Construction and Optimization of Ecological Security Pattern Based on Spatial Syntax Classification—Taking Ningbo, China, as an Example

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript is well written and the subject has a lot of relevance.

I suggest that in figure 1 and 4, the blue color do not be used, because normally, the blue color represents water. I recommend for you to use a color gradient from red (higher values) to yellow (lower values).

Standardize the caption in figures 8 and 9. Where the secondary ecological corridor is written, it would be better to write the same as "level 2 ecological corridor".

 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The article is interesting and generally well written and structured. Just a note: the description of the results (18 ecological sources, 29 ecological corridors, 11 are first-level, 10 are second-level, and 8 are third-level corridors, etc.) is present in three section of the paper. I propose to delete the description in one of the sections, maybe in the conclusions. In my opinion the contents presented represents valuable information regarding the feasibility of using the methodology to identify ecological corridors. Critical points and possible future developments of the work were highlighted by the authors. Small revisions of the text are necessary to eliminate typos or oversights.

Author Response

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Reviewer 3 Report

The article contains some interesting, concrete proposals for solutions to the spontaneously overflowing urban structures (urban sprawl) in China. However, this is not an approach that is not found in the work of other Chinese scholars. In my opinion, a broader literature background is missing, especially European and American studies. It is also worth looking at studies by ecologists, economic geographers and urban planners (e.g. Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland) who see patterns of ecological security from the broader perspective of sustainable urban development planning. These elements are missing from the study presented for assessment.

Below are several other works, including synthesised ones, which relate to the issues raised in the article:

Xiao D, Chen W., (2002). On the basic concepts and contents of ecological security. Ying Yong Sheng tai xue bao = The Journal of Applied Ecology. 2002 Mar;13(3): 354-358. 

Liu, D., & Chang, Q. (2015). Ecological security research progress in China. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 35(5), 111-121.   Wang, L., & Pang, Y. S. (2012). A Review of Regional Ecological Security Evaluation. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 178–181, 337–344.

Su, Y., Chen, X., Liao, J., Zhang, H., Wang, C., Ye, Y., & Wang, Y. (2016). Modeling the optimal ecological security pattern for guiding the urban constructed land expansions. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 19, 35-46.

Fu, Y., Shi, X., He, J., Yuan, Y., & Qu, L. (2020). Identification and optimization strategy of county ecological security pattern: A case study in the Loess Plateau, China. Ecological Indicators, 112, 106030.

Chen X, Zhou C. Review of study on ecological security evaluation. Prog Geogr. 2005;24(6):8–20.

Zhao CR, Zhou B, Su X. Evaluation of urban eco-security—a case study of Mianyang City, China. Sustainability. 2014;6(4):2281–2299.

Korneć, R. (2020). Ecological Security of Communities in Polish Cities. Journal of Human Security, 16(1), 41-50.

Siedentop, S., & Fina, S. (2012). Who sprawls most? Exploring the patterns of urban growth across 26 European countries. Environment and Planning A, 44(11), 2765-2784.

Lyytimäki, J., Petersen, L. K., Normander, B., & Bezák, P. (2008). Nature as a nuisance? Ecosystem services and disservices to urban lifestyle. Environmental Sciences, 5(3), 161-172.

Pirages, D. (2005). From limits to growth to ecological security. From resource scarcity to ecological security, 1-20.

Author Response

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