In recent decades, the increasing frequency of urban fires, driven by urban functional enhancements and climate change, has posed a growing threat to metropolitan sustainability. This study investigates the temporal and spatial characteristics of fire incidents in Shanghai from 2019 to 2023. Using satellite fire point data and official government records, kernel density analysis and wavelet analysis were employed to analyze the time series and spatial distribution of fire data. Subsequently, eleven primary factors influencing urban fire occurrence were identified, encompassing probability, regional characteristics, and hazard sources. A combined methodology of subjective and objective weights with game theory was used to generate a fire risk assessment at a 1 × 1 km² grid scale. Furthermore, the spatial distribution characteristics of the assessments were analyzed. The results reveal that the downtown area exhibits the highest intensity of urban fires in terms of spatial domain, with a decreasing intensity towards the suburbs. Temporally, fire frequency demonstrates significant periodicity at an 18a time scale, while clear seasonal fluctuations and periodicity are observed at a 16-22a time scale, with higher occurrences in spring and winter. The study identifies typical aggregation patterns of urban fires, with high-risk centers in downtown Shanghai. Considering the impact of climate change and human activities, high-risk areas may gradually expand to adjacent urban suburbs, presenting a concerning future scenario. By examining the dual attributes of “combustibles and fireproof space” within urban greening systems, this research offers recommendations for the future strategies of disaster prevention and mitigation of green systems in Shanghai.

The confluence of global warming, the urban heat island effect, and alterations in the nature of underlying surfaces has led to a continuous escalation in the frequency, scale, and intensity of fires within urban green spaces. Mitigating or eliminating the adverse effects of such fires on the service functions of urban ecosystems, while enhancing the resilience of urban greening systems in disaster prevention and risk reduction, has become a pivotal challenge in modern urban development and management. Academic focus has progressively broadened from isolated urban and forest domains to encompass the more intricate environments of the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) and urban–suburban forests, with a particular emphasis on the distinctive characteristics of urban greening and in-depth research. This study employs a combination of CiteSpace bibliometric analysis and a narrative literature review to comprehensively examine three critical aspects of urban fire safety as follows: (1) the evaluation of the fire-resistant performance of landscape plants in urban green spaces; (2) the mechanisms of fire behavior in urban greening systems; and (3) the assessment and prediction of urban fire risks. Our findings indicate that landscape plants play a crucial role in controlling the spread of fires in urban green spaces by providing physical barriers and inhibiting combustion processes, thereby mitigating fire propagation. However, the diversity and non-native characteristics of urban greenery species present challenges. The existing research lacks standardized experimental indicators and often focuses on single-dimensional analyses, leading to conclusions that are limited, inconsistent, or even contradictory. Furthermore, most current fire spread models are designed primarily for forests and wildland–urban interface (WUI) regions. Empirical and semi-empirical models dominate this field, yet future advancements will likely involve coupled models that integrate climate and environmental factors. Fire risk assessment and prediction represent a global research hotspot, with machine learning- and deep learning-based approaches increasingly gaining prominence. These advanced methods have demonstrated superior accuracy compared to traditional techniques in predicting urban fire risks. This synthesis aims to elucidate the current state, trends, and deficiencies within the existing research. Future research should explore methods for screening highly resistant landscape plants, with the goal of bolstering the ecological resilience of urban greening systems and providing theoretical underpinnings for the realization of sustainable urban environmental security.

The narrative character of planting design is the fun of landscapes, telling stories and morals in a unique way in planning. When the landscape stimulates our multiple senses, it even has a great impact on our behavior, our views, and our psychological perception of the world. The way of landscaping tells stories or conveys ideas from four planting design angles, including the symbolic meanings of plants, dynamic storytelling, philosophical design and contrast with Eden. It reflects the importance of a successful landscape and public values, and enhance the interaction with public emotion. This paper provides a detailed exposition of methods and specific scenarios for creating narrative landscapes through the use of plants, drawing on examples from classical gardens in various countries, including Europe, England, and China. This study aims to organize and summarize the cultural symbols present in planting design, clarify the expressive techniques of narrative landscapes through plant design, and provide theoretical insights for interpreting and understanding classical gardens, as well as practical support for future landscape design endeavors.