Green space integrates diversified urban functions, and the analysis of its utilization, can help improve the vitality of the social and economic development of cities while contributing to the important goal of enhancing urban green space (UGS) planning and management. In this study, the heat value obtained from Baidu heat maps was used as an external representation of spatial vitality, and the factors that influence vitality were analyzed from two dimensions, i.e., the inner and outer space characteristics of green space, using spatial big data such as points of interest (POIs), Open Street Map (OSM) and online review data. The findings indicated that green space and urban resources in Chengdu are highly centralized. That is, a high road network density and nearby transportation facilities make it easier for visitors to reach parks, while peripheral functional density also plays a role in promoting vitality; additionally, reasonable and moderate space and functional layouts are conducive to the development of green space. In addition, our study integrates the tour experience index, which has a strong positive impact on vitality, to better reflect the human-oriented characteristics of green space, which are of great relevance to the construction and renewal of human space in UGSs.

The rapid expansion of urbanization has promoted the prosperity of the economy and society but has also caused rural ecological problems. This study takes the Dujiangyan Irrigation District as an example, to construct ecological and recreation patterns, and it breaks through the pattern construction mode of using a single ecological factor that has been used in previous studies. We analyzed the impact of landscape connectivity and area thresholds at different scales on the selection of source areas, and integrated urban construction and human disturbance factors into resistance surface construction. Finally, a comprehensive landscape network combining “ecology and recreation” was determined through the minimum cumulative resistance model. Multiscale landscape connectivity analysis and area threshold setting greatly promoted the results of source identification. After optimization, we identified four ecological corridors and twenty-seven recreational corridors, and the regional landscape security pattern was significantly improved compared with the previous upper planning content. Therefore, this study provides a reference for regional long-term planning and has reference significance for the spatial protection and utilization of rapidly urbanizing areas.

Urban deciduous forests are an important ecological resource and seasonal landscape in the urban environment. However, in the abundant literature on how urban green space promotes human health and well-being, research on urban seasonal deciduous forests is limited. This study aimed to investigate the physiological and psychological recovery potential provided of urban deciduous forest space for youths and the spatial preferences of youths regarding such spaces. We recruited 120 participants to study the restorative potential of two typical urban deciduous forest landscape spaces (experimental groups) and one urban road environment (control group). The results showed that after 15 min of observation, the blood pressure (especially the diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.01)) and pulse of the deciduous forest trail setting (DFTS) group effectively decreased, and the restorative mood significantly increased. Regarding change in emotional parameters, the DFTS group scored higher on “interest” and significantly higher than the other two groups on positive emotion. The correlation results show that density and level are the key factors affecting spatial preferences regarding complex deciduous forests. An increase in density reduces the mood of re-laxation, and an increase in level decreases fatigue and interest. We suggest (1) constructing foot-paths in urban deciduous forests to reduce their spatial density as to improve the relaxation effect and (2) increasing landscape diversity according to the forest space to facilitate user participation and interest. This study provides a scientific basis for the environmental restoration of deciduous landscapes and for urban forestry management decision-makers based on space type construction.

Undergraduate design education faces a structural contradiction characterized by high cognitive load (CL) and relatively low innovation output. Meanwhile, existing generative AI tools predominantly emphasize the generation of visual outcomes, often overlooking the logical guidance mechanisms inherent in design thinking. This study proposes a Dual-Path teaching model integrating critical reconstruction behaviors to examine how AI enhances design thinking. It adopts structured interactions with the DeepSeek large language model, CL theory, and Structural Equation Modeling for analysis. Quantitative results indicate that AI-assisted paths significantly enhance design quality (72.43 vs. 65.60 in traditional paths). This improvement is attributed to a “direct effect + multiple mediators” model: specifically, AI reduced the mediating role of Extraneous Cognitive Load from 0.907 to 0.017, while simultaneously enhancing its investment in Germane Cognitive Load to support deep, innovative thinking. Theoretically, this study is among the first to integrate AI-driven critical reconstruction behaviors (e.g., iteration count, cross-domain terms) into CL theory, validating the “logical chain externalization → load optimization” mechanism in design education contexts. Practically, it provides actionable strategies for the digital transformation of design education, fostering interdisciplinary thinking and advancing a teaching paradigm where low-order cognition is outsourced to reinforce high-order creative thinking.

Non-grain-producing cultivated land (NGPCL) greatly affects sustainable agricultural development and food security, and its consolidation is important. With the Dujiangyan irrigation district as an example, an empirical study of NGPCL consolidation zoning was performed following the idea of “connotation definition and classification—potential identification—consolidation zoning”. On the basis of expert evaluation, NGPCL was classified into three levels according to the degree of damage to cultivated land by crop type. NGPCL was common in the study area, accounting for 53.8% of the total area. The spatial pattern of NGPCL was characterized as “continuous in the south and scattered in the north”. The assessment of theoretical and realistic NGPCL consolidation potentials suggested that areas with medium consolidation potential exhibited a contiguous distribution in the southern part of the study area, whereas it was dispersed in other regions. The proportion of area suitable for consolidation exceeded 40%. Finally, through a multiobjective optimization algorithm, a potential zoning scheme for NGPCL consolidation was constructed. The final experimental results revealed that the areas with medium or high consolidation potential accounted for 97.54% of the total area. This study is useful for supporting the governance of NGPCL.

Urban green space (UGS) is an important public infrastructure. However, the rapid development of cities and the insufficient supply and uneven distribution of UGSs have led to a mismatch between them and various needs, which has seriously affected environmental justice and social equity. This study discusses the fairness of UGS from the perspective of supply and demand and improves the theoretical framework of supply and demand combination evaluation. First, this study analyzes the supply of UGSs through accessibility analysis and evaluates their demand from both subjective and objective dimensions. Second, the fairness of UGS is analyzed from a Gini coefficient and spatial evaluation perspective. Finally, the location optimization of UGSs is performed, which provides strategic guidance for the improvement of UGSs in Chengdu. The research results based on Chengdu City show that the travel mode directly affects the supply range of UGSs and is reflected in their fairness. At the same time, in the case of a highly dense population, UGSs in the city are in short supply; that is, the equity is negatively correlated with the population. This study provides a new perspective to evaluate UGS fairness and can be a reference for UGS optimization decisions.