Urban Functions Research Articles

Evaluation of spatial form of rural ecological landscape and vulnerability of water ecological environment based on analytic hierarchy process

Abstract The spatial form of the rural ecological landscape and the vulnerability of the water ecological environment are evaluated to understand the status of the rural ecological system and provide a scientific basis for improving and protecting the rural ecological environment. With the acceleration of the urbanization process, rural areas in urban fringe areas have become an important carrier of urban space expansion and function allocation due to their advantages in transportation and resources, and have been included in the urban production and consumption system. The fast change in country capabilities and the consistent change in land use structure show a differentiated and enthusiastic improvement pattern. According to the point of view of provincial rejuvenation and new urbanization, this study discussed about the time-space qualities of provincial change and land use change, examined the coupling connection between rustic change and land use change, and set forward commonsense country improvement procedures and land guideline measures, which can not only stimulate the vitality of rural development but also consolidate the foundation of rural revitalization. Through the investigation and analysis of rural ecological land, it was found that the rural ecological land decreased from 95.14 to 89.84% from 2015 to 2019, then rose to 92.94%, and finally fell back to 91.74%, which is relatively stable on the whole. It can be seen that the spatial form, coupling, and coordination of the water ecological environment in rural ecological landscape presents a stable trend.

The Protection of the Historic City: The Case of the Surroundings of the Lonja de la Seda in Valencia (Spain), UNESCO World Heritage

In geographical terms, historic cities possess an inertia in regard to the modification of urban function. This explains why buildings may change over time, but the location of the functions remains. For over a thousand years, the city of Valencia has concentrated the commercial activity of its historic centre around the building of the Lonja de la Seda, its surrounding buildings, and its adjacent spaces, streets and squares. Recent constructions coexist with centuries-old buildings, witnesses to the transformations of this urban enclave, which has retained its commercial function. Although the Lonja de la Seda was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1996, its surroundings, despite being of interest and closely linked to the protected building, were not. This article analyses the history and evolution of the built fabric and urban spaces of this complex, which represents the nerve centre for commerce in the city of Valencia. This text presents research based on studies carried out directly on the buildings in this context by the authors, as well as indirect examinations of documentation from the archives and the existing bibliography. The aim of this study is to showcase how combining material and documentary studies can lead to a broader definition of the tangible and intangible values of cultural heritage. This, in turn, could lead to the comprehensive enhancement of the historic city, where historic residential fabric and notable buildings are merely manifestations of the process for the construction of the city.

Simulating urban growth by coupling macro-processes and micro-dynamics: a case study on Wuhan, China

ABSTRACT The urban form influences the quality of urban functions and is strongly correlated with the sustaining capabilities of urban development. However, in the context of rapid urbanization, unreasonable land expansion as a universal phenomenon poses a great challenge for urban management. Notably, the urban expansion process is self-organizing, and the evolving macroscopic pattern can be used to predict microscopic behavioral characteristics. Therefore, the analysis of macro- and micro-interactions can provide new ideas for urban modeling. Traditional geographic cellular automata (CA) models often have poor morphological reproducibility, and the few models that combine top-down and bottom-up CA use strict coupling constraints, resulting in inadequate self-organizing natural expressions and poor precision performances. In this study, we proposed a new land growth simulation model based on a soft constraint mechanism that couples micro-dynamics with macro-processes. Specifically, a geographic micro-process model (GMP) based on the meta-process accumulation concept was applied to capture the evolution characteristics of the macro-urban form and spatially deduce the future urban intensity gradient. The soft coupling between the macro and micro levels of the model was supported by a punishment mechanism that was developed for this study. A specially designed index, the morphology similarity (MS) index, was developed to evaluate and understand the heterogeneity of the simulated and real urban forms from a micro-perspective. The model was applied to Wuhan, the largest city in central China, to demonstrate that the proposed model has a high simulation accuracy [with a Kappa value of 0.8506 and a figure-of-merit (FoM) value of 0.3034 in the optimal parameter combination] and imitative ability [maximum sensitivity (MS) value of 0.01341 in the optimal parameter combination vs. MS value of 0.01336 in the true scenario]. The evaluation system developed in this study also demonstrated the high robustness and reliability of the future multi-scenario simulation conducted in this work.

