Urban parks reduce air temperatures within parks and surroundings by exerting the cooling island effect, significant for mitigating the urban microclimate. However, the park cooling effect may be influenced by the surrounding building configuration, and this needs to be studied in more detail, in particular, to explore how to maximize the cooling effect of parks by adjusting the surrounding building configuration. Thus, in this study, the effects of building height, building interval, and building orientation on the cooling effect of a small urban park were investigated using field measurements and ENVI-met numerical simulations. The results demonstrated that (1) building height, building interval, and building orientation all impact the park cooling effect, but their impacts vary. (2) Building height had the strongest effect on the park cooling intensity, and adjusting building height provided the maximum park cooling intensity (1.2 °C). (3) Building orientation had the most effect on the park cooling distance, 100 m downwind of the park. (4) The park cooling effect is best when the surrounding buildings were parallel to the prevailing wind direction, and the park cool island has the greatest intensity and range. This study can guide decision-makers in optimizing building configuration to maximize the park cooling effect.

Urban parks are public green spaces which have a direct impact on the daily outdoor activities of residents and visitors due to their landscape and functionality. To enhance the spatial vitality and services of urban parks to meet the needs of urban residents and visitors, managers and planners should focus on people’s perceptions and preferences of park landscape characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between visitors’ landscape preferences and environmental factors in urban parks. Fixed-point photography and mobile measurements were used to quantify the environmental factors of urban parks. Unmanned aerial vehicle observations and ground observations were used to examine physical activities and spatial behaviors of visitors to quantify their landscape preferences. Second, the differences in visitors’ landscape preferences in various types of landscape spaces were analyzed based on descriptive statistics and significance tests. Finally, a correlation analysis and principal component analysis were introduced to explore the relationship between urban park environmental factors and visitors’ landscape preferences. The results showed that visitors’ physical activities and spatial behaviors were affected by many environmental factors, especially accessibility and visible green index. Our findings also shed new light on the significant differences in visitors’ physical activities and spatial behaviors of different genders and age groups. It was observed that most male visitors were sitting, whereas female visitors preferred to take photographs. Exploring the relationship between urban parks and visitors’ landscape preferences is of great significance for improving park satisfaction, people’s happiness, and urban sustainability.

To balance ecological protection and urban development, a land use simulation model that couples an ecological network (EN) and multiple scenarios was developed based on the PLUS model. The simulation of land use in the Qiantang River Basin in 2030 successfully demonstrates the usefulness of the EN-PLUS model. In this model, conventional ecological constraints (nature reserves and water areas) and three different EN levels were taken as restricted conversion areas during the simulation. Then, four ecological constraints were coupled with four simulation scenarios: business as usual (BAU), rapid urban development (RUD), ecological protection (EP), and urban- and ecology-balanced (UEB). Information from the analysis of model simulation results can be used to reduce the potential damage to a range of land cover types. However, this protective effect is not obvious under the RUD scenario due to the impact of significant human disturbance. Furthermore, although EP is the scenario with the least ecological damage at the whole watershed scale, this is not the case for all subbasins. This indicates the existence of a landscape scale effect. Therefore, the best development scenario should be selected by comprehensively weighing the scale effect and the ecological characteristics of each subbasin.

Specialized gardens, as integral components of botanical gardens, bear multiple functions, encompassing plant collection and conservation, scientific research, and public education, as well as serving aesthetic and recreational purposes. Their quality profoundly reflects the landscape artistry of botanical gardens, directly influencing the quality of visitors’ enjoyment and the overall experience within the botanical garden. This study aims to investigate the spatial vitality of specialized garden plant landscapes, effectively assessing the usage patterns of plant landscape spaces and promoting the optimal utilization of underutilized spaces. Taking Hangzhou Botanical Garden as a case study, considering the warming climate and suitable temperatures in spring, when most plants enter the flowering period and outdoor visitor frequency increases, the primary observational period focuses on spring to measure the spatial vitality of specialized garden plant landscapes. We obtained data through field measurements and on-site observations. Specifically, We measured and recorded information on plant species, quantity, height, crown width, and growth conditions within the plots. Additionally, we employed ground observations and fixed-point photography to document visitor numbers and activity types. We quantified spatial vitality through four indicators: visitor density, space usage intensity, diversity of age group, and richness of activity type. We explored the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of spatial vitality and investigated the relationship between plant landscape characteristics and spatial vitality using variance analysis and correlation analysis. The results indicate that, in spring, the average spatial vitality index of specialized gardens ranks from highest to lowest as follows: Lingfeng Tanmei (1.403), Rosaceae Garden (1.245), Acer and Rhododendron Garden (0.449), and Osmanthus and Crape Myrtle Garden (0.437). Additionally, the spatial vitality of specialized garden plant landscapes in spring is significantly positively correlated with the ornamental period of specialized plants, characteristics of plant viewing, accessible lawn area, spatial accessibility, and spatial enclosure. Therefore, to create vibrant specialized plant landscapes, managers and planners, when engaging in the planning and design of specialized garden plant landscapes, need to fully consider and respect the visual aesthetics and functional needs of visitors. This study will serve as a theoretical reference for subsequent research on the vitality of plant landscape spaces and other small-scale spaces. It will also provide practical guidance for the construction of plant landscapes in specialized gardens within botanical gardens and other urban green spaces.

