Facing the global climate change crisis, many cities have proposed the goal to achieve net-zero carbon cities. The natural carbon sink in urban space is indispensable for net-zero carbon cities, but the existing measurement system has shortcomings in the measurement elements and precision. This leads to unclear control objectives and elements of spatial planning, and the relevant planning strategies lack the support of quantitative results. We included the often-ignored natural carbon sink space and soil in the measurement scope. Taking Hangzhou as an example, we built a natural carbon sink capacity measurement system with respect to the carbon sequestration and storage capacity, measured the natural carbon sink, and evaluated its carbon neutrality’s contribution in urban space. The results showed that the carbon sink capacity of soil and small green spaces in built-up areas could affect the quantity and spatial pattern of the measurement results. Both should be included in the measurement system to improve corresponding spatial planning strategies’ reliability and feasibility. Additionally, Hangzhou’s annual natural carbon sequestration offset approximately 9.87% of the carbon emissions in the same year. With respect to the contribution to carbon neutrality, the role of natural carbon sinks in urban space was necessary, but the effect was limited. Therefore, strategies to reduce carbon emissions are integral for the net-zero carbon goal. Some spatial planning strategies to improve the urban natural carbon sink capacity are discussed. A more precise and comprehensive understanding of the urban natural carbon sink capacity can support the construction of a net-zero carbon city better.

Floods are one of the most frequent natural disasters today. Hence, it is highly important to explore the effect of flood risk on residential land prices to promote the rational allocation of land resources and incorporate climate change risk control into territorial spatial planning. This paper takes the primary urban area of Hangzhou as an example, based upon data from 424 residential land plots. With spatial autocorrelation analysis and the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) approach, the spatial effect of flood risk on residential transaction land price was investigated. The results show that, ceteris paribus, plots with high risk of flooding suffer a price discount of 8.62%. The unique mechanism of the way flood risk affects land prices was discussed further from the perspectives of land ownership and land price systems in China. Furthermore, when the land price in surrounding areas increases one percent, the land price in the area will increase 14.32%. The spatial spillover effects of land price were analyzed with the flood information disclosure system and the stakeholders’ considerations in land price comparison. The effect of flooding on residential land prices in Hangzhou is the result of government regulations and market allocations, which are fundamentally different from those of the free market allocations in many western countries. Interestingly, the risk of flooding is capitalized into the price, whether it is determined by government or market pricing. Integrating flood risk into land price determination can help promote the optimal allocation of land resources and minimize depreciation attributable to flood disasters.

China’s rapid urbanization over the past decades has been accompanied by ecological deterioration. This decline in the provision of vital ecosystem services now poses a significant threat to urban area sustainability. Accordingly, the evaluation of ecosystem services has gained greater importance in ecological and sustainable development over the past decade. However, little information about ecosystem services is factored into urban planning and management decisions and limited studies to date have incorporated conservation prioritization when making decisions about urban growth boundaries. In this study, we proposed an initial framework to illustrate its application in Hangzhou. We modeled and mapped five ecosystem services (i.e., habitat quality as a proxy of biodiversity, carbon storage, water yield, sediment retention, nutrient retention) using the InVEST model and evaluated the overlaps among them. Zonation, a systematic conservation planning tool, was applied to explicitly spatialize conservation prioritization, and we proposed an analytical framework to define priority areas for ecosystem services conservation and delineated a rigid urban growth boundary. Our study integrated ecosystem service evaluations into the urban land-use decision-making process and addressed compromises in decisions regarding conservation prioritization.

Although the forces or impetuses that influence an urban structure are diverse, as has been fully studied by scholars from diverse research fields, some have played key roles. We endeavor to explore the key forces and mechanisms forming and transforming the urban spatial structure through Hangzhou, a multi-identity city. Upon studying classical ancient texts, historical maps, critical and recent literature, and POI data, we argue that the first and foremost driver of Hangzhou is commercial culture, rather than any other factors. Under a diachronic view and with graphic analysis, we distinguished Hangzhou’s three major transformations during the last 900 years. Each transformation was, respectively, driven by the complicated commercial culture, which was mixed up with other elementary cultures, such as civil, leisure, landscape, and industrial. Furthermore, urban heritages were formed, inherited, revitalized, and reutilized during the transformation processes, which, in turn, enriched the commercial culture and vividly reshaped Hangzhou’s urban structure.

Anticipated sea level rises from global climate change pose a significant flood risk to urban land. Evaluating urban land suitability under sea level rise scenarios is crucial for promoting sustainable development. Recent research has advanced the application of artificial intelligence and the integration of GIS with models, yet the impact of climate change on land suitability has often been overlooked. This study focuses on Xihu District in Hangzhou, utilizing the entropy weight and matter-element model to evaluate land suitability for urban development. The evaluation results were cross-verified with land use plans. A comprehensive analysis of potential flood risk to urban land in 2100 was conducted, considering varying degrees of sea level rise under Sustainable Development Scenario SSP1-2.6 and High-end Emission Scenario SSP5-8.5, as well as the scenario reflecting the most severe sea level rise during extreme climate events. The results indicate that more than half of the land in the study area is suitable for construction, aligning spatially with the current planned urban land. The analysis process of the matter-element model reflects the impact level of each indicator on urban land suitability, conveying information both spatially and numerically, thus enhancing accuracy. Scenario analysis reveals that approximately 10% to 20% of urban land in the study area could face flooding threats due to future sea level rises, primarily in the northern and southeastern regions. Recommendations for future land development and spatial planning strategies to address flood risk are discussed, aiming to alleviate the pressure on urban land in response to future climate change.