Introduction: Although Brownfield greening (BG) can be a crucial solution to green space deficiency in dense urban areas, the potential benefits of different BG initiatives have rarely been quantitatively pre-evaluated. Here, the concept and main features of BG and its costs and benefits are firstly depicted. Next, a conceptual framework is presented which combines ecosystem service (ESS) valuation, economic cost-benefit analysis, and spatial pattern analysis. The framework is used to perform ex ante valuation of the ESS value of BG in Xuhui District, Shanghai. Outcomes: The scenario comparison results show that it can spatially reflect a closer-to-reality value of ESS at the urban scale instead of a theoretical value at the site scale. The ultimate values of ESS (After economic and landscape adjustments) in the composite scenario is more than 21% higher than those in the full-eco scenario, whereas the initial values of ESS (before the adjustments) in the former was 14% lower than those in the latter. These results suggest that a considerable part of brownfield greening projects need to be implemented in the more populated and economically vibrant areas instead of solely in the ecological construction zone, thereby correspondingly providing more cultural and regulation services and forming a better urban green space network. Conclusion: The framework provides a simple, science-based, and feasible tool for making BG decisions from a systematic perspective in dense urban areas. It can help meet the need for applying ESS knowledge to BG-based green space planning and policy making in the context of urban sustainable development.

The development and evolution of an urban green space system is affected by both natural effects and human intervention. The simulation and prediction of an urban green space system can enhance the foresight of urban planning. In this study, several land use change scenarios of the main urban area of Xuchang City were simulated from 2014 to 2030 based on high-resolution land use data. The layout of each scenario was evaluated using landscape indexes. A Cellular Automata–based method (i.e., future land use simulation, FLUS) was applied to develop the urban green space system, which we combined with urban land use evolution. Using recent data, the FLUS model effectively dealt with the uncertainty and complexity of various land use types under natural and human effects and solved the dependence and error transmission of multiperiod data in the traditional land use simulation process. The root mean square error (RMSE) of probability of the suitability occurrence module and the Kappa coefficient of the overall model simulation accuracy verification index both met accuracy requirements. It was feasible to combine the evolution of the urban green space system with urban land development. Moreover, under the Baseline Scenario, the urban land use layout was relatively scattered, and the urban green space system showed a disordered development trend. The Master Plan Scenario had a compact urban land use layout, and the green space system was characterized by networking and systematization, but it did not consider the service capacity of the green space. The Planning Guidance Scenario introduced constraint conditions (i.e., a spatial development strategy, green space accessibility, and ecological sensitivity), which provided a more intensive and efficient urban space and improved the service function of the green space system layout. Managers and planners can evaluate the urban future land use development mode under different constraints. Moreover, they would be able to adjust the urban planning in the implementation process. This work has transformed the technical nature of the planning work from “static results” to a “dynamic process”.

Background: The rapid expansion of urbanization leads to significant losses of soil ecological functions. Microbes directly participate in key soil processes and play crucial roles in maintaining soil functions. However, we still have a limited understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping microbial communities and the interactions among microbial taxa in park soils.Methods: In this study, the community variations of bacteria and fungi in urban and suburban park soils were investigated in Shanghai, China. Real-time PCR and high-throughput Illumina sequencing were used to examine the microbial abundance and community composition, respectively.Results: The results showed that soil molecular biomass and fungal abundance in urban park soils were significantly higher than those in suburban park soils, while no significant difference was observed in the bacterial abundance between urban and suburban park soils. The alpha diversity of soil microbes in urban and suburban park soils was similar to each other, except for Chao1 index of fungal communities. The results of similarity analysis (ANOSIM) revealed remarkable differences in the composition of bacterial and fungal communities between urban and suburban park soils. Specifically, park soils in urban areas were enriched with the phyla Methylomirabilota and Verrucomicrobiota, while the relative abundance of Gemmatimonadota was higher in suburban park soils. Moreover, the fungal class Eurotiomycetes was also enriched in urban park soils. Compared with suburban park soils, nodes and average paths of the bacterial and fungal networks were higher in urban park soils, but the number of module hubs and connectors of the bacterial networks and negative interactions among bacterial taxa were lower. Compared with suburban park soils, Acidobacteriota bacterium and Mortierellomycota fungus played more important roles in the ecological networks of urban park soils. Soil available zinc (Zn), available nitrogen (N), pH, and total potassium (K) significantly affected fungal community composition in park soils in Shanghai. Soil available Zn was also the most important factor affecting the bacterial community composition in this study.Conclusion: There were significant differences in the soil molecular biomass, fungal abundance, and the community composition and co-occurrence relations of both soil bacterial and fungal communities between urban and suburban park soils. Soil available Zn played an important part in shaping the structures of both the bacterial and fungal communities in park soils in Shanghai.