Search Results (16)

As global climate change and urban issues worsen, increasing carbon offsets is crucial, with urban plants playing a key role. However, research on assessing plant carbon sequestration (CSE) capacity at the regional scale, selecting urban plants, and optimizing CSE capacity-based scenarios is still limited. A total of 272 plant species were surveyed in the nine cities of the Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area (ZMA). The i-Tree and biomass models estimated the average carbon storage (CS) density at 9.32 kg C m⁻² and the CSE density at 0.55 kg C y⁻² m⁻² in the ZMA. The highest CS density (13.58 kg C m⁻²) was observed in Pingdingshan, while the lowest CSE density (0.36 kg C y⁻¹ m⁻²) was observed in Xuchang. Hierarchical and cluster analyses identified plant species with balanced CSE capacity, adaptability, and ornamental value, such as Populus tomentosa Carr. and Salix babylonica L., as well as shrubs like Abelia biflora Turcz and Kerria japonica (L.) DC. Vegetation regeneration modeling indicated that CS could increase by 37%–41% along roads, 28%–43% in amenity areas, and 17%–30% near waterfronts over the next 50 years. These findings serve as a reference for urban regeneration and planning aimed at enhancing the carbon reduction potential of urban green spaces (UGS). Full article

In order to assess the spatial and temporal characteristics of the urban thermal environment in Zhengzhou City to supplement climate adaptation design work, based on the Landsat 8–9 OLI/TIRS C2 L2 data for 12 periods from 2019–2023, combined with the lLocal climate zone (LCZ) classification of the urban subsurface classification, in this study, we used the statistical mono-window (SMW) algorithm to invert the land surface temperature (LST) and to classify the urban heat island (UHI) effect, to analyze the differences in the spatial distribution of thermal environments in urban areas and the aggregation characteristics, and to explore the influence of LCZ landscape distribution pattern on surface temperature. The results show that the proportions of built and natural landscape types in Zhengzhou’s main metropolitan area are 79.23% and 21.77%, respectively. The most common types of landscapes are wide mid-rise (LCZ 5) structures and large-ground-floor (LCZ 8) structures, which make up 21.92% and 20.04% of the study area’s total area, respectively. The main urban area’s heat island varies with the seasons, pooling in the urban area during the summer and peaking in the winter, with strong or extremely strong heat islands centered in the suburbs and a distribution of hot and cold spots aggregated with observable features. As building heights increase, the UHI of common built landscapes (LCZ 1–6) increases and then reduces in spring, summer, and autumn and then decreases in winter as building heights increase. Water bodies (LCZ G) and dense woods (LCZ A) have the lowest UHI effects among natural settings. Building size is no longer the primary element affecting LST as buildings become taller; instead, building connectivity and clustering take center stage. Seasonal variations, variations in LCZ types, and variations in the spatial distribution pattern of LCZ are responsible for the spatial differences in the thermal environment in the study area. In summer, urban areas should see an increase in vegetation cover, and in winter, building gaps must be appropriately increased. Full article

Flood disasters occur frequently and cause great losses. Improving the resilience of urban flood disasters is of great significance to improving disaster prevention and mitigation in the region. The metropolitan area is the center of regional economic development and the key to strengthening the construction of local resilience. However, there is little research on resilience in the metropolitan area. Taking nine cities in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area as the research object, this paper uses the pressure state response (PSR) model to build the evaluation system of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area’s flood disaster resilience and comprehensively uses the entropy weight method, analytic hierarchy process, kernel density estimation method, and factor contribution model to measure the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of Zhengzhou metropolitan area’s flood disaster resilience from 2010 to 2022, excavating the development trend of the level of flood disaster resilience of members in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area, and explore the driving factors affecting the resilience of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area’s flood disaster. The results show that (1) from 2010 to 2022, the development trend of flood disaster resilience among the Zhengzhou metropolitan area members has obvious differences, the change of pressure resilience is stable, and the state resilience and response resilience increase as a whole; (2) the results show that the resilience of flood disaster in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area has obvious change characteristics in time and space, and the overall trend is to take Zhengzhou as the core to drive the surrounding members’ upward development; (3) in the driving factor analysis, the number of ordinary colleges and universities and the proportion of public security expenditure in fiscal expenditure are the main influencing factors in the resilience evaluation index. The Zhengzhou metropolitan area is the key area of economic development in Henan Province. The research results provide a reference for improving the resilience level of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area and strengthening the prevention and control of flood disasters. Full article

