The conservation and transmission of cultural heritage are enduring drivers of sustainable development. As a significant form of cultural heritage, temples play a vital role in maintaining urban historical continuity and embodying local culture. This study investigated the landscape roles of temples within the ancient city of Chongqing. Drawing primarily on sources such as the “Chongqing Fuzhi Quantu” (Complete Map of Chongqing Prefecture) from the Qing Dynasty, it identifies 79 temples in historical Chongqing. Employing Historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS), the study reveals the multi-scale distribution characteristics of these temples and their interaction mechanisms with the urban spatial structure. The findings indicate that: (1) The development of Chongqing’s temples is closely linked to the stratification process of urban historical landscapes, serving as historical markers reflecting urban culture; (2) The distribution of temples in Qing-dynasty Chongqing exhibited significant correlations with the mountain-river environment and topography, forming clusters at key urban nodes while demonstrating spatial differentiation based on their attributes; (3) the landscape roles of temples in the ancient Chongqing city by guiding the urban landscape order, shaping city landmarks, and anchoring collective memories. Through the interrelated interactions across multiscale spaces, they collectively shaped the urban imagery. The study aims to provide practical recommendations for urban heritage conservation, cultural tourism, and sustainable development.

As essential components of urban green spaces, pocket parks play a critical role in enhancing residents’ mental restoration in high-density cities. Taking six representative pocket parks in Guangzhou as a case study, this study developed a 16-indicator evaluation framework based on Perceived Sensory Dimension (PSD) theory. The supply–demand balance of restorative environments in pocket parks was investigated via questionnaire surveys (n = 276, primarily aged 18–45 of the urban working population), expert assessments, and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA). Results showed that respondents strongly prioritized “vegetation coverage,” “spatial openness,” and “safe stayability.” Furthermore, the high–stress group exhibited higher preferences for specific restorative attributes (e.g., “spatial openness,” “undisturbed environment,” and “cultural expression”). The IPA results revealed a structural supply–demand mismatch: High-restorative-benefit attributes such as “spatial openness” and “visual permeability” fell into the low-performance quadrant, requiring urgent improvement, whereas lower-benefit features such as “public activities” showed relatively high performance. Based on these findings, this study proposes targeted optimization strategies to guide the health-oriented renewal and sustainable management of pocket parks and to provide empirical evidence for evidence-based design of urban green space systems in high-density cities.

The conservation and transmission of cultural heritage are enduring drivers of sustainable development. As a significant form of cultural heritage, temples play a vital role in maintaining urban historical continuity and embodying local culture. This study investigated the landscape roles of temples within the ancient city of Chongqing. Drawing primarily on sources such as the Chongqing Fuzhi Quantu (Complete Map of Chongqing Prefecture) from the Qing Dynasty, it identifies 79 temples in historical Chongqing. Employing Historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS), the study reveals the multi-scale distribution characteristics of these temples and their interaction mechanisms with the urban spatial structure. The findings indicate that: 1) The development of Chongqing's temples is closely linked to the stratification process of urban historical landscapes, serving as historical markers reflecting urban culture; 2) The distribution of temples in Qing-dynasty Chongqing exhibited significant correlations with the mountain-river environment and topography, forming clusters at key urban nodes while demonstrating spatial differentiation based on their attributes; 3) the landscape roles of temples in the ancient Chongqing city by guiding the urban landscape order, shaping city landmarks, and anchoring collective memories. Through the interrelated interactions across multiscalar spaces, they collectively shaped the urban imagery. In response to problems such as the fragmentation of temple conservation and cultural discontinuity, the study proposes conservation and development strategies across three dimensions: "regional-urban-architectural" to support the revitalisation and sustainable development of urban cultural heritage.