Urban Ecological Networks Research Articles

Construction of Green Space Ecological Network in Xiongan New Area Based on the MSPA–InVEST–MCR Model

With the rapid pace of urbanization, the integrity and connectivity of ecosystems are under serious threat, making biodiversity conservation a top priority. We use the Xiongan New Area in China as a case study to explore the significance and application of constructing urban ecological networks in the development of new cities. This study systematically applied the categorization of green space systems using remote sensing technology; MSPA was used to identify key landscape patches; InVEST was employed to assess habitat quality; and potential ecological corridors were established using the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR). Moreover, targeted recommendations for optimizing ecological green spaces were put forward. The findings demonstrate that the Xiongan New Area has significant potential and needs for ecological network construction, and it faces the issue of ecological network fragmentation. This research highlights the significance of developing ecological networks within urban planning and proposes optimization strategies tailored to these networks. The objective is to offer scientific guidance for the design and development of emerging cities, such as the Xiongan New Area, to facilitate the alignment and integration of ecological preservation efforts with urban expansion, ultimately achieving the sustainable development goal of harmonious coexistence between the environment and urban areas.

Unveiling the lifeblood of cities: Identifying urban ecological networks from the perspective of biodiversity conservation

Urban biodiversity faces threats from habitat loss, landscape fragmentation, and human disturbances. Ecological networks (ENs) can enhance habitat connectivity and bolster population resilience to disruptions. To safeguard the biodiversity of Nanjing's urban area, this study selected understory insectivorous birds as indicator species for biodiversity, employing a comprehensive approach integrating the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and the area threshold method to delineate ecological source areas. Key indicators directly linked to the species distribution were extracted based on the habitat suitability assessment results, and an ecological resistance surface was crafted using spatial principal component analysis. Subsequently, the circuit theory model was applied to pinpoint ecological corridors, pinch points, and barrier points. The findings unveiled the following: (1) The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), human activities (HA), and canopy height (CH) were critical indicators influencing biodiversity. The response curves of the NDVI and CH were positively correlated with the probability distribution of indicator species, while the response curve of the HA showed an overall negative correlation with the same distribution. (2) The spatial distribution characteristics of the ecological network revealed a ‘one axis, two cores, intersecting’ pattern. Ecological sources were supported by mountainous forests and riverside green spaces, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the Yangtze River. Ecological corridors were forming continuous tree belts along highways and riverways, predominantly concentrated on the eastern side of the Yangtze River. Ecological pinch points and barriers were primarily located at the intersections of fragmented green spaces and developed areas in the northeastern and southeastern regions of the study area. (3) This study finally identified 30 ecological source areas, 65 ecological corridors, 8 pinch points, and 8 barrier points. This study presents a construction paradigm for urban ENs from the vantage point of biodiversity conservation, including both regional specificity and universal applicability, providing vital theoretical underpinnings and pragmatic insights for urban sustainability.

Diagnosis of the fragmentation of urban ecological network structure and its social-ecological responses.

The fragmentation of ecological network structures has become a common problem faced by cities. By establishing the urban ecological network under a specific socio-ecological system framework, we aimed to propose a quantitative index to diagnose the fragmentation of the network structure, and to construct detection model to explore the driving factors and mechanism of the network fragmentation. Using Shenzhen City as an example, we used the Floyd-Prim algorithm to generate the skeleton structure of the ecological network and construct a density discontinuity index to diagnose network fragmentation. Combined with the ecological network scenario, social-ecological system framework and a two-layer indicator system were constructed. The detection models were then established to explore the drivers of network disruption and their mode of impact. The models show that the average degree of network fragmentation in Shenzhen was 0.13, and the density of about 85% of corridor discontinuities was greater than 0.01, reflecting the serious state of structural fragmentation. Corridors with more severe structural fragmentation have poorer social-ecological coordination. The fragmentation in Shenzhen was mainly affected by the activities of actors (A) at the microlevel and the resource system (RS) at the macrolevel. The methods and the framework of socio-ecosystem analysis proposed in this paper can reveal the driving factors and influence modes of network fragmentation, providing decision-making reference for ecological restoration practice in urbanized areas.