Clarifying the driving mechanisms of ecosystem service (ES) supply and demand under urbanization is of significant importance for urban ecological planning and management. However, how the balance of ES supply and demand and its driving mechanisms vary with the degree of urbanization has been little studied. In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal changes and the correlations between ES supply and demand and the degree of urbanization in the Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area (ZZMA) from 2000 to 2020 and further explored the driving mechanisms behind these changes. The results showed that, (1) between 2000 and 2020, the ZZMA experienced a deficit in comprehensive ES supply and demand, and regions with rapid urbanization development were more likely to trigger imbalances in ES supply and demand; (2) the spatial mismatch between low–high ES supply and demand was primarily distributed in the built-up areas of various cities, while the high–low spatial mismatch was mostly found in forest and grassland areas; (3) the comprehensive urbanization level of the ZZMA was spatially negatively correlated with the ratio of ES supply and demand. Regions with lower ES balance were more susceptible to disturbances caused by urbanization; (4) population density was the key factor influencing the supply and demand of carbon sequestration, oxygen release, water conservation, and food provision services, while the proportions of forest land and construction areas had the greatest influence on the supply and demand of air purification and leisure services. It is important to ensure the ecological status of the northwestern, southwestern, and central mountainous and forested areas; maintain the agricultural status of the main grain-producing areas in the eastern plains; strengthen ecological restoration and green infrastructure in built-up areas; and formulate differentiated management policies to promote the sustainable supply of ES and safeguard the ecological security of the region. Full article

This study aims to assess and analyze the urban food resilience of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area, proposing innovative assessment frameworks and methodologies. Utilizing a dual-level analysis approach that combines long-term planning impact analysis (2000–2020) with short-term resilience assessment (2018–2022), the study integrates public government data and Geographic Information System (GIS) data, employing spatial analysis, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation techniques. Findings from 2000 to 2020 indicate that urban planning within the metropolitan area has significantly impacted the food system. Urbanization has led to reduced agricultural land, but improvements in infrastructure have enhanced the efficiency of the food supply chain. Woodland and grassland areas have remained relatively stable, providing an ecological buffer for the food system. Building on this, the short-term assessment from 2018 to 2022 reveals significant dynamic changes and a continuous improvement trend in food resilience, though there is still room for enhancement. Food supply chain management and emergency preparedness and management contributed the most to overall resilience. Notably, extreme events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the “7.20 Flood Disaster” prompted the adoption of innovative measures to enhance food resilience. The study develops a multidimensional theoretical framework and assessment system for urban food resilience, offering new perspectives and methods for understanding and enhancing urban food resilience. The results highlight the critical role of urban planning in enhancing food resilience, recommending the integration of the food system into comprehensive urban planning, strengthening regional collaboration, and enhancing public engagement. These findings provide an important basis for policymaking and practice aimed at improving the long-term adaptability and short-term recovery capabilities of urban food systems. Full article

As China’s “Dual Carbon” strategy is implemented and the new urbanization advances, balancing economic development, emission reduction, and carbon sequestration has become an important issue during the growth of emerging metropolitan areas, and it is also important for achieving high-quality urban development. Therefore, this study had three major objective functions: economic growth, carbon emission reduction, and increased carbon storage. The multi-objective land use quantity structure was solved using the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II), and the best solution in the solution set was introduced using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for evaluation. Finally, combined with the Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model, the low-carbon evolution of the metropolitan area was predicted on a spatial scale. The trade-off plan results show that by 2035, the economic benefits will reach CNY 7.65 trillion, carbon emissions will be kept under 99.24 million tons, and carbon storage will steadily increase by 15.2 million tons. Therefore, optimizing land use from the perspective of balancing carbon emissions, carbon sequestration, and economic development can provide valuable references for planning low-carbon development and the rational use of spatial resources in future metropolitan areas. Full article

