Identifying urban vitality in large cities is critical for optimizing the urban fabric. While great attention has been paid to urban vitality in developed countries, related studies have been rarely conducted in developing countries. In this study, we defined urban vitality as the capacity of an urban built environment to boost lively social activities and developed a framework for measuring urban vitality using the dimensions of built environment, human activities, and human–environment interaction. Taking Shanghai, China as a case, we conducted a measurement of urban vitality using multi-source data. The results show that Shanghai follows a monocentric vital pattern within the outer ring road, with urban vitality declining from the central urban core to the city periphery. While the old urban cores tend to show high urban vitality, Pudong New Area is mostly dominated by low vitality. Three clusters with high urban vitality were identified: the old urban area, the Lujiazui CBD, and residential agglomeration areas. We conducted validation of the measuring results using phone usage density. Urban vitality showed a positive correlation with phone usage density, indicating a high accuracy of assessment. We also discovered that European-style block planning, zoning plan, mixed-functional development, urban renewal regulation, and migrant concentration were playing leading role in urban vitality of Shanghai.

Based on its national conditions and food availability, China has embarked on the road to establishing food security in a way by implementing the concepts of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development, and the requirements of high-quality development and a national food security strategy for a new era. As a result, the permanent basic farmland protection zone designated for high-quality arable land reserves had become a fundamental national policy. However, the allocation of permanent basic farmland protection quantity indicator is always a challenge due to the conflicts between the development and protection process. The unequal protection indicator allocation is often cited as an inefficient source of permanent basic farmland production and protection. In this article, an optimization model is introduced to allocate preservation indicators by using the Gini coefficient, a widely used index of income inequality in economics. The optimization model is based on a hierarchical structure of the multi-criteria factors and the objective weighting method. The allocation of a permanent basic farmland protection indicator in W county, China, is chosen as a case study to illustrate the application of this model with a focus on a balance between equality and efficiency. The result shows that the method can provide profound insight for land management policymakers.

Major function-oriented zoning, a key spatial planning strategy in China, aims to coordinate resource endowments, socio-economic development, and subsequent planning initiatives. However, the existing framework for major function-oriented zoning relies predominantly on socio-economic statistical indicators at the regional level, often neglecting the critical role of carrying capacity. To address this limitation, we assessed both the current state and dynamic trends of the carrying capacity to identify risk and advantageous zones for major functions, with the objective of optimizing major function-oriented zoning in the Yangtze River Delta region, China. Our findings indicate that 47 counties are experiencing significant pressure under the current carrying capacity, while 57 counties exhibit a deteriorating trend in their capacity. Over half of the counties are categorized as having an overloaded carrying capacity. Based on this analysis, 66 counties have been designated as risk zones for major functions. Consequently, the optimization of major function-oriented zoning requires adjustments in 10 counties, incorporating the identified risk and advantageous zones to enhance spatial planning efficacy. This study proposes an enhanced methodological framework for major function-oriented zoning by fully integrating carrying capacity assessments, offering substantial support for territorial spatial planning in China. We believe that these improvements contribute significantly to more resilient and sustainable regional development strategies.