The structure and function of green-space system is an eternal subject of landscape architecture, especially due to limited land and a need for the coordinated development of PLEs (production, living, and ecological spaces). To make planning more scientific, this paper explored green-space structure planning via multidimensional perspectives and methods using a case study of Zhengzhou. The paper applies theories (from landscape architecture and landscape ecology) and technologies (like remote sensing, GIS—geographic information system, graph theory, and aerography) from different disciplines to analyze current green-space structure and relevant physical factors to identify and exemplify different green-space planning strategies. Overall, our analysis reveals that multiple green-space structures should be considered together and that planners and designers should have multidisciplinary knowledge. For specific strategies, the analysis finds (i) that green complexes enhance various public spaces and guide comprehensive development of urban spaces; (ii) that green ecological corridors play a critical role in regional ecological stability through maintaining good connectivity and high node degree (Dg) and betweenness centrality index (BC) green spaces; (iii) that greenway networks can integrate all landscape resources to provide more secured spaces for animals and beautiful public spaces for humans; (iv) that blue-green ecological networks can help rainwater and urban flooding disaster management; and (v) that green ventilation corridors provide air cleaning and urban cooling benefits, which can help ensure healthy and comfortable urban–rural environments. In our view, this integrated framework for planning and design green-space structure helps make the process scientific and relevant for guiding future regional green-space structure.

Urban form plays a critical role in shaping the spatial differentiation of land surface temperature (LST). However, limited research has investigated the underlying driving forces and interactions of multidimensional urban form, specifically considering two-dimensional (2D) urban land use and three-dimensional (3D) buildings, on LST. Furthermore, their multi-scale outcomes remain unclear. Taking the main urban area of Wuhan City as an example, a total of nine indicators—the proportion of administration land (PA), the proportion of commercial land (PB), the proportion of industrial land (PM), the proportion of residential land (PR), the proportion of water area (PE), the building density (BD), the building height (BH), the floor area ratio (FAR), and the sky view factor (SVF)—were selected; this paper used the geographic detector model to investigate the driving force of LST spatial differentiation in winter and summer, as well as the interaction of various influencing factors from a multi-scale perspective. The results showed that (1) the average LST in industrial land was higher than that in commercial land, both in summer and winter. The LST in administration land was higher than that in residential land, while in winter, it is the opposite. (2) The spatial differentiation of summer LST was mainly dominated by 3D buildings, while the spatial differentiation of winter LST was mainly dominated by 2D land use. (3) BD was the leading driving force of LST spatial differentiation in summer, and the interaction between BD and any other indicator showed the most significant explanatory power, which is the same for PM in winter. (4) As scale increased, the explanatory power of 2D urban land use for LST spatial differentiation gradually increased both in winter and summer, while the explanatory power of PE on LST spatial differentiation decreased. The explanatory power of BD, FAR, and SVF on LST spatial differentiation remains basically unchanged. The explanatory power of BH on summer LST spatial differentiation decreases with increasing scale, while the explanatory power of BH on winter LST spatial differentiation remains in a stable state. (5) The interaction among all urban form factors primarily increases as the scale increases, except for the interaction between BH and 2D urban land use in summer, and the interaction between PE and PR in winter. The research can provide scientific decision-making support for the collaborative optimization of multiscale urban forms to improve the urban thermal environment.

Biochar soil amendment has proven to be beneficial for soil fertility regulation, while the long-term mechanisms under different soil conditions remain largely unexplored. This study was based on two long-term field experiments in calcareous soils to explore the effect of biochar on fertility and phosphorus availability, as well as potential mechanisms. Experiments were conducted on Fluvo-aquic soil (6 years) and Cinnamon soil (5 years), respectively. Biochar was applied once at 20 t/ha level and mixed with the topsoil. We evaluated soil fertility and phosphorus fractions with and without biochar amendment and analyzed the related extracellular enzyme activity and functional gene abundance. The results indicate a persistent increase in crop yield by 10.8–24.3% in calcareous soils after 5–6 years of treatment. Biochar enhanced soil fertility, including increased SOC, available phosphorus, and potassium content. Moreover, it boosted the activity of extracellular enzymes related to soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling. This effect may be associated with the stability of morphological features and mineral element regulation on biochar surfaces. Biochar soil amendment led to a long-term increase in phosphorus availability, of which available phosphorus increased by 13.1–49.1%. Potential mechanisms included an increase in labile phosphorus forms and biological mechanisms of raising alkaline phosphatase activities and increasing the copy numbers of the phosphatase genes (phoD, phoX, and nifH). In conclusion, biochar soil amendment resulted in sustained improvement in soil fertility in calcareous soils and consistently increased phosphorus availability via biochemical mechanisms.