Functional Conflicts in Tourist Coastal Resort Cities with Special Spa Status in Poland. The Stakeholder Approach

This study aims to identify and analyse the potential conflicts of tourism, resort and residents’ functions based on coastal resort cities of the highest importance in Poland (Sopot, Ustka, Kołobrzeg, Świnoujście). Coastal health resorts are specific urban units where tourist and resort functions provided under high environmental restrictions dominate the primary urban function typically focused on social and resident matters. Coastal resort cities attract tourists heavily. Hence, such cities must deal with varied stakeholder expectations. This may lead to conflicts in sustainable urban development.
 The analysis considers the stakeholder perspective regarding the occurrence of various conflicts. Different research methods have been used, including case studies and stakeholder analysis based on the salience model and classifying stakeholders into homogenous groups with the attributes assigned.
 The diverse and often divergent needs of stakeholders in coastal cities require a specific approach to developing such urban units, including stakeholder relationship management. A method used for the resort stakeholder analysis is based on classical stakeholder classification proposed by Mitchel, Agle and Wood (1997).
 The nature of functions performed in resort cities naturally lead to internal and developmental conflicts. However, based on an assessment of attributes assigned their evaluation across key stakeholder groups, the study results show that these conflicts occurred dormant in studied cities.
 The research methods used, an approach taken, and results achieved can be successfully used by decision-makers responsible for urban development to identify and manage potential conflicts deriving from diversified expectations of urban stakeholders or conflicting urban functions.
 The article is of an international character and might be used to various aspects of city management, as it combines stakeholder management approach with urban development and potential function conflicts.

Associations between urban exposome and recurrence risk among survivors of acute myocardial infarction in Beijing, China

Few previous studies have investigated the impacts of coexposure to multiple urban environmental factors on the prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) events. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between the urban exposome and AMI recurrence. We used data from 88,509 AMI patients from a large cohort obtained from the Beijing Cardiovascular Disease Surveillance System between 2013 and 2019. Twenty-six types of urban exposures were assessed within 300-m, 500-m, and 1000-m buffers of patients’ home addresses in the baseline and cumulative average levels. We used the Cox proportional hazard model along with the Elastic Net (ENET) algorithm to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) of recurrent AMI per interquartile range increase in each selected urban exposure. The increased risk of AMI recurrence was significantly associated with lower urban function diversity in the 500-m buffer, longer distance to subway stations and higher PM2.5 for both baseline and cumulative average exposure. The cumulative averages of two urban factors, including the distance to parks, and the density of fruit and vegetable shops in the 1000-m buffer, were also identified as significant factors affecting the risk of AMI recurrence. These findings can help improve the urban design for promoting human cardiovascular health.

Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Urban Expansion along Suburban Railway Lines in Megacities Based on Multi-Source Data: A Case Study of Beijing, China

Suburban railways in megacities exert a pivotal role in propelling urbanization and shaping urban agglomeration. However, previous study endeavors have overlooked the transformations occurring in urban expansion along suburban railways, with a particular dearth of attention on the spatio-temporal evolution of landscape ecology and urban function. Therefore, this study employs the megacity of Beijing as an example. It utilizes remote sensing and point-of-interest (POI) data spanning from 2008 to 2022 to construct an indicator system from two essential dimensions: urban form and function. We explored the spatio-temporal characteristics of alterations in urban expansion within the gradient buffer zone adjacent to the suburban railway network in Beijing. The results showed that: (1) The rates of urban expansion were highest in 2008–2013 and lowest in 2013–2018; moreover, suburban railways had the greatest impact on the built-up area within 2–4 km along the route, and the impact gradually decreased beyond 4 km. (2) The direction of urban expansion shifted northward in the direction of latitude and eastward in the direction of longitude from 2008 to 2022, with the shift in latitude being more distinct. (3) The number of urban functions gradually increased from 2008 to 2018, but the number of medical services suddenly increased and the number of other urban functions decreased from 2018 to 2022; in addition, urban functions other than scenic spots were mainly distributed in the main urban areas, with very few clusters distributed near stations. (4) The landscape shape index became more irregular and fragmented from the center along the route to the edge of the buffer zone from 2008 to 2013, and the degree of fragmentation was highest in the 2–4 km buffer zone. In summary, this paper analyzes the spatio-temporal characteristics of urban expansion along suburban railways through four indexes, namely expansion rate, expansion direction, urban function, and landscape shape, and the results of this study are of great significance to the development and planning of suburban railways in megacities.

