to increase ugs_area and ugs_rate to meet the National Garden City (NGC) standards. After NGC designation, ugs_area and ugs_rate decreased significantly. Moreover, the positive correlation coefficient between the economy and UGS in provincial capital cities was considerably greater than in non-provincial capital cities. This study contributes to UGS research by revealing the nonlinear impact of driving factors. In addition to distinguishing between UGS in municipal districts and those specifically in built-up areas, this study quantifies the impact of governance variables. The study provides a valuable resource for planning UGS in China and promoting harmonious integration of economic growth, governance, and UGS in rapidly developing cities.

Spatial Optimization of Land Use Pattern toward Carbon Mitigation Targets—A Study in Guangzhou

Global climate change is one of the major challenges facing the world, and the spatial optimization of land use patterns has been regarded as critical in realizing carbon mitigation. In this study, the linear programming model and the Markov Chain model are integrated in different scenarios to optimize land use structure for low-carbon development. The land use pattern is then simulated through the adjusted convolutional neural network and cellular automata model, taking Guangzhou City as the case study area. The results reveal that construction land with high economic efficiency will increase its area, and the reaming types will experience slight changes, in 2035 in the natural development scenario and the economic priority scenario. Ecological land such as forest land, grassland, and water is partly occupied by construction land in the urban–rural fringe areas. The total carbon emissions decrease by 2.32% and 1.57% in these two scenarios. In the low-carbon-oriented scenario, the expansion of construction land is restricted, and the forest land and grassland undergo great expansion. The total carbon emission decreases by 18.95%—a figure much larger than that in the natural development scenario and the economic priority scenario. Our paper embeds the needs and constraints in land spatial planning into the spatial optimization of the land use pattern, which provides valuable references for low-carbon city development in the future.