Street view imagery (SVI) provides efficient access to data that can be used to research spatial quality at the human scale. The previous reviews have mainly focused on specific health findings and neighbourhood environments. There has not been a comprehensive review of this topic. In this paper, we systematically review the literature on the application of SVI in the built environment, following a formal innovation–decision framework. The main findings are as follows: (I) SVI remains an effective tool for automated research assessments. This offers a new research avenue to expand the built environment-measurement methods to include perceptions in addition to physical features. (II) Currently, SVI is functional and valuable for quantifying the built environment, spatial sentiment perception, and spatial semantic speculation. (III) The significant dilemmas concerning the adoption of this technology are related to image acquisition, the image quality, spatial and temporal distribution, and accuracy. (IV) This research provides a rapid assessment and provides researchers with guidance for the adoption and implementation of SVI. Data integration and management, proper image service provider selection, and spatial metrics measurements are the critical success factors. A notable trend is the application of SVI towards a focus on the perceptions of the built environment, which provides a more refined and effective way to depict urban forms in terms of physical and social spaces.

As rural populations age at an accelerating pace, the role of public spaces in enhancing the quality of life and promoting social engagement among older adults has become increasingly important. However, a significant cognitive gap persists between the actual needs of elderly users and the intentions of designers, often resulting in suboptimal design outcomes and underutilized spaces. This study centers on the concept of user–designer cognitive synergy, aiming to establish a systematic framework to bridge this cognitive divide and improve the design quality of age-friendly rural public spaces. Employing Grounded Theory, the FKANO model, and the DEMATEL method, this study systematically elicited user needs, classified their attributes, and mapped causal relations to determine priority drivers. Applied in a representative rural case, the framework identified Environmental and Operations Management and Spatial Accessibility as the most critical needs, while Smart-Friendliness and Safety Organization were also shown to play significant roles. These findings directly informed targeted spatial strategies such as barrier-free circulation, robust nighttime safety systems, intergenerational hubs, and an operations backbone. Post-occupancy evaluation confirmed high satisfaction across safety, accessibility, functionality, social participation, and environmental comfort. The results demonstrate the framework’s effectiveness in translating complex needs into actionable design strategies, offering both theoretical insights and practical guidance for age-friendly rural public space development.

Urban areas are human–environmental systems that rely heavily on ecosystems for long-term sustainability, and ecosystems and their components are essential to city life. Previous reviews have drawn a range of conclusions relevant to the future analysis and implementation of ecological and facility assessments. Overall, however, there is still a need to develop more systematic methods to comprehensively assess and evaluate urban ecosystem services (UES) in a temporal dimension for use in both historical monitoring studies and prospective research. Using CiteSpace, this study assessed the history and current state of UES research from multiple angles, as well as identified research structures and emerging trends in this field. The main findings are as follows: (i) The study of UES can be divided into three distinct but interconnected stages: preparation, rise, and prosperity. There are substantial prospects for UES research to develop worldwide collaborative networks, since it is increasingly expanding from domains focused on ecological or environmental science to those that draw from a wider range of disciplines. (ii) UES has evolved slowly from large-scale research to more focused, smaller-scale studies. Research on the subject of UES focuses primarily on two primary areas: land-use change and the development of green infrastructure. (iii) Sustainability in cities is currently a hot issue, and an important area of this study is the role that urban ecosystem services plays in ensuring residents’ health and happiness.

As an interdisciplinary topic, landscape ecology has great potential in providing knowledge for landscape planning. However, previous studies have not been reviewed by multidisciplinary journals. There has not yet been a thorough analysis of these studies, and it is unclear how different points of view have evolved. In this study, CiteSpace software is used to analyze the evolution and current state of LEP research from several perspectives, which also identifies research hotspots and future research trends. The main findings are as follows: (i) There are three phases in LEP research: preparation, rising, and prosperity. LEP research is gradually shifting from concentrated ecological or environmental science to multidisciplinary fields, and there are significant opportunities for LEP research to build global collaborative networks. (ii) The focus of this research has gradually shifted from quantifying environmental impact to analyzing the internal process of the urban system. (iii) Future research will concentrate on a spatial model of landscape system analysis, landscape ecological resilience research, and LEP research in “urban agglomeration” with the hope of increasing the ability to realize sustainable space development.

Urban wetlands serve as vital spatial platforms for ecological restoration, carbon sequestration enhancement, and public environmental education; however, systematic research on their carbon sequestration benefits and the mechanisms linking these benefits to spatial design and public participation remains limited. Taking Nanjing Yuzui Wetland Park as a case study, this paper conducts a comprehensive assessment of plant community carbon sequestration benefits, spatial structural variations, and public ecological awareness by integrating official tree species data, field measurement data, the i-Tree Eco model, and questionnaire surveys. The results indicate that Yuzui Wetland Park already possesses a solid foundation for carbon sequestration, with a total carbon sequestration benefit of $48,777.38 and an average carbon sequestration benefit per tree of $24.63. Salix babylonica and Ulmus pumila L. are the primary contributors to current carbon sequestration, while Ginkgo biloba demonstrate strong long-term carbon storage potential, suggesting a clear division of labor among different tree species in short-term carbon fixation and long-term carbon storage. At the same time, significant differences exist between the native areas within the wetland and the peripheral roadside areas in terms of tree species composition, community structure, and carbon sequestration performance, indicating that spatial zoning is a key factor influencing the carbon sequestration benefits of urban wetlands. By integrating i-Tree Eco-based carbon assessment with questionnaire data, this study identifies a perceptual gap between the carbon-sink performance of Yuzui Wetland Park and public recognition of its ecological functions. The model results show measurable carbon-sequestration benefits and differentiated contribution patterns among tree species: Salix babylonica and Ulmus pumila L. contribute mainly to current carbon storage, while Ginkgo biloba shows long-term carbon-storage potential. The questionnaire results indicate that respondents recognized the wetland primarily through recreational and landscape functions, with lower recognition of carbon sequestration and water purification. These findings provide the basis for translating carbon-sink assessment into spatial visualization, environmental interpretation, and participatory landscape design. The study indicates that the optimization of urban wetlands should not be limited to plant selection and ecological calculations but should further integrate carbon sink assessment with spatial design and public participation to enhance the perceptibility, communicability, and practicability of wetland ecological value.