Securing the Skies: Cybersecurity Strategies for Smart City Cloud using Various Algorithams

As smart cities continue to evolve, their reliance on cloud computing technologies becomes increasingly apparent, enabling the seamless integration of data-driven services and urban functionalities. However, this transformation also raises concerns about the security of the vast and interconnected cloud infrastructures that underpin these cities' operations. This paper explores the critical intersection of cloud computing and cybersecurity within the context of smart cities.
 This research is dealing with challenges posed by the rapid expansion of smart city initiatives and their reliance on cloud-based solutions. It investigates the vulnerabilities that emerge from this technological convergence, emphasizing the potential risks to data privacy, urban services, and citizen well-being. The abstract presents a comprehensive overview of the evolving threat landscape that smart cities face in the realm of cloud computing.
 To address these challenges, the abstract highlights the importance of proactive cybersecurity strategies tailored specifically to the unique needs of smart cities. It underscores the significance of adopting a multi-layered approach that encompasses robust encryption protocols, intrusion detection systems, threat intelligence sharing, and collaborative efforts among stakeholders. Drawing insights from existing research and real-world case studies, the abstract showcases innovative solutions that leverage advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain to fortify the security posture of smart city cloud infrastructures. It explores the role of data governance, user authentication, and anomaly detection in creating a resilient cybersecurity framework that safeguards critical urban systems.

More on formation of the Yakutsk urban agglomeration

The 20th century urbanization development processes led to the transition from local urban forms to area formations or agglomerations. They became the prime engine of social and economic development. This is also true for Russia: throughout its history, cities have been the centres of its spatial organization. The transition to market economy has actualized the problems of agglomerations research in Russia: they are the basis for the formation of regional and national competitiveness. At this time, a number of agglomerations has been studied in bits and pieces or scarcely researched. One of such agglomerations is the city of Yakutsk, forming the largest agglomeration in the north-east of the country. The study of agglomeration development of Yakutsk is relevant for a number of reasons: as the center of the largest region, it is inextricably linked with it in its development, forming both opportunities and problems, and at the same time it is located in difficult natural and climatic conditions on the territory of perennially frozen rocks. This article is dedicated to history of the agglomeration formation, its specific and essential features. The theoretical and methodological background of the urban agglomeration formation and functioning as a specific spatial structure including the main factors of growth and development of agglomeration firstly were considered. The article noted that a range of issues about the Yakutsk agglomeration have not yet been studied despite their expressed relevance: the agglomeration structuring, allocation of different functional zones; processes of formation and development of the city structure; positive and negative sides of the urban agglomeration development; the issue of boundary delineation and selection of methods for this operation.

Multi-Scale Recursive Identification of Urban Functional Areas Based on Multi-Source Data

The study of urban functional area identification is of great significance for urban function cognition, spatial planning, and economic development. In the identification of urban functional areas, most studies considered only a single data source and a single division scale, the research results have problems such as low update frequency or incomplete information in a single data set, and overfitting or underfitting in a single spatial resolution. Aiming at the above problems, this paper proposes a multi-scale recursive recognition method based on interactive validation for urban functional areas using taxi trajectory data and point of interest (POI) data as the main data sources. First, the dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm generates a time series similarity matrix, a CA-RFM model combining the clustering algorithm and random forest model is constructed. The model extracts significant feature regions as inputs through a K-medoid clustering algorithm, which are imported into the random forest model for urban functional zone (UFZ) identification. Then, to overcome the shortcomings of a single scale in expressing urban structural characteristics, a recursive model of different levels of urban road networks is established to classify multi-scale functional areas. Finally, cross-validation using the CA-RFM model and POI quantitative identification method obtains the final identification results of urban functional areas. This paper selects Shenzhen as the study area, the results show that the combination of clustering algorithm and random forest model greatly reduces the error of manual selection of training samples. In addition, the study demonstrates the superiority of the proposed method in two aspects, namely, faster delineation and improved accuracy in urban functional area identification.

Can Airport and Social Waste Reduction Measures Have a Synergistic Impact on Passenger Behavior?