Urban greening is the most effective way to regulate the microclimate environment and thermal discomfort. However, despite being an important type of vegetation, relatively few studies have investigated the effect of bamboo on microclimate characteristics and thermal comfort. In this study, the microclimate characteristics and the differences in the thermal comfort provided by common bamboo communities in East China were investigated in summer and winter, and the effects of canopy structure characteristics on microclimate and thermal comfort were analyzed. The results showed that there were significant differences in microclimate between bamboo communities and the control check in summer, but the differences in air temperature in winter were not obvious. In the daytime during summer, the maximum daily average temperature of the bamboo community decreased by 2.6 °C, and the maximum temperature–humidity index (THI) decreased by 1.1 °C. In the daytime during winter, the maximum daily average temperature increased by 0.5 °C and the maximum THI increased by 0.8 °C. Among the different bamboo communities, Sinobambusa tootsik var. laeta and Pseudosasa amabilis had better effects on improving microclimate and thermal comfort, while the effects of Phyllostachys nigra and Phyllostachys heterocycla ‘Pubescens’ were relatively small. Aspects of canopy structure, especially leaf area index and canopy coverage, had the greatest influence on the microclimate environment, while air temperature made the greatest contribution to thermal comfort. The goal of our study is to quantify the data to confirm the role of bamboo in improving urban climate problems and human comfort and to further select the appropriate bamboo species for urban green spaces and to utilize the ecological benefits of bamboo to optimize the human living environment.

Since the 16th century, Western countries have conducted extensive plant collections in Asia, particularly in China, driven by the need to collect botanical resources and foster academic development. These activities have not only significantly enriched the Western botanical specimen collections but have also had a profound impact on the development of related disciplines such as botany, ecology, and horticulture. During this process, a large number of renowned plant hunters emerged, whose discoveries and contributions are still remembered today. George Forrest (1873–1932) was one of these distinguished plant hunters. From 1904 to 1932, he visited China seven times to collect plants and became famous for the regional distinctiveness of the species he collected. However, due to the lack of systematic collection, organization, and analysis of specimens collected by Forrest, only a few species, such as the species Rhododendron, are well-known among the many species he introduced to the West. Furthermore, the personal collecting characteristics and the characteristic species collected by Forrest are also not clear. This limits a comprehensive understanding of the specimen collection history and impact of Forrest in China. Therefore, systematic organization and analysis of Forrest’s plant specimens collected in China are crucial to understanding his impact on botanical classification, Rhododendrons introduction, global horticulture, and plant propagation. This study aims to systematically organize and analyze the plant specimens collected by George Forrest in China to investigate the family, genus, and species composition of the collected specimens and the seven collection expeditions of Forrest in China, as well as the time and altitude of these collections. Furthermore, it seeks to discuss Forrest’s scientific contributions to the global spread of plants, the widespread application of the Rhododendron, and his impact on the development of modern gardens, providing a theoretical basis and data reference for related research and professional development. To this end, we extensively consulted important historical literature related to Forrest and systematically collected data from online specimen databases. The conclusions drawn from the available data include 38,603 specimens, with 26,079 collection numbers, belonging to 233 families, 1395 genera, and 5426 species, which account for 48.24%, 32.63%, and 14.17% of the plant families, genera, and species in China, respectively. Rhododendron specimens made up 17.20% of the specimens collected in this study. The collection locations cover three provinces or autonomous regions, 11 prefecture-level cities, and 25 counties. Furthermore, we found that Forrest’s collections were concentrated in spring and summer, mainly in high-altitude areas, with 135 species found below 1500 m and 3754 species at 1500 m and above. Rhododendron specimens were mostly found above 3000 m.