Improving land green use efficiency is of great significance for promoting high-quality economic development and promoting the modernization of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. In this study, the super-efficiency SBM model with non-expected output was used to measure the level of land green use efficiency at county scale in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area from 2005 to 2020. Based on this, the spatio-temporal evolution and spatial agglomeration characteristics were analyzed. Finally, the driving mechanisms were revealed by using the geographical detector model. The results were as follows: (1) From 2005 to 2020, the land green use efficiency of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area fluctuated from 0.5329 to 0.5164, with an average annual decline rate of 0.21%, exhibiting three stages: decline, rise, then another slight decline. At the city level, Luohe City had the highest land green use efficiency, while Zhengzhou City had the lowest. (2) The land green use efficiency of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area showed a significant spatial positive correlation, Moran’s I index increased from 0.1472 to 0.2991, and the spatial agglomeration effect was continuously enhanced. On the local scale, high-high (H-H) aggregation and low-low (L-L) aggregation were dominant, high-high (H-H) aggregation areas were mainly distributed in the southwest and southeast of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area, and low-low (L-L) aggregation areas were mainly distributed in the central and western parts of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area. (3) There is heterogeneity in the degree of influence of different driving factors on land green use efficiency in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area, which is ranked as topographic relief (X7) > forest coverage rate (X8) > social consumption (X6) > industrial structure (X3) > urbanization rate (X2) > economic development (X1) > industrial added value scale (X5) > financial expenditure (X4). q values were 0.1856, 0.1119, 0.1082, 0.0741, 0.0673, 0.0589, 0.0492 and 0.0430, respectively. The interaction of two factors can enhance the explanatory power of land green use efficiency in the Zhengzhou metropolitan area. Except for the interaction of topographic relief and forest coverage rate, the other factors all show double factor enhancement. The explanatory power of the interaction between topographic relief and urbanization rate is the strongest, at 0.3513. In the future, policy regulation should be carried out from the perspectives of the interaction of social and economic conditions such as improving forest coverage rate, improving consumption power, optimizing industrial structure and improving land green use mechanisms to promote the improvement of land green use efficiency. Full article

How to optimize the spatial layout of the logistics industry is a challenge faced by every city under the rapid development of e-commerce nowadays. Enterprises and nodes as the core of logistics and their locational formation mechanisms are the key content of the study. Based on the API platform of Gaode Map, the POI data of Zhengzhou City with representative years during 2012–2021 were collected. Using the methods of industry concentration evaluation and nuclear density analysis, the spatial pattern changes of the logistics industry in Zhengzhou in recent years are demonstrated, the differences in location selection of the logistics industry are analyzed, and the analysis of its formation mechanism is made. The results of the study show that: (1) the logistics industry in Zhengzhou has developed rapidly in recent years, forming a “double core” spatial pattern of agglomeration near the four urban areas in the center of the metropolitan area and Xinzheng Airport, with a high degree of coordination in the agglomeration of industries and practitioners; and (2) the layout of logistics nodes is influenced by government planning, and logistics enterprises have strong autonomy in the layout. In the process of industrial agglomeration, the government guides the industry to gradually achieve agglomeration by laying out the transportation environment and providing low-rent land for industrial parks, while logistics enterprises provide services for different types of groups through segmenting specialized markets for different types of groups to provide services. Full article

Land use simulations are critical in predicting the impact of land use change (LUC) on the Earth. Various assumptions and policies influence land use structure and are a key factor in decisions made by policymakers. Meanwhile, the spatial autocorrelation effect between land use types has rarely been considered in existing land use spatial simulation models, and the simulation accuracy needs to be further improved. Thus, in this study, the driving mechanisms of LUC are analyzed. The quantity demand and spatial distribution of land use are predicted under natural development (ND), economic development (ED), ecological protection (EP), and sustainability development (SD) scenarios in Zhengzhou based on the coupled Multi-Objective Programming (MOP) model and the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation model (PLUS) considering Spatial Autocorrelation (PLUS-SA). We conclude the following. (1) The land use type in Zhengzhou was mainly cultivated land, and 83.85% of the land for urban expansion was cultivated land from 2000 to 2020. The reduction in forest from 2010 to 2020 was less than that from 2000 to 2010 due to the implementation of the policy in which farmland is transformed back into forests. (2) The accuracy of PLUS-SA was better than that of the traditional PLUS and Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) models, and its Kappa coefficient, overall accuracy, and FOM were 0.91, 0.95, and 0.29, respectively. (3) Natural factors (temperature, precipitation, and DEM) contributed significantly to the expansion of cultivated land, and the increase in forest, grass, and construction land was greatly affected by socioeconomic factors (population, GDP, and proximity to town). (4) The land use structure will be more in line with the current requirements for sustainable urban development in the SD scenario, and the economic and ecological benefits will increase by 0.75 × 104 billion CNY and 1.71 billion CNY, respectively, in 2035 compared with those in 2020. The PLUS-SA model we proposed had higher simulation accuracy in Zhengzhou Compared with the traditional PLUS and FLUS models, and our research framework can provide a basis for decision-makers to formulate sustainable land use development policies to achieve high-quality and sustainable urban development. Full article

