Key villages of rural tourism have become an important carrier for the high-quality development of rural tourism. The precise identification of the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of rural tourism key villages is of great value in promoting the quality upgrading of rural tourism in China and realizing the goal of rural revitalization strategy. The aim is to realize the complementary coordination and integration of urban and rural areas, promote rural transformation and increase farmers’ incomes. Taking three batches of 1199 key rural tourism villages in China as research samples, the nearest neighbor index, disequilibrium index and kernel density methods were used to reveal the spatial differentiation characteristics of key rural tourism villages and the influencing factors were further analyzed using the geographical connection rate and buffer analysis. The results showed that (1) the key villages of rural tourism demonstrated a typical agglomeration in the spatial distribution, with the Hu Huanyong line as the obvious boundary. (2) The very high-density agglomeration centers were mainly located in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta region, while the high-density agglomeration zones were mainly located in the North China Plain on the east side of the Taihang Mountains and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. (3) The spatial distribution characteristics of hot regions were in the central and eastern regions; however, the cold regions were in the northwest and northeast regions. (4) The spatial distribution characteristics of key rural tourism villages were the result of the interaction and coupling of multiple factors. The key villages of rural tourism were mainly distributed in plain and hilly areas with dense river networks, dense populations, high levels of economic development, developed transportation and suburban areas.

Industrial heritage is a valuable spatial resource for urban stock updates, and its preservation and reuse play an important role in the transmission of urban history and culture. Typological analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, relevant spatial analysis using ArcGIS 10.8, and geographic probes were employed to explore the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors regarding the current status of the reuse of 196 heritage sites selected from five batches of China’s National Industrial Heritage (NIH) lists. The results reveal the following: (1) The spatial distribution of China’s NIH sites is uneven and cohesive, forming a dense circle with the Yangtze River Delta region and the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region at its core. (2) Three-fourths of the NIH sites have entered the reuse stage, and high-density and relatively high-density clusters have formed in the eastern and central regions. (3) The conservation and reuse directions of China’s NIH sites are mainly divided into publicization and marketization. (4) The spatial distribution differentiation of the reuse of NIH sites is not due to a single cause but, rather, a combination of various contributing factors. Natural geographic and socio-economic factors exert varying degrees of influence on the spatial distribution of reused heritage sites, with tourism resources and government support playing primary roles in shaping this distribution. These findings establish a fundamental database of China’s NIH sites and provide guidance for the current conservation and reuse of industrial heritage.

Urban green space has significant social, ecological, cultural and economic value. This study uses social media data to examine the spatiotemporal utilization of major parks in Shanghai and explore the determinants of their recreational attraction. Methods: Based on microblog check-in data between 2012 and 2018 across 17 parks in Shanghai, we investigated the patterns at different temporal scales (weekly, seasonal and annual) and across workdays and weekends by using log-linear regression models. Results: Our findings indicate that both internal and external factors affect park utilization. In particular, the presence of sports facilities significantly contributes to higher visit frequency. Factors such as the number of subway stations nearby, scenic quality and popularity have a positive impact on check-in numbers, while negative factors affecting park use are number of roads, ticket price and average surrounding housing price. Across different temporal scales, the use patterns of visitors have obvious seasonal and monthly tendencies, and the differences of workday and weekend models lie in external factors’ impacts. Conclusions: In order to achieve the goal of better serving the visitors, renewal of urban green spaces in megacities should consider these influential factors, increase sports facilities, subway stations nearby and improve scenic quality, popularity and water quality. This study on spatiotemporal utilization of urban parks can help enhance comprehensive functions of urban parks and be helpful for urban renewal strategies.

Assessing and analyzing the spatial and temporal evolution of urban land use and habitat quality is important for the ecological transformation, habitat conservation, and ecological development of resource-depleted cities. The InVEST model and ArcGIS 10.5 were used to analyze the characteristics of land use transition, the temporal and spatial evolution of habitat quality, and the distribution of hot and cold spots in typical resource-depleted cities in central China from 1990 to 2020, with a view to providing a reference for ecological environmental protection of such cities. The results show the following: (1) During the study period, a decrease in cultivated land and forested land and an increase in construction land were the main reasons for the decline in habitat quality in the study area; thus, attention should be paid to protecting cultivated land and preventing forested land degradation. (2) In terms of the temporal gradient, the overall habitat quality in the region showed a declining trend, habitat degradation characteristics showed a spread from urban city and county areas as the core to the surrounding areas. (3) In terms of spatial distribution, habitat quality in the area shows a pattern of “high in the north and low in the middle”.

Climate warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, severely threatens ecosystems and human societies. Accelerated by urbanization, land-use changes have significantly exacerbated climate change and disrupted carbon dynamics. Counties are key administrative units in China and are crucial for economic growth and achieving carbon neutrality goals. However, systematic research on carbon emission evolution and drivers at this scale remains scarce, hindering targeted low-carbon pathways. This study employs an improved IPCC method to quantify land-use carbon emissions (LUCE) in 37 Northern Henan counties (2000-2020). Using the standard deviational ellipse, Moran’s I, and an optimal parameter-based geographical detector, we analyzed spatiotemporal patterns and drivers. The results showed that (1) land transformation primarily involved converting cultivated land to construction land, with the latter increasing by 45.6%. The LUCE distribution exhibited stability, while global Moran’s I increased from 0.082 to 0.382, reflecting enhanced “high-high” and “low-low” spatial clustering. (2) Socioeconomic factors were the dominant drivers before 2010, while natural factors gained prominence thereafter. By 2020, natural constraints (especially NDVI) and their interactions with human activities (e.g., NTL) became key determinants, signaling intensified human‑nature coupling. (3) Given heterogeneous resources, we propose tailored pathways, including land use optimization, industrial transformation, and regional collaboration. This research establishes a fine-scale methodological framework for identifying complex driving mechanisms, offering scientific evidence for precise spatial planning and differentiated carbon mitigation policies at the county level to promote synergy between regional development and ecological sustainability.

Ecosystem service value (ESV) encapsulates the benefits that ecosystems confer upon humans, serving as an indicator of regional ecosystem quality. Henan Province (HNP) is undergoing substantial land use transformations, which are unique in China in that they span four river basins – the Huaihe River Basin (HUB), Yellow River Basin (YEB), Yangtze River Basin (YZB), and Haihe River Basin (HAB). This study uniquely explores the spatiotemporal evolution of changes in land use and ESV across four major river basins. Our findings reveal significant variations in ESV among different river basins. The spatial distributions of the land use categories varied across the four river basins, with distinct trends in the ESVs. Construction land exhibited the most pronounced changes. The forest and water ESVs initially declined but later recovered, whereas the cropland and grassland ESVs consistently decreased. The ESV related to land use in HNP increased by 9.96 billion CNY during this period, with high ESV areas located at the junction of YEB, YZB, HUB, and southern HUB. Synergistic relationships dominate ESV interactions, particularly in Regulating Services (RS), Supporting Services (SS), and Cultural Services (CS), whereas trade-offs are more prevalent in Provisioning Services (PS). Spatially, ESV hot spots are concentrated in YZB, whereas the cold spots are located primarily in HUB and HAB. Over time, the ESV disparities among the four river basins have intensified. This research enhances methodologies for quantifying river basins’ ESV, providing vital support for land resource management, ecological conservation, and high-quality development in major river basins in HNP, China. These findings will inform policymaking for sustainable basin ecosystem development.