Urban multi-scale ecological network sequence and spatial structure optimization: A case study in Nanjing city, China

Rapid urbanization has had a segmented effect on the ecological land and natural environment in cities. Constructing an ecological network is of vital importance to protect ecological resources and maintain regional ecological security. However, ecological spaces at different administrative scales have their own ecological functions and elemental characteristics. Therefore, we formed the ecological network sequence to present the integrative connection of multi-scale with municipal area (MA), main urban area (MUA) and central urban area (CUA) in Nanjing. Ecological sources were identified through “landscape—function—structure” framework, and ecosystem services value (ESV) was used as an auxiliary method to identify supplementary sources. Ecological corridors and some key points were identified through circuit theory. The results show that the area of ecological sources in MA, MUA and CUA was 427.3 km2, 62.5 km2 and 16.2 km2, respectively. By integrating sources of three scales, we got 14 sources (442.7 km2) in the first sequence and 10 sources (7.7 km2) in the second sequence. Apart from that, we also got 4 new supplementary sources with area of 13.5 km2. The length of ecological corridors in MA, MUA and CUA was 252.5 km, 263.9 km and 22.7 km, respectively. By integrating corridors of three scales, we found that the western corridors between the ecological sources had a higher gravitation. The ecological nodes are generally distributed in the landscape heterogeneity transition zone, ecological resource fringe zone and ecological spatial contiguous zone. The ecological pinch points are generally distributed along the water system. The ecological barrier points are generally distributed in the combination area among the urban block, village and road. In conclusion, this study made up for the research gap of finding the nesting and integration relationship among ecological networks at multi-scale.

Ecological Network Construction in High-Density Water Network Areas Based on a Three-Dimensional Perspective: The Case of Foshan City

The acceleration of urbanization has resulted in varying degrees of impact on the stability and health of high-density urban ecosystems. Building urban ecological networks is crucial for safeguarding biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem vitality. In this study, the city of Foshan was selected as the study area, which is a prime representative of a high-density water network city. Additionally, a morphological spatial pattern analysis was employed to identify the ecological source. We built an ecological resistance surface using geographic, natural, and behavioral elements, adjusting it based on the density of the water network and the building height. Following this, the circuit theoretical model was utilized to create an ecological network by identifying ecological corridors. There were three key findings. First, the ecological network consisted of 30 ecological source sites and 53 ecological corridors, and 103 ecological “pinch points” and 193 ecological barrier points were identified. Second, the ecological sources were predominantly situated in the southwestern and northern parts of Foshan City. Meanwhile, the suburbs of Foshan City contained the primary ecological barrier points, mainly stemming from new construction sites, while the key ecological “pinch points” were concentrated at river junctions. The third outcome was the recommendations to (a) boost the connectivity of the ecological network in the suburbs, (b) improve the connection of the water network in urban areas, and (c) focus on enhancing landscape connectivity. The objective was to develop approaches for optimizing urban ecological networks, leading to better connectivity and improved ecological network quality.

Analysis of Spatial Divergence in Bird Diversity Driven by Built Environment Characteristics of Ecological Corridors in High-Density Urban Areas

Urban ecological corridors play an important role in facilitating bird migration and maintaining biodiversity in urban landscapes as key connections between habitat patches. However, the effects of built environment characteristics of urban ecological corridors on bird diversity have not been well understood. In this study, we used Minhang District, Shanghai, as an example to describe the built environment of urban ecological corridors through three dimensions (habitat characteristics, degree of surrounding urbanization, and degree of slow-traffic connectivity). We calculated species richness, abundance, Shannon–Wiener index, and Simpson Index to assess bird diversity based on the bird observation dataset from the Citizen Science Data Sharing Platform. The effects of built environment characteristics of urban ecological corridors on bird diversity were quantified by the Generalized Linear Model. The results showed that: (1) There were significant differences in the built environment characteristics of urban ecological corridors, which formed the spatial differentiation pattern of bird diversity. (2) Different built environment features of urban ecological corridors have different impacts on bird diversity. Habitat suitability of urban ecological corridors was positively correlated with bird diversity, with birds preferring to inhabit waters with an area of more than 1 ha. The degree of urbanization was negatively correlated with bird diversity, with distance to the center of the area proving to have the strongest positive effect. The degree of slow-traffic connectivity proved that low-intensity human activities in urban ecological corridors had a lower impact on bird diversity. The above findings can provide scientific reference for the construction of urban and regional ecological networks in the future.