As an integral part of urban functions, waste reduction behaviors inside the airport and outside in society form a linkage mechanism that influences each other, but the coupling mechanism between the two is not clear. In this study, we constructed a model of the interaction between airport and social waste reduction behaviors and explored the effects of internal airport factors and external social factors on airport waste reduction behaviors. The results show that both internal and external factors have a significant positive effect on passengers’ behavior, with publicity and education, social norms, and laws and regulations having a greater effect. Airport internal factors (such as internal facilities, publicity and education and environmental stimulus) and social external factors (such as social norms and laws and regulations) can form a better positive feedback mechanism for waste reduction, and path coefficients for both interactions exceed 0.7. Airport publicity and education can directly improve passengers’ waste reduction behaviors, and better promote the continuation of these behaviors in society. It is recommended connecting the publicity and education activities between airports and society. The social external factors are more likely to affect the behavior of airport management, and it is recommended that the design of airport management should be made more effective in developing countries that have weaker awareness of and worse social attitudes towards for waste reduction.

Fine allocation of sectoral carbon emissions at block scale and contribution of functional zones

The rapid development of cities has resulted in a substantial increase in carbon emissions, which has a detrimental impact on the environment. Previous studies had focused on large-scale carbon emissions; however, the carbon emissions from urban functional zones that consist of blocks as basic units have not been explored. In this study, we used Open Street Map (OSM) road and point-of-interest (POI) data to classify Shanghai into different functional zones and investigated their contributions to carbon emissions from various sectors. A top–down method was used to finely allocate the statistical data to different functional zones, and a random forest algorithm was used to investigate the contributions of different features to the regional carbon emissions. Among the 5677 units examined in this study, the majority belonged to residential zones, followed by commercial and industrial zones. The carbon emission contributions of the three zones were 26, 34, and 12%, respectively. With respect to sectors, higher carbon emissions originated from the residential and tertiary sectors, primarily concentrated in the urban centers and western city areas. Secondary and primary sectors followed suit, with the highest concentrations being from urban peripheries. This study can be used to optimize and rationalize the allocation of functional areas; notably, our study presents a novel direction for assigning carbon emissions responsibilities to different urban functions. Furthermore, the method presented in this study can be customized for carrying out analysis for other countries, with the aim of estimating and addressing carbon emissions on a sectoral basis.

Ontological models of the development of urban areas from the stand-point of applied cultural studies

The object of research is the universal processes of space development in urban planning. An ontological model of space development is proposed, applicable to the zoning of megacities and public spaces, allowing its sectoral and zigzag representation. Territorial planning is defined as the formalization of the genesis and self-organization processes. The formalization includes eight stages of the self-organization process, absolute and relative spatial interpretation of each stage, and a set of urban planning functions for each stage. This approach can be used to examine the zoning of public spaces both as part of the designed public space and in the surrounding buildings. In the sectoral ontological model, the development of space is presented as a process of genesis, directed from the general to the particular and having an absolute or relative orientation to the cardinal points. In the zigzag ontological model, a relative spatial orientation is established between adjacent objects. The novelty of the study lies in the establishment of common principles for structuring space for megacities and their public spaces.

Relationship between spatial pattern and function of urban land use in Changchun, China.

The urban spatial structure in this study refers to the combination of different categories of land use, and the purpose of the study is to reveal the intrinsic correlation characteristics between urban land use structural combination forms and urban functions. Through the integration of land and population maps and other multi-source data, with the help of exploratory spatial data analysis and other models, this research deals with the land use spatial structure characteristics of Changchun city and its coordination relationship with urban functions. Main conclusions of the study are as follows. The overall density of the land use in the central urban area of Changchun shows patterns of the core being higher than the periphery, the large-scale agglomeration being significant and the small-scale relatively scattered, and the pattern of the mixed land use function index has obvious differentiation characteristics. The study shows that, in the context of the spatial pattern, the overall coupling coordination degree of the land use structure index and the urban function index shows a trend of a gradual decrease, from the core to the periphery. In the context of category differences, the coupling coordination of the land use structure with the population distribution and the Baidu thermal distribution is relatively high, and the coupling coordination with various service facilities is relatively low. Finally, in the context of scale differences, all types of coupling coordination degrees have significant sensitivity to the spatial scales. A large scale significantly reflects the overall decrease in the coupling coordination degrees from the core to the periphery, while a small scale shows the polycentric pattern characteristics of the urban spatial structure.