In fragile and impoverished areas, identifying the interrelationship between livelihoods and ecosystem services can help protect the ecological environment and improve human well-being. This study selected the “One River and Two Tributaries” region (ORTTR) in Tibet with a fragile, sensitive ecological environment as the study area. With the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 as the research time points, a coupled evaluation model of residents’ livelihood and land ecosystem services was constructed to study the relationship between the two. Results showed that from 2000 to 2020, the coupling degree and coupling coordination degree between the two continued to increase because of the improvement in residents’ livelihood and ecosystem services. The level of coupling coordination gradually changed from a reluctant coordination stage to a moderate coordination stage. The coupling coordination degree showed more revealing results than the coupling degree in time scale. The relative development type between the two was mainly of the type lagging residents’ livelihood. By considering the physical geography and socio-economic characteristics and the relative development types, the counties and districts in the ORTTR are divided into ecological conservation areas, ecological restoration areas, and ecological reconstruction areas. The coupled model can evaluate the relationship between livelihoods and ecosystem services from a systematic integration perspective and provide scientific support for the improvement of regional human well-being.

An understanding of the scientific layout of surface water space is crucial for the sustainable development of human society and the ecological environment. The objective of this study was to use land-use/land-cover data to identify the spatiotemporal dynamic change processes and the influencing factors over the past three decades in Henan Province, central China. Multidisciplinary theories (landscape ecology and graph theory) and methods (GIS spatial analysis and SPSS correlation analysis) were used to quantify the dynamic changes in surface water pattern and connectivity. Our results revealed that the water area decreased significantly during the periods of 1990–2000 and 2010–2018 due to a decrease in tidal flats and linear waters, but increased significantly in 2000–2010 due to an increase in patchy waters. Human construction activities, socioeconomic development and topography were the key factors driving the dynamics of water pattern and connectivity. The use of graph metrics (node degree, betweenness centrality, and delta probability of connectivity) in combination with landscape metrics (Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance) can help establish the parameters of threshold distance between connected habitats, identify hubs and stepping stones, and determine the relatively important water patches that require priority protection or development.

The occurrence of water scarcity and extreme hydrological events is becoming increasingly frequent worldwide. The river runoff process, as an important link in the water cycle of a basin, is an essential content of the study of hydrological processes in the basin. Vegetation is an influencing factor closely related to hydrological processes in a watershed. This article quantitatively analyzes the impact of vegetation restoration and climate variation on runoff in the Luan River Basin from 1982 to 2018. Firstly, trend analysis was conducted on runoff depth, precipitation, the Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), and reference evaporation. Then, Mann–Kendall mutation analysis and Pettitt mutation analysis were used to identify the year of runoff mutation. Finally, a Budyko model was constructed to quantitatively analyze the impact of vegetation and climate change on the runoff of the Luan River. The results showed that: (1) The runoff reduction rate of the Luan River was 1.2437 mm/a. The precipitation was increasing at a rate of 0.6977 mm/a. The reference evaporation rate decreased at a rate of 0.0977 mm/a. The annual growth rate of the Budyko parameter (n) was 0.0283. The annual growth rate of NDVI was 0.0022. (2) The coefficient of determination in the functional equation (a = 14.74, b = −3.4105) for NDVI and Budyko parameter (n) was 0.3297 (p < 0.01). (3) The contributions of Pr, ET₀, NDVI, and (n) to reduced flow were −17.49%, 1.46%, 35.25%, and 80.78%, respectively. The increase in vegetation would lead to a decrease in runoff. This study can clarify the impact of vegetation restoration on water resource security in the Luan River Basin.