Optimization model for urban ecological network connectivity considering geospatial constraints

ABSTRACT Connectivity enhancement of ecological networks is an efficient and advantageous spatial planning strategy, and it is a hot research topic to analyze ecological networks based on complex systems theory and perform model optimization. As a typical geographic network, the evolution process of ecological network, such as node and edge growth, will be subject to geospatial constraints, and the current research lacks optimization models that take the geospatial constraints into account. This study focused on urban ecological network connectivity and the distribution of nodes as well as structural fractures where the connectivity of the ecological network was hindered were analyzed. Then it introduced a local world network model to optimize network connectivity and designed a network growth mechanism with limited added nodes and optimal connections. An ecological network optimization model considering geospatial constraints was constructed, and the network closeness index was used to fit the objective function curve to select optimization schemes. This study used Shenzhen, China as a case study, and the results indicated that the initial ecological network was significantly fractured by urban construction. In the optimization scenario, the network evolution reached its optimal state at the simulation step size of t = 26. At this point, the closeness index of the optimized network was increased by 15%. The optimization model constructed in this paper emphasizes the importance of functional restoration of existing network nodes, and the results of the study can provide support for ecospatial layout optimization and management.

Influence of large open-pit mines on the construction and optimization of urban ecological networks: A case study of Fushun City, China

Influence of large open-pit mines on the construction and optimization of urban ecological networks: A case study of Fushun City, China

Establishment and optimization of urban ecological network based on ecological regulation services aiming at stability and connectivity

Establishing an urban ecological network is a means to improve the ecological environment and enhance sustainable urban development amidst rapid urbanization. Based on the demand of eco-city, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), ecological regulation services value (ERSV), and landscape connectivity have been combined to identify ecological resources with high connectivity and ecological benefits in this study. Using the Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model, ecological corridors have been constructed and ecological critical nodes have been identified. In addition, the urban ecological network has then been optimized from the overall layout and local key nodes based on the circuit theory to balance the ecological livability and species diversity in the eco-city. The main conclusions could be demonstrated as follows: (1) 76.45% of the high ecological regulation service value areas have been identified as core areas. (2) The distribution of ecological corridors has been found uneven with significant disparities (3) The connectivity indices, especially the line point rate (β) index, have increased by 21.66%, while the robustness has increased by 75.44%. Overall, the combined methods have been used to establish and optimize the ecological network within the limited space to balance the ecological livability and biodiversity. The results of this study could provide a scientific reference for the optimization of urban ecological space and promote sustainable development in the eco-city.

Biotope Map Creation Method and Utilization Plan for Eco-Friendly Urban Development

A biotope map provides ecological and spatial information that reflects the natural and ecological features and values of a city. In South Korea, efforts have been made to create a map that includes grades based on evaluating the ecological value of a specific surface space. However, plans for applications have not been established, except for development restrictions or regulations for biotopes with high ecological value ratings. The aim of this study was to promote environmentally friendly and sustainable urban management through ecological land use management for all biotope types that are influenced by anthropogenic land use. Strategies for maintenance, protection, recovery, improvement, creation, and reduction based on ecological restoration principles were set as management goals. To achieve these management goals, evaluation items and indicators were suggested for minor-classification types and applied to Dongducheon City. Management strategies were suggested for target sites based on grades and thematic maps of biotope types to be utilized, such as urban ecological axes, river naturality restoration, and wetland and forest preservation. These findings support sustainable and environmentally friendly urban development by providing fundamental data for ecological and environmental management, including the preservation and restoration of natural environments and the creation of urban ecological networks.

Spatial response of urban land use intensity to ecological networks: a case study of Xi'an Metropolitan Region, China.

In the face of the persistent degradation of ecological environments and fragmentation of ecological networks brought about by rapid urbanization, this study focuses on examining the interaction between urban land use intensity and ecological networks in the Xi'an Metropolitan Region (XAMR), China, and their impact on ecological equilibrium and sustainable development. By comprehensively evaluating the changes in land use intensity in XAMR from 2010 to 2020, the aim is to underscore the pivotal role of ecological networks in maintaining urban ecological balance and promoting sustainable development. The findings indicate a transition in land use intensity in the XAMR from low to high concentration, reflecting an intensification in land resource utilization during urbanization. However, the establishment and management of ecological networks can significantly enhance urban ecological security and biodiversity. Notably, this research identified crucial ecological corridors and source areas, augmenting the connectivity of urban green infrastructure and providing vital support for urban biodiversity. Additionally, a significant finding of this study is the spatial spillover effects generated by socioeconomic factors such as the proportion of tertiary and secondary industries and per capita GDP through the ecological network, which have profound impacts on land use intensity in the surrounding areas. These insights offer a novel understanding of the complex interactions within urban ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of incorporating ecological network construction in urban planning. Overall, through a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the ecological network and land use intensity in the XAMR, this study proposes new directions for urban ecosystem management and land use planning, highlighting the significance of scientific ecological network planning and management in achieving long-term sustainable development in urbanization processes.