Metropolitan areas are the main spatial units sustaining development. Investigating internal factor changes in metropolitan areas are of great significance for improving the quality of development in these areas. As an emerging national central city of China, Zhengzhou has experienced rapid urban expansion and urbanization. In this study, principal component analysis and the model and Geodetector model were used to comprehensively analyze the influencing factors of land use change in Zhengzhou from 1980 to 2015. Based on the CA–Markov model, we improved the accuracy of multi-criteria evaluation of suitability factors and simulated land use change in 2015. The results show that land use conversions in the study area between 1980 and 2015 were frequent, with the areas of farmland, woodland, grassland, water, and unused land decreasing by 5.00%, 17.12%, 21.59%, 18.31%, and 94.48%, respectively, while construction land increased by 53.61%. The key influences on land use change are the urbanization and growth of residential or non-agricultural populations. In 2035, the area of farmland in the study area will decrease by 11.09% compared with that in 2015 and construction land will increase by 38.94%, while the area of other land use types will not significantly change. Zhengzhou, as the center city, forms a diamond-shaped core development area of Zhengzhou–Kaifeng–Xinxiang–Jiaozuo, while Xuchang is considered an independent sub-center uniting the surrounding cities for expansion. With its radiation power of unipolar core development for many years and the developmental momentum of Zhengzhou–Kaifeng integration, Zhengzhou city jointly drives the economic development of the surrounding cities. The protection of farmland and control of the expansion of construction land are the major challenges for the Zhengzhou metropolitan area to achieve sustainable development. Full article

Land use has been demonstrated to have an important influence on PM_2.5 concentrations; however, how the scale effects and regional disparities in land use influence PM_2.5 concentrations remains unclear. This study investigated the scale differences in spatial variations in PM_2.5 concentrations, in spatial associations between PM_2.5 concentrations and land use, and explored the effects of the spatial heterogeneity and action scale of land use on PM_2.5 concentrations. The main findings indicated greater intra-unit variation at small scales and greater inter-unit variation at large scales. PM_2.5 concentrations had a positive association with the surrounding cultivated land and artificial surface, and had a negative association with surrounding forest and grass; the positive spatial association between PM_2.5 concentrations and the surrounding artificial surface was stronger at small scales. Cultivated land and forest negatively influenced PM_2.5 concentrations generally. Artificial surfaces showed a strong positive influence on PM_2.5 concentrations in most urban areas. The action scale of cultivated land in influencing PM_2.5 concentrations was the largest (4698.05 m). The findings provide a new interpretation of the relationship between PM_2.5 concentrations and land use, and may contribute to effective policy making from the perspective of land use planning to PM_2.5 pollution control and abatement. Full article

As an important indicator for measuring the development level of low-carbon tourism, reducing the carbon emissions of tourism transportation has become an essential strategic goal and task for the sustainable development of tourism. Among many tourism vehicles, high-speed rails have a significant role in reducing the carbon emissions of tourism transportation. To clarify the impact of high-speed rails on the development efficiency of low-carbon tourism, using the relevant data of Zhengzhou urban agglomeration from 2010 to 2020, the DEA-BCC model and the Malmquist index method were used to measure these data. The results show the following: (1) the average comprehensive development efficiency of the Zhengzhou metropolitan high-speed rail for low-carbon tourism is low, and the comprehensive development efficiency of each city varies greatly; (2) the impact of high-speed rails on the development efficiency of low-carbon tourism in some underdeveloped areas is increasing. The impact on the development efficiency of low-carbon tourism in more developed areas is declining; (3) affected by COVID-19, tourism carbon emissions have shown a downward trend, reflecting the importance of low-carbon travel to low-carbon tourism to a certain extent. The research results not only verify the existing research conclusions but also verify the role of high-speed rails in the development of low-carbon tourism, and have practical value with respect to targeted guidance for the development of low-carbon tourism. Full article

