Rapid urbanization and industrialization have had a range of effects on urban form and land use, especially in resource-based cities. Previous research has predominantly focused on the analysis of urban compactness or land-use efficiency individually, overlooking their interplay. In this study, we propose a coupled and coordinated research framework for urban compactness (UC) and urban land-use efficiency (ULUE). We analyze the UC and ULUE, as well as the degree and types of coupling and coordination (CCD) between them, in 119 counties and districts rich in coal resources within Shanxi Province. The findings reveal a declining trend in UC in Shanxi Province over time, with coal-resource-based cities exhibiting lower compactness than non-coal-resource-based cities. ULUE has shown stable development during the study period. The CCD between UC and ULUE exhibit spatial and urban typological heterogeneity. Further analysis demonstrates that the CCD types mainly manifest as the lagging development of UC. This research provides a foundation for achieving harmonious development between urban spatial structure and land-use structure and offers new perspectives for the sustainable development of resource-based urban regions.

Coal mining in the eastern Huaihe Plain has led to land degradation and hydrological disturbances, transforming terrestrial ecosystems into a complex of terrestrial and aquatic systems. These changes significantly impact regional ecological processes, structure, and functions. Hence, assessing the health condition and restoring the degraded subsidence wetlands efficiently have become urgent issues in coal resource-based cities. This research developed an ecosystem health assessment model for mining subsidence wetlands using the Driving Force–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework, with a focus on the subsidence wetlands of Yingshang County, Anhui Province. The assessment findings indicated that the wetland ecosystem was in a sub-healthy condition, with a health score of 0.51. Specific scores for the subsystems “Driving Force”, “Pressure”, and “State” were 0.584, 0.690, and 0.537, respectively, indicating that these subsystems were categorized as healthy, very healthy, and sub-healthy. In contrast, the scores for the “Impact” and “Response” subsystems were 0.076 and 0.093, both falling within the very poor (V) status. Weight analysis of the indicators revealed that the regional development index (Cp1), mining subsidence disturbance intensity (Cp2), aggregation index (Cs3), diversity index (Cs4), and wetland conservation rate (Cr1) significantly affected wetland ecosystem health. Taking into account both the health assessment results and the specific environmental conditions of the study area, this research recommends restoration strategies and the preservation of wetland ecosystems. The findings from this study can provide a basis for governmental bodies to create specific strategies and policies aimed at the conservation and management of subsidence wetlands.

High-rise developments frequently exert adverse impacts on the outdoor wind environment, leading to a deterioration in the overall quality of urban surroundings and a reduction in the comfort levels of residents. This study systematically investigates typical high-rise settlements in Xuzhou City and proposes optimization strategies to address wind environment issues through an in-depth analysis of building planning parameters. Utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, the research identifies key wind-related challenges associated with high-rise buildings in representative settlements. The study comprehensively examines the effects of building height, width, orientation, spacing, and layout on the outdoor wind field, progressing from individual building units to clusters. Based on these findings, optimization strategies are formulated and validated through CFD simulations conducted on a representative high-rise settlement in Xuzhou. The results reveal that typical high-rise buildings in Xuzhou exhibit a height of 54 m, a width of 48 m, and an orientation ranging from 15° to 30° southeast. The front-to-rear building spacing is approximately 1.44 times the building height, with an additional 15 m spacing from mountain walls. Optimal wind conditions are achieved with a center-vacant building layout. The optimization of building form, spacing, and orientation substantially improves the outdoor wind environment by alleviating stagnant wind zones and reducing wind pressure differentials between the building fronts and rears, thereby enhancing the comfort of residents. This study provides a valuable reference for the planning and design of high-rise settlements, contributing to an improvement in urban environmental quality and the enhancement of livability.

The increasing development of coal mining subsidence wetland parks has led to a growing focus on assessing their ecological, economic, and social benefits following ecological restoration. This study establishes an assessment framework for the social landscape performance of coal mining subsidence wetland parks based on the landscape performance series (LPS), cultural ecosystem services (CES), and the unique characteristics of coal mining subsidence wetland parks. The framework integrates expert opinions and field research to select indicators, resulting in a comprehensive evaluation system comprising 28 indicators across five dimensions. Taking the Pan’an Lake National Wetland Park (PLNWP) in Xuzhou, China, as an example, we conducted empirical research by collecting data through questionnaires and on-site interviews. Using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, the social landscape performance score of PLNWP was 3.511, which is rated as “good.” The importance–performance analysis (IPA) was applied to identify differences in the perceptions of visitors and local residents regarding the social landscape performance of the PLNWP. Local residents highlighted the need to enhance the amenity of waterside spaces, while visitors focused on the accessibility. Finally, based on the performance score and the perceptions from different stakeholders, optimization strategies were proposed in four aspects: enhancing waterside space amenity, optimizing accessibility, improving educational facilities, and addressing diverse user needs. This study could provide a feasible assessment framework and optimization guidance for other coal mining subsidence wetland parks.