An empirical assessment of whether urban green ecological networks have the capacity to store higher levels of carbon

Carbon–neutral growth is a crucial long-term climatic aim in the context of global warming. This paper introduces complex network theory and explores its potential application to achieve this goal. Specifically, we investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of nodes and sources in the ecological network, and examine whether a relationship exists between the topological index of network nodes and the landscape pattern index of ecological source areas. We also determine the contribution of nodes to the carbon stock of the entire network by exploring the correlation between the carbon stock of nodes and sources to develop an optimization strategy based on the synergistic effect of node-source carbon enhancement. Finally, we test the effect of network optimization through robustness. Our results show that: (1) The correlation topological feature index analysis reveals that the degree distribution of the node network's topological characteristics becomes dispersed and modular, exhibiting the characteristics of small-world networks according to a large clustering coefficient. The heterogeneity and extent of ecological source landscapes have increased by modularity index but remain distributed and locally fragmented; (2) According to correlation analysis, by enhancing the eccentricity of the node topology, the patch cohesion index (COHESION) of the ecological source site can maximize the contribution of the node to the enhancement of the carbon stock benefits of the source site; (3) According to the tests on the robustness of nodes and edges and the robustness of network links, network stability is improved and carbon sink capacity is enhanced. Simultaneously, the restoration and rejuvenation of ecological space through national ecological construction projects can effectively improve the carbon sink within the organized region, contributing to the carbon neutrality aim. This research gives scientific and quantifiable references for potential ecological construction projects for sustainable cities and the optimization of urban ecological space structure.

Integrating pattern, process, and function in urban landscape ecological network planning: A case study of Harbin central city

Scientific planning of landscape ecological networks can promote the overall improvement of urban ecosystems, but the current basis on single index and simple landscape ecological network extraction is not enough to support sustainable urban development. Comprehensively understanding the mechanism of landscape ecosystem operation, this study firstly constructed an urban landscape ecological health (LEH) assessment model integrating pattern, process, and function. Taking Harbin central city as the study area, conducting a LEH practical assessment to provide a scientific basis for its landscape ecological network planning. Secondly, the principal component analysis (PCA), minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, and hydrological analysis were applied to extract the landscape ecological network. Finally, introducing complex network theory to optimize the network and determine key ecological nodes. The results indicated that (1) The LEH index of Harbin central city decreased from 0.481 to 0.446 from 2011 to 2020, with significant spatial differentiation. (2) 50 source landscapes and 8 sink landscapes were identified, with fewer ecological corridors, 50 source-type ecological nodes and 28 weak-type ecological nodes were selected. (3) Based on the LDF strategy of complex network theory, there were 14 additional ecological corridors, the connectivity and resilience of the landscape ecological network were greatly enhanced, and eight key ecological nodes were identified. (4) The plan presented a spatial pattern consisting of “three rings, four pieces, eight cores, and multiple corridors”, which can maintain the sustainable development of the urban ecosystem. In addition, this study aims to propose a more scientific and efficient landscape ecological network planning framework to provide new ideas for the ecological construction of the central city areas, which are the most profoundly urbanized in the world.

