With the increasing demand for outdoor recreation and fitness, this study aims to assess the connectivity of the outdoor green recreation (OGR) network from the perspective of green travel and propose optimization framework. The Point of Interest (POI) and Area of Interest (AOI) datasets of OGR spots in Zhengzhou were utilized as the primary research materials. A combination of GIS spatial analysis and Graph index calculation is employed to quantify and diagnose the connectivity of the OGR network based on multi-source data (land cover, topography, and road network). The index system for cost surface establishment was improved and proposed, shifting its focus from previous biological migration and ecological network to human green travel and improving the connectivity of the OGR network. The technical optimization process of the OGR network is explored and presented. The results show that: (1) The scale, number, and distribution of OGR spots and the connectivity of the OGR network are significantly different in urban and rural areas. Numerous small-scale OGR spots and short-distance recreational paths are distributed in urban areas, while a limited number of large-scale OGR spots and long-distance recreational paths are situated in rural areas with better natural resources. (2) Compared with driving travel, the connectivity of the OGR network is poor when walking and cycling. Graph indexes of Dg, BC, and dPC can be used to reflect the connection capability, bridging role, and contribution of each spot to overall network connectivity. (3) The current OGR network is optimized through 30 new spots based on the perspective of green travel and land suitability analysis. The network connectivity will improve by 4%, and the number of recreational paths suitable for green travel increased by 41. (4) The methodologies for quantifying and optimizing OGR network connectivity from the perspective of green travel will offer valuable references for future research in this field.

Under the requirements of ecological civilization and rural revitalization strategies in China, studying and evaluating the development potential of rural recreational resources surrounding the urban areas of megacities is of great significance for promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. Based on the collection and processing of multi-source datasets, this paper proposes corresponding evaluation methods for the development potential of three types of rural recreational resources (nature-historical culture-village). It combines AHP-entropy weight combination weighting, GIS spatial analysis, and Graphab network connectivity analysis to explore and evaluate the potential of rural recreational resources within the Zhengzhou urban area, which is in Central China. It quantifies the contribution degree and development priority of potential points to the overall recreational network. The results show that the recreational resources in rural areas are abundant and have great development potential. High potential points of the natural category are concentrated in the western shallow mountainous and hilly areas, with convenient transportation and a high green coverage rate, suitable for developing as suburban forest parks. High-potential points of historical sites are close to the urban area, and should be integrated and connected with the urban leisure corridors, suitable for developing as suburban cultural parks. High-potential points of villages are suitable for creating composite stations (homestay, study, folk customs) and developing into key nodes of the recreational network. Potential points with high contribution to the overall recreational network should be prioritized for development. In the future, the optimization and development of rural recreational resources can be achieved through four paths of overall planning, key promotion, brand driving, and network collaboration.

The evolution process and utilization status jointly determine the spatial heterogeneity of the Earth’s surface. Planning policies should be customized for specific geographical regions. This paper proposes an innovative spatial zoning method that accounts for both the utilization status (development pattern and development intensity) and evolutionary processes (development trend) of land space, with Zhengzhou in China, selected as the case study. The impact of land cover transition on land surface temperature (LST) changes in different spatial zones was assessed. The reasons for zone formation were revealed through correlation analysis and policy review. Tailor-made optimization strategies were proposed. The results showed that the study area could be divided into 18 spatial zones. They were formed as a result of long-term changes in land cover and human activities. The ELG (ecology-dominant low-intensity growth area), ALS (agriculture-dominant low-intensity shrinkage area), and UMG (urban-dominant medium-intensity growth area) zones accounted for the largest proportions, representing the current land use status and previous change trends. The transition from agricultural land to built-up land (41.34% of which was distributed in the UMG zone) may be associated with LST warming, whereas the conversion from agricultural land to green space (67.04% of which was distributed in the ELG zone) may be associated with LST cooling. These two changes contribute most to LST changes. Greater attention should be paid to the combined and transfer effects of land cover processes, as well as seasonal exposure during agricultural production. Topography fundamentally influences zone distribution, while human activities and planning policies shape spatial patterns. In the future, planning policies should be customized for different spatial zones. The zoning methodology and optimization strategies can provide a useful reference for future territorial spatial planning in the study area and other urban regions.