Deindustrialization, Tertiarization and Suburbanization in Central and Eastern Europe. Lessons Learned from Bucharest City, Romania

This paper intends to delve deeply into the current understanding of the ways in which the transition from a central-based economy to an economy relying on free competition has led to changes in the big urban centers, bringing about a change in the relationships with the suburban areas. The authors take into account the high population density, the lack of space, and the elevated price of land within the big cities, which leads to urban functions migrating beyond the administrative boundaries, thus favoring the process of suburbanization. Given the context, commercial forces shift, migrating from the center to the urban peripheries or even outside them. This research is based on a comprehensive process of participative investigation (2012–2022) in Bucharest, Romania’s capital city. The research relies on field investigation, statistical and quantitative analyses and bibliographical sources. The conclusions rely primarily on the idea that political changes cannot be separated from economic, cultural and environmental ones, highlighting globalizing flows and the development of big cities. Industrial activities, strongly developed within a central-based economy, have significantly declined, which is partly compensated for by the development of the tertiary sector and, in particular, of commercial services leading to a functional reconversion of the urban peripheries and of suburban areas. The conclusions suggest that it is very important to be highly careful regarding the dilemmas and challenges ensuing from uncontrolled urban growth; therefore, several measures of urban planning should be taken with a view to achieving a better cooperation between urban stakeholders and those from the metropolitan areas so as to attain some common objectives in infrastructure in order to reach an integrated regional development.

Digital soil mapping of heavy metals using multiple geospatial data: Feature identification and deep neural network

Monitoring the spatial distribution and sources of heavy metals (HM) in soil is essential for avoiding health risks and achieving sustainable soil utilization. Multiple geospatial data, including remote sensing, climate, soil and topography data, were used to extract environmental covariates. Additionally, the spatial scene was employed as the alternative data of land use/land cover to describe the urban functions and human activity intensity in more detail. After converting to a uniform resolution of 30 m, these environmental covariates were adopted to characterize several common HM in soil, including copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn). The RReliefF algorithm was used to identify several important variables. The quantification models of HM were established using back-propagation neural network (BPNN) and deep neural network (DNN). Besides, the impact of distance from the spatial scenes on HM were analyzed. The result demonstrated that the spatial scene is a key environmental covariate in estimating HM in soil. Compared with BPNN, the DNN model provided better accuracy (R2 = 0.67–0.75) for estimation of five HM elements. Therefore, the DNN model was used to map HM concentrations at a grid scale of 30 m. The spatial scenes with the highest risk of HM pollution are industrial areas, residential areas, road, and commercial areas, and the concentration of HM is negatively correlated with the distance from these spatial scenes. The effective impact distances of industrial and residential areas are about 2000 m, and the effective impact distances of road and commercial areas are 500 m.

Classification of Urban Agricultural Functional Regions and Their Carbon Effects at the County Level in the Pearl River Delta, China

Exploring the transformation process of urban agricultural functions and its interaction with carbon effects based on regional differences is of great positive significance for achieving a low-carbon sustainable development of agriculture in metropolitan areas. By using the index system method, self-organizing feature maps (SOFM) network modeling, and Granger causality analysis, we divided the agricultural regional types of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) based on the spatio-temporal changes in urban agricultural functions and carbon effects at the county level in the PRD from 2002 to 2020, and analyzed the carbon effects generated by the agricultural functions according to the differences between the three agricultural regional types. The results show the following: (1) The changes in the basic functions of agriculture, the intermediate functions of agriculture, and the advanced functions of agriculture were different from the perspectives of both time and space. (2) The carbon effects produced by the areas with weak agricultural functions, the areas with medium agricultural functions, and the areas with strong agricultural functions were different. (3) The evolution of agricultural production types aggravated the grain risk in the PRD, and urban agriculture has potential in improving food security. (4) Based on the regional types of agricultural functions and considering the constraints of land and water, strategic suggestions such as integrating natural resources, improving utilization efficiency, upgrading technical facilities, and avoiding production pollution are put forward. (5) The green and low-carbon transformation of urban agriculture has its boundaries. The positive effects of the factors, namely the innovation of agricultural production methods, the change in agricultural organization modes, the impact of market orientation, and the transfer of the agricultural labor force, is limited. The findings of this paper provide valuable and meaningful insights for academia, policy makers, producers, and ultimately for the local population in general, driving the development of urban agriculture in a low-carbon and sustainable direction.

The use of urban design principles to restructure public space - the example of Haizhu Square

Public space in old city centre has been facing numerous challenges. Common urban design principles are rooted from environmental behaviour and environmental psychology, and are able to help meeting the new needs of the existing public space. This paper first explains some key urban design ideas towards public space improvement, including redirecting the traffic to support diverse urban functions, road crossing safety, sense of place and legibility, activity support, and local distinctiveness. It thereafter explores their potentials in improving a historic public space in Haizhu Square, Guangzhou. Design strategies include redirecting the traffic to support diverse urban functions, applying traffic calming measures to improve road crossing safety, restructuring corridors to strengthen the sense of place and legibility, using time and space management to provide multiple activity support, and reusing the existing materials to maintain local distinctiveness.