Thinking and Analyzing the Construction of Urban Ecological Network System of Territorial Spatial Planning

Thinking and Analyzing the Construction of Urban Ecological Network System of Territorial Spatial Planning

Assessment and optimization of urban ecological network resilience based on disturbance scenario simulations: A case study of Nanjing city

Urbanization has serious implications for the structure and function of ecological networks. Augmenting resilience offers a salient remedy to sustain ecological network stability, thereby leading to heightened ecological efficacy. Nevertheless, extant research pertaining to ecological network resilience predominantly centers around static assessment, disregarding the external dynamic disturbances as well as changes in resilience over long time-series. Furthermore, scant attention has been given to the simultaneous incorporation of both structural and functional attributes in the selection of indicators for resilience assessment. In this study, taking Nanjing as an example, with a five-year interval, we determined the spatial scope of the ecological networks in 2000–2020, used two disturbance scenario simulation methods, probabilistic attack and deterministic attack, and finally optimized the ecological network with the goal of resilience enhancement. The results show that (1) the resilience index thresholds of the ecological networks decreased from 0.43 to 0.37, and the network resilience became progressively worse, but the decline in resilience index thresholds decreased in recent years. (2) The phenomenon of resurgent functional resilience increased, and ecological network redundancy increased. (3) In recent years, critical resilience nodes evinced a trend characterized by a diminishment of significance in the central region and a concomitant enhancement of importance in the southern domain. (4) The functional and structural optimization strategies increased the resilience index thresholds by 0.06 and 0.11, respectively. This study advances the refinement of methodologies and frameworks germane to the dynamic assessment of ecological network resilience, thereby furnishing instructive guidance for the fortification of urban ecosystem resilience and the promotion of sustainable urban governance.

Construction of Green Ecological Network in Qingdao (Shandong, China) Based on the Combination of Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and Biodiversity Conservation Function Assessment

Building urban green ecological network systems and increasing urban and rural landscape connectivity are effective ways to improve urban biodiversity and landscape sustainability. The ecological sources in the main urban area of Qingdao City (Shandong, China) were identified based on morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) combined with a biodiversity conservation function assessment, with the ecological corridors established and the ecological network structure optimized. The results showed that (1) the study area lacked high-quality patches with strong landscape connectivity; (2) the potential green ecological network of the study area was composed of 38 ecological sources, 703 ecological corridors, and 284 ecological nodes, effectively connecting urban and suburban green spaces; (3) after optimization, the green ecological network contained a total of 223 important corridors and 61 key nodes, with significantly increased network connectivity; (4) the optimal ecological corridor width in Qingdao was determined to be 30 m. Our study provided important guidance for the construction of ecological security patterns and scientific evidence to support urban green space planning and sustainable development in Qingdao.

Spatial correlation and interaction effect intensity between territorial spatial ecological quality and new urbanization level in Nanchang metropolitan area, China

While promoting the rapid development of social economy, new urbanization has brought great pressure to the ecological environment. It is of great significance to explore the interaction mechanism between ecological environment and new urbanization for the sustainable development of metropolitan area. The metropolitan area of Nanchang in China was taken as the research area, and based on remote sensing, meteorological and social statistics data, and considering the functions, structures and effects of urban, agricultural and ecological spaces as well as the realistic demands of new urbanization construction, this research constructed “natural foundation-structure-coerce-benefit” (NSCB) and “land use-economic-population-infrastructure-public service” (LEPIP) comprehensive assessment models to quantitatively analyze the spatial and temporal heterogeneity, spatial correlation and interaction strength of ecological quality and new urbanization level in the study area from mesoscopic and microscopic perspectives by using spatial analysis software such as ENVI, ArcGIS, Fragstats, Geoda and Geodetector. The results showed that the ecological environment quality and urbanization level of the land space in the study area were improved from 2005 to 2018, and the overall gap within the region was gradually reduced. The spatial relationship between land use efficiency and ecological quality was “synergistic-trade-off-synergistic”. The economic development level and ecological quality showed a gradually enhanced synergistic relationship, and the population urbanization, infrastructure construction and ecological quality showed an “N” type synergistic relationship. The results of interaction intensity showed that the combined effects of population urbanization, public service guarantee, land use efficiency and economic development had a great impact on the spatial heterogeneity of territorial ecological quality in the study area. Finally, we suggest that the urbanization construction in the study area should strengthen the industrial agglomeration effect, improve the efficiency of land output, build a good urban ecological network, and promote the coordinated and healthy development of natural resources and urban construction. The results of this study can provide scientific basis for the precise formulation of spatial planning, ecological restoration and spatial collaborative development strategies in the study area, and provide reference experience for the coordinated development of natural environment and social economy in other metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations.

