The reconstruction of old communities makes an outstanding contribution to, and holds practical significance for, livelihoods and ecological civilization in the urban renewal context. Clarifying the renovation intentions of residents is conducive to the effective implementation of reconstruction projects. This paper takes a typical old neighborhood in Wuhan as an example to survey residents’ living satisfaction and renovation intention. Multiple linear regression analysis, factor analysis, and correlation analysis were used to quantitatively screen, judge, and process sample data. The results show that residents’ living satisfaction and willingness to renovate were different under the dimensions of resident age and property rights, respectively. Most residents were dissatisfied with the living state of the neighborhood. Residents over 61 years old or those who held real estate certificates had a strong willingness to renovate and tended to accept a unified management manner after the renovation of the old neighborhood. Moreover, resident satisfaction with the internal road traffic, infrastructure, and building state significantly affected the residents’ overall satisfaction with the living environment in the old neighborhood, which should be given more attention to improve the residents’ willingness to support the renovation items. Furthermore, it was found that resident satisfaction with building conditions, infrastructure, internal road traffic, and public environment significantly impacted their agreement with the renovation in the old neighborhood. This investigation could provide a basis and guidance for the reconstruction and design of old communities.

This study delves into an investigation of urban public outdoor spaces (POSs) from a health-oriented perspective, recognizing varied health needs encompassing physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects. In this study, POSs of two typical government service centers (GSCs) were analyzed based on their structure, user demographics, and user satisfaction, revealing several problems with the current GSC POS designs. To address these problems, principles for GSC POS design were proposed for natural, playing, and social spaces and applied to redesign the Wuchang GSC. Firstly, through on-site surveys, questionnaire surveys, and data analysis, the existing problems in promoting residents’ health in the GSC POSs were revealed, such as the insufficient greening of natural spaces, lack of interest in playing spaces, and unreasonable design of the scale of social spaces. Based on the above analysis, a health design optimization principle based on Maslow’s theory is proposed. Firstly, improvement solutions were proposed and implemented for green spaces, such as using more diversified natural elements, zone differentiation, and landscape improvements to promote the health of users. Secondly, the leisure and sports needs of different age groups can be met simultaneously by diversifying the layout and functional settings of playing spaces. Finally, public spaces suitable for social interaction were redesigned to promote the psychological health of citizens in social activities by optimizing the scale of communication spaces. The proposed design optimization strategies for GSCs not only provide theoretical support for the healthy design of POSs but also provide useful references for the healthy development of urban public spaces.

This paper analyzed neighborhood residents’ cognition of and participation in low‐carbon behaviors, basing on a questionnaire survey launched in a neighborhood in Wuhan, China. Results indicate that most respondents concerned the low‐carbon impact on their daily lives and expected the government to make differences in low‐carbon transition. Neighborhood residents’ participation in low‐carbon behaviors was mainly reflected in three aspects: home energy conservation (HEC), efficient resource consumption (ERC), and recycling habits (RH), which were extracted from the five categories out of the 15 observed variables. Many interviewees had high level of participation in low‐carbon behaviors that affect their economic interests. But these neighborhood residents rarely participated in public low‐carbon behaviors such as planting trees or cooperative low‐carbon behaviors. Therefore, these neighborhood residents’ participation in low‐carbon behaviors was still on the initial stage. Specific proposals were put forward to promote urban low‐carbonization further.

Urban expansion intensifies economic–environmental conflicts, making human settlement quality increasingly critical for sustainable development. This study applies ecological niche theory to evaluate the evolution of human settlement quality in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area (WMA) from 2014 to 2022 using 21 economic, social, and ecological indicators. The results reveal: (1) significant variations in niche-fitness values across subsystems, with Wuhan maintaining superiority (>0.820) despite a gradual decline, while peripheral cities—notably Huangshi, Tianmen, and Ezhou—consistently ranked lower (<0.610) throughout the study period; (2) three evolutionary trajectories emerged, characterized by continuous decline, inverted U-shaped development, and sustained growth, reflecting nonlinear dynamics and path dependence in the region’s development patterns. These findings underscore persistent core-periphery disparities within the metropolitan area, yet improved regional coordination is evident as inter-city evaluation gaps narrowed from 0.329 to 0.231 between 2014 and 2022. Based on these insights, tailored policy recommendations are proposed to address the identified disparities and promote balanced development. This study offers valuable theoretical and practical contributions toward achieving coordinated and sustainable development in metropolitan regions.

Public building-attached green spaces are increasingly important urban carbon sinks, yet their carbon sequestration potential remains poorly understood and underutilized. This study quantified vegetation carbon storage across three attached green space typologies (green square, roof garden, and sunken courtyard) at a representative public building in Wuhan, China, using field surveys and species-specific allometric equations. Total carbon storage reached 19,873.43 kg C, dominated by the green square (84.98%), followed by a roof garden (12.29%) and sunken courtyard (2.72%). Regression analysis revealed strong correlations between carbon storage and morphological traits, with diameter at breast height (DBH) showing the highest predictive power for trees (r = 0.976 for evergreen, 0.821 for deciduous), while crown diameter (CD) best predicted shrub carbon storage (r = 0.833). Plant configuration optimization strategies were developed through correlation analysis and ecological principles, including replacing low carbon sequestering species with high carbon native species, enhancing vertical stratification, and implementing multi-layered planting. These strategies increased total carbon storage by 131.5% to 45,964.00 kg C, with carbon density rising from 2.00 kg C∙m⁻² to 4.63 kg C∙m⁻². The findings provide a quantitative framework and practical strategies for integrating carbon management into the design of building-attached green spaces, supporting climate-responsive urban planning and advancing sustainable development goals.