Rapid urbanization aggravates issues related to protection and optimization of the ecological environment. Constructing an ecological network system, including ecological values in planning, and using landscape effects efficiently are important for adjusting regional ecological space and promoting local sustainable development. Land use data from eight time points between 1980 and 2020 in the Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area were used to identify the local ecological sources, corridors and nodes and to identify an ecological network with high structural integrity. The study used the FLUS, MSPA, MCR, and gravity models, hydrological analysis, and network structure evaluation by applying tools such as ArcGIS, Guidos Toolbox and Conefor. The results indicated that: (1) among the nine major ecological sources, those in the Yellow River Basin connected the large−scale sources in the east and west of the network, and the rest were located in the northeast, southeast and southwest of the research area, semi−enclosing the main urban area of Zhengzhou. (2) There were 163 least−cost paths and 58 ecological corridors, mainly distributed along the Yellow River Basin. (3) There were 70 ecological nodes, divided into 10 strategic, 27 natural ecological and 33 artificial environment nodes, distributed in key locations such as the core of each source and the intersection of corridors. (4) The ecological network included all the landscape elements in the research area and connected the main ecological substrates in a semi−enclosing network structure with one horizontal and two vertical corridors and four clusters. Full article

Building resilient cities is playing an increasingly important role in enhancing urban safety and promoting sustainable urban development. However, few scholars pay attention to urban resilience in inland provinces. Choosing Henan Province, as it is a typical representative of China’s major inland economic provinces, has practical guiding significance. This study aims to provide a systematic indicator system and evaluation tool to measure the cuity’s resilience level. Therefore, based on a multidimensional perspective, this paper dissects the urban resilience spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of 18 Henan Province cities with the entropy method, Thiel index, and ESDA (Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis) and explores influencing factors with a spatial econometric model. The main results are as follows: (1) the overall resilience in Henan Province continuously grows, and the resilience level of the Zhengzhou metropolitan area is the highest. In the urban resilience subsystem, economic and social resilience notably drive urban resilience improvement in Henan Province. (2) The spatial difference of urban resilience has been significantly reduced, but the inner metropolitan area presents the characteristics of “core–periphery”. Urban resilience presents a positive spatial correlation, and local spatial agglomeration is relatively stable. (3) Under the state of spatial interaction, urbanization rate, administrative, innovation, market, and industrial structure factors all have significant direct effects and spatial spillover effects on overall resilience, but openness exerts downward pressure on local resilience. (4) On this basis, strategies have been proposed to continuously promote the development of new urbanization, improve the regional coordinated development mechanism, increase market activity, optimize the environment for scientific and educational innovation, and promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure. The approach taken in this research may also be useful for developing urban resilience assessment tools in other central plains cities as well as in other cities in the interior of the world with similar conditions. Full article

Urban agglomeration is the key area to realizing regional sustainable development. Timely and accurate assessment of its ESV spatial transfer can provide a scientific basis for intercity environmental cooperation to solve transboundary environmental problems. The ESV and its spatial transfer characteristics in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration in 2000 and 2018 were quantified by introducing the breaking point model. The findings were as follows: Firstly, taking the central city of Zhengzhou as the transferred-in area, ESV spatial transfer distributions and changes presented a trend of hinterland > metropolitan area. Secondly, the ESV spatial transfer intensity from the metropolitan area to the central city presented an increase trend, with an increase of RMB 498,400–1,053,000/km², and the ESV spatial transfer intensity from the hinterland to the central city presented a decrease trend, with a decrease of RMB 15,200–814,000/km² in contrast. Thirdly, a total of RMB 294.763–331.471 billion worth of ESV has been transferred, and only that worth RMB 0.534–1.716 billion reached the central city, accounting for 0.181–0.518% of the total ESV transferred and 2.760–17.482% of the central city’s ESV. Fourthly, the ESV spatial transfer radius of each city was 25.47–214.17 km, but the ESV spatial transfer range of a few cities could reach the central city. Lastly, there was inefficiency in the ESV spatial transfer only in the natural driving spatial transfer pattern due to the spatial heterogeneity of ESV distribution, and there was potential for strengthening the ecological interactions based on space guidance provided by ESV spatial transfer. Full article