Is the Urban Landscape Connected? Construction and Optimization of Urban Ecological Networks Based on Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis

Urban green ecological space is an important measure of sustainable urban development. Among them, landscape connectivity is one of the key factors in maintaining landscape function. Ecological networks can effectively improve regional ecological quality and promote urban landscape connectivity. However, previous studies on ecological networks have mainly focused on biodiversity conservation and lack research on landscape connectivity. This study used morphological spatial pattern analysis methods and utilized connectivity indices to identify ecological sources in the Chaoyang and Nanguan districts of China’s Changchun City and selected environmental and anthropogenic factors to construct an integrated resistance surface. The minimum cumulative resistance model and network structure index were used for urban ecological network construction and node optimization. The results show that the potential ecological network comprises 17 ecological sources and 34 potential corridors, primarily located in forests and water bodies in the east and south regions. However, the northwest has poor habitat quality and uneven distribution of ecological corridors, that warrant prioritization in future planning, construction, and protection efforts. By introducing six supplemental sources and 25 additional corridors, the function and overall connectivity of the regional ecological network can be improved. The study confirmed that the selection of appropriate connectivity thresholds can improve the accuracy of ecological sources identification, and that the influence of anthropogenic factors on ecological resistance cannot be ignored. This study will provide a scientific basis for promoting urban construction and ecological balance.

Exploring the Spatial Relationship between the Ecological Topological Network and Carbon Sequestration Capacity of Coastal Urban Ecosystems: A Case Study of Yancheng City, China

Improving the carbon sequestration capacity (CSC) of an ecosystem by optimizing urban ecological networks is one of the effective ways to achieve the goal of “carbon neutrality” in the world. The contradiction between the irreplaceable ecological function and economic development of Yancheng City is prominent. Therefore, taking Yancheng City as an example, this paper adopted the morphological spatial pattern analysis–minimum cumulative resistance (MSPA-MCR) model to establish the ecological network of Yancheng City in 2020 and combined it with complex network theory to evaluate its ecological base, network quality, and CSC. The results show that the ecological network of Yancheng City has obvious characteristics of coastal cities. There is a significant positive correlation between CSC and the clustering efficiency of ecological sources, and improving the clustering efficiency of vegetation and water ecological nodes is conducive to enhancing the CSC of ecological networks. In terms of functional restoration of ecological networks, four types of 13 ecological stepping stones and 12 ecological corridors have been designed to strengthen the connectivity and balance of the network, and the improvement of network robustness before and after optimization verifies that the optimization scheme is reasonable and effective. This study improved the optimization method of ecological networks in Yancheng City based on enhancing the CSC of ecological nodes, which provided a theoretical framework and practical reference for the realization of global strategic goals of carbon neutrality.

Urban ecological network construction in Loess Plateau regions in China-case study of Huanxian city

Cities in ecologically vulnerable areas have high ecological sensitivity, and the balance between urban expansion and the ecological environment is easily broken, leading to various environmental problems. These problems seriously interrupt the sustainable health development of urban ecosystems. Studying urban ecological network construction from the perspective of multifactor ecological processes is of important significance to the ecological safety and resource management of cities. In this study, an analysis of ecological elements was conducted separately to account for the “vertical” and “horizontal” ecological processes present in the ecological network. By using the superposition mode of vertical ecological processes, the composition of vital ecological patches was analyzed, and important ecological patches within the ecosystem were identified through ecological sensitivity evaluation index system. On the other hand, the composition of ecological corridors was analyzed through the use of horizontal ecological processes. The biological corridor was determined by source identification of biological processes and resistance surface analysis while the catchment corridor was determined through runoff simulation. Based on these findings, it was possible to propose an urban ecological network construction system specifically designed for Loess Plateau regions using a superposition of ecological sensitivity, biological processes, and catchment processes. Finally, a case study of the urban ecological network system of Loess Plateau regions was conducted in Huanxian City. Comparing the proposed urban ecological network of the Loess Plateau regions and the generated scheme with the overall planning scheme of 2016, the patch density and the largest patch index decreased by 1.522 and 13.794, respectively, while the fractal dimension, interspersion and juxtaposition index, the contagion index, and the connectivity index increased by 0.003, 2.188, 14.076, and 1.366, respectively. This trend proves that the research scheme improved in terms of ecological performance. Research conclusions can provide useful references for the construction of urban ecological networks in underdeveloped and ecologically vulnerable areas in China while offering guidelines for making decisions on the green development and management of urban spaces.