An essential part of urban natural systems, urban green spaces play a crucial role in mitigating the urban heat island effect (UHI). The UHI effect refers to the phenomenon where the temperature within a city is higher than that of the surrounding rural areas. The effects of the spatial composition and configuration of urban green spaces on urban land surface temperature (LST) have recently been documented. However, few studies have examined the effects of the directionality and distribution of green spaces on LST. In this study, we used a landscape index to describe the change in pattern of heat island intensity for the city of Baotou, China. We then used a semi-variable function and nearest neighbor algorithm to analyze the cooling effects of green spaces. We found that: (1) the cooling distance of an urban green space was not only influenced by its size, vegetation cover, and shape, but also showed anisotropy. In general, the larger the area of the urban green space and the higher the value of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI; a measure of plant photosynthetic activity), the larger the cooling distance within a certain threshold. Green spaces with more regular shapes displayed higher LST mitigation; however, the cooling distance was directional, and cooling effects depended on the semi-major axis and semi-minor axis of the green space. (2) The distribution of the urban green space within the landscape played a key role in mitigating the UHI effect. Within a certain area, the cooling effect of green spaces that are evenly distributed was greater than that which was associated with either green spaces that were large in area or where greens spaces were aggregated in the landscape. Therefore, within urban areas, where space is limited, urban planning should account for green spaces that are relatively scattered and evenly distributed to maximize cooling effects. The results of this study have key implications for sustainable urban planning and development; to mitigate urban heat island effects it is important to not only increase canopy cover or the size of urban green spaces, but also to optimize their spatial configuration.

Traditional villages embody China’s long-standing farming culture and are the carriers for the inheritance and development of traditional culture in rural China. However, because of the continuous erosion of rural space due to China’s rapid urbanization, traditional villages are gradually declining and even disappearing. Protecting traditional villages has become a significant scientific problem in the implementation of the “Rural Vitalization Strategy” in the new era. The study of the spatial distribution pattern of traditional villages and its influencing factors is an important basis for formulating macro-protection policies for traditional villages in China. However, the existing literature is one-sided and subjectivity in revealing the influencing factors, making it difficult to form accurate and comprehensive protection policies. Employing the Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model, this study analyzes the impact of human settlements factors on the spatial distribution patterns of traditional villages in Liaoning province. Results can be summated as follows. (1) The spatial distribution of traditional villages in Liaoning exhibits a clustered pattern. (2) In terms of the geographical regional scale, the distribution is highly uneven and mainly concentrated in the western region of Liaoning. At the municipal scale, the distribution is relatively uneven and primarily located in the cities of Chaoyang, Jinzhou, Huludao, Panjin, Anshan, and Dalian. (3) The majority of traditional villages are distributed along the southwest–northeast axis of the standard deviation ellipse, which corresponds with the main mountain ranges of Liaoning. (4) The distribution density features a western continuous clustering, central and eastern scattered clustering, and edge clustering pattern. (5) The spatial distribution patterns of traditional villages in Liaoning are influenced by various human settlements factors, with spatial variation in the nature and intensity of the effects of these factors. (6) The natural factors of human settlements are the dominant factors in the spatial distribution patterns of traditional villages, while the humanistic factors of human settlements have a dual impact on these patterns. This paper presents novel ideas for the study of the spatial distribution pattern of traditional villages, scientific support for the development of the disciplines of rural geography and the geography of human settlements, and new scientific decision-making and theoretical support for the protection and utilization of traditional villages.

As an important supplement to “location space”, “flow space” has become an important trend in urban network research. At present, the theoretical basis and empirical research of urban network structure from the perspective of “flow space” are not completely clear. Based on the urban spatial network structure research system framework, this paper comprehensively studies the urban spatial structure, spatial network pattern and development mode of Liaoning Province in China by using multivariate data flow. The results show that: (1) Cities at all levels in Liaoning Province have different functions and roles in the urban network level, with Shenyang and Dalian as the leading cities, and Anshan and Jinzhou as “transit hubs”; (2) Liaoning Province takes Shenyang-Dalian as its main axis, the Shenyang economic circle with Shenyang as the core and the coastal economic belt with Dalian as the core and Dandong and Yingkou as the two wings intersect to form the urban spatial network pattern; (3) In the future, Liaoning Province should further form the urban development model of “core city-axis-cluster”. Under the trend of globalization, it should carry out in-depth promotion in combination with “Shenyang Modern Metropolitan Circle” “Liaoning Coastal Economic Belt” and “Liaoning Northwest Strategy”, and finally form a balanced, efficient and comprehensive urban network structure.

The high-quality interaction of urban reality human settlements (RHSs), pseudo-human settlements (PHSs) and image human settlements (IHSs) can better explain the constantly updated human settlements phenomena under the human–land-relationship regional system. At present, the basic connotation, empirical exploration and optimized path of high-quality and coordinated development of “three states” of human settlements are not clear. In this paper, we take 14 prefecture-level cities in Liaoning Province as case areas and empirically explore their spatial patterns, coupling and coordination spatial relationships, driving mechanisms and development paths by using a coupling and coordination model, the entropy weight method and the geographic detector method. The results indicate that: (1) The spatial pattern of high-quality development of “three states” of human settlements varies significantly in different regions, forming a “dual-core” and “hump” spatial structure. (2) RHSs, PHSs and IHSs are not completely coordinated, forming “high–high–high” and “low–low–low” types, represented by Shenyang and Fuxin. (3) The high-quality coordinated development of “three states” of human settlements is driven by economic conditions, population conditions, entertainment systems and other factors. The population system, the social communication system and the support system, respectively, lead the high-quality coordinated development of RHSs, PHSs and IHSs.

Urban pseudo and reality human settlements (PHSs and RHSs) are important components of the human–land relationship regional system. To explore the coupling and coordination relationship and principle among them is an important approach to high-quality coordinated urban development. Based on the three-dimensional development of human settlements, the theoretical system of a “three states” dynamic frame diagram is constructed. The spatio-temporal heterogeneity and driving principle of coupling coordination among PHSs and RHSs in 34 prefecture-level cities in northeast China from 2011 to 2019 were explained by using the coupling coordination degree, spatial trend surface analysis and geographic detector techniques, and the evolution principle of spatio-temporal coordination was revealed. The results show that: (1) in the temporal dimension, the coupling coordination degree among PHSs and RHSs in the three provinces shows a smooth growth from “slight disadjustment” to “near disadjustment”; (2) With Shenyang, Dalian, Changchun and Harbin as the center, the coordination degree shows a circular pattern decreasing from the transition area to peripheral area. In the direction of south and north, the spatial evolution trend shows a gradual change from a “—” shape to “U” shape. There is spatio-temporal variation of the trend surface from an inverted “U” shape to “—” shape in the east–west direction; (3) The socioeconomic situation is an important driving factor, and the tool system is a new driving system for the coupling and coordinated development of urban PHSs and RHSs.