Urbanization is increasing worldwide and is happening at a rapid rate in China in line with economic development. Urbanization can lead to major changes in freshwater environments through multiple chemical and microbial contaminants. We assessed the impact of urbanization on physicochemical characteristics and microbial loading in canals in Suzhou, a city that has experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades. Nine sampling locations covering three urban intensity classes (high, medium and low) in Suzhou were selected for field studies and three locations in Huangshan (natural reserve) were included as pristine control locations. Water samples were collected for physicochemical, microbiological and molecular analyses. Compared to medium and low urbanization sites, there were statistically significant higher levels of nutrients and total and thermotolerant coliforms (or fecal coliforms) in highly urbanized locations. The effect of urbanization was also apparent in the abundances of human-associated fecal markers and bacterial pathogens in water samples from highly urbanized locations. These results correlated well with land use types and anthropogenic activities at the sampling sites. The overall results indicate that urbanization negatively impacts water quality, providing high levels of nutrients and a microbial load that includes fecal markers and pathogens.

There is little robust quantitative evidence on how community gardens impact on physical activity and other health-related behaviours. This natural experiment study aimed to examine the effects of a community garden within a Chinese neighbourhood on health-related behaviours during the COVID-19 epidemic. The study design was a repeat cross-sectional pre–post study, assessing differences between the non-epidemic period and epidemic period. Camera-based systematic observations were conducted at two locations within a community garden. A total of 180 h of video recordings were collected and coded by two researchers during a “non-epidemic” period when there were no COVID-19 restrictions (120 h) and the “epidemic” when COVID-19 restrictions were implemented (60 h). Observations of these video recordings assessed the total number of users, physical activities (Sedentary, Walking, Vigorous), social interactions (Connect), and people taking notice of the environment (Take Notice), followed by a breakdown of observed gender and age group. Data were analysed using paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, comparing outcomes during the epidemic period and non-epidemic period. Results showed a significant increase in total number of users during the epidemic, particularly in females, older adults and children. Sedentary and moderate physical activities were significantly higher during the epidemic period. The increase in the total number of users of the community garden during the 2022 epidemic outbreak in Suzhou shows the importance of community gardens as a primary space for outdoor activities. This robust natural experiment study demonstrated that the community garden contributed more to physical activity, such as walking, but less to interactions between people (connecting) or people–place interactions (taking notice of the environment). More natural experiment research on community gardens like this is needed to better understand how the health and well-being benefits of community gardens can be maximized.

Freshwaters in China are affected by point and non-point sources of pollution. The Wujiang District (Suzhou City, China) has a long history of canals, rivers, and lakes that are currently facing various water quality issues. In this study, the water quality of four rivers and a lake in Wujiang was assessed to quantify pollution and explore its causes. Seventy-five monthly samples were collected from these water bodies (five locations/samples per area) from August to October 2020 and were compared with nine control samples collected from a water protection area. Fifteen physicochemical, microbiological, and molecular–microbiological parameters were analyzed, including nutrients, total and fecal coliforms, and fecal markers. Significant monthly variation was observed for most parameters at all areas. Total phosphorus, phosphates, total nitrogen, ammonium–nitrogen, and fecal coliforms mostly exceeded the acceptable limits set by the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. The LiPuDang Lake and the WuFangGang River were the most degraded areas. The studied parameters were correlated with urban, agricultural, industrial, and other major land use patterns. The results suggest that fecal contamination and nutrients, associated with certain land use practices, are the primary pollution factors in the Wujiang District. Detailed water quality monitoring and targeted management strategies are necessary to control pollution in Wujiang’s watersheds.

Cities play a crucial role in addressing the biodiversity crisis. Despite advancements in urban ecology, effectively integrating biodiversity into urban planning remains limited. Built-environment professionals (BEPs), who are responsible for local actions, often face criticism for their unwillingness to prioritize biodiversity and are seldom studied from their perspectives, especially those from the Global South. Therefore, understanding the viewpoints of diverse BEPs from both the Global South and North on biodiversity-inclusive urban planning and design (BIPD) is crucial. This study employs Q-Methodology to analyze BEPs’ perspectives in Ethiopia, China, Spain, and the United States, revealing four viewpoints: Pluralist, Enthusiast, Pragmatist, and Contextualist. Challenges in realizing BIPD include widespread unawareness among BEPs of existing biodiversity data and methodologies, structural-physical barriers such as land use conflicts and competing resources, and misaligned values with stakeholders. Our research challenges the notion that BEPs resist incorporating biodiversity into their practices by broadly exploring their viewpoints. BEPs exhibit readiness to transcend legislative structural barriers and leverage professional norms to advocate for urban biodiversity, particularly when equipped with evidence-based tools. Pluralists and Enthusiasts demonstrate heightened interest in multidisciplinary collaboration and prescriptive, visual tools to communicate biodiversity’s value to stakeholders. Critically, BEPs’ capacity to act hinges on the availability of contextually sensitive methods, necessitating empowerment through transdisciplinary collaborations to foster transformative changes in cities, especially in the Global South, where complex socioeconomic-ecological trade-offs demand co-produced solutions.