Compact and polycentric urban forms as intertwined concepts: Learning from the impacts of Covid–19 retail restrictions on spatial (in)equalities in Brno (Czech Republic)

Abstract Urban structure conceptualisation using compact and polycentric city narratives is often performed separately. However, although both are based on different spatial grammars, they are inextricably linked. The spatially equitable distribution and accessibility of urban functions are often seen as their main contributions. This paper uses the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic to further analyse the relationship between the two narratives, using the radical transformation of a retail network in a post-socialist city (Brno, Czech Republic) as an example. Based on an in-depth analysis of government measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus and their coverage in the media, operational changes among all stores in the city are quantified. A comparative spatial analysis then shows that, in addition to economic inequalities, spatial injustice was exacerbated by the position of the central government, with varying degrees of intensity depending on the type of urban structure. It is argued that the resilience potential of polycentric and compact structures is very low, especially in the absence of retail planning and reflection upon spatiality in ensuring social equity.

도심융합특구제도 추진동향과 토지공법적 과제

Inner city areas have been served as central places for business, commercial and cultural activities for a long time in the major cities. Recently, inner city areas receive great public attention as an innovative space for attracting young people throughout new jobs and restructuring urban functions. Based on these circumstances, Korean government announced the establishment plan for Urban Innovation District System in the inner cities last September of 2020 in order to secure local base for the regional innovation system. The main purpose of the establishment of Urban Innovation District System in the inner cities is providing base space for innovative activities using the network system between entrepreneurial activity, research activities, cultural activities and daily activities in terms of time and physical connection. To cope with this purpose government and lawmakers are pushing for the legislation of Special Act for Urban Innovation District Systems in the inner cities. Previous researches about the successful innovation districts in abroad indicates that excellent accessibility is the key factor of the districts. That is, excellent accessibility enables liberal contact and meeting between the companies and research centers including administrative agents. And these activities establish the confidential relationship between the innovative partners and this relationship can cause the proliferation of knowledge exchanges and strengthen the role of the districts to lead regional development. But Daeduk Special Research and Development Zone considered as a precedence case of the Urban Innovation District Systems in the inner cities is reviewed as a case of failure despite of the enough research outcomes. One of the reasons why the Daeduk Special Research and Development Zone considered as a case of failure is that the Special Research and Development Zone has no certain connection with the surrounding areas in terms of geographical, spatial, social context. Based on these findings this study suggests that in order to accomplish the purpose of the establishment of Urban Innovation District System in the inner cities both of the institutional arrangements and changeover efforts to minimize shortcomings and maximize strength the system are essential. For this reason, the Inner City Special District Act pending at the National Assembly needs to modify to secure enough leadership and financial resources align with the local characteristics and industrial conditions of the region.

Spatial Association Rules and Thermal Environment Differentiation Evaluation of Local Climate Zone and Urban Functional Zone

Urban heat islands (UHIs) caused by urbanization have become a major issue affecting the sustainable development of the ecological environment. The distribution of UHIs is mainly affected by the reflection and transmission of heat radiation caused by differences in urban spaces, and the anthropogenic heat emissions caused by social activities. At present, the research on the urban thermal environment involves two spatial classification systems: local climate zone (LCZ), based on urban morphology and spatial patterns; and urban functional zone (UFZ), based on socio-economic activities. It is not clear whether there are association rules between these two systems in different cities. Against this background, this study explores the association rules between the UFZ and LCZ classification systems using the selected Chinese cities in different regions as typical examples. Our results confirm that there are common association rules from UFZ to LCZ, as the form of buildings is greatly influenced by the types of functional areas in urban construction. Specifically, the medical zone corresponds to the compact mid-rise zone (LCZ2); the business service area and the office area also correspond to the compact zone (LCZ1-LCZ3); and the industrial area corresponds to the compact low-rise zone (LCZ3). These functional zones have the same association rules in different cities. The cross-regional mining of the relationship between different urban functional systems will help to coordinate different planning departments and carry out the integration of multiple spatial plans. Furthermore, we found that LCZ has a better differentiation effect on the surface temperature through our comparison research, which makes it more suitable as a reference for research on the thermal environment and the heat island effect.