Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations

The construction of compact cities has been proposed to effectively avoid a series of ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic issues caused by extensive and sprawling urban development while establishing an efficient and resource-saving urban development mode. Identifying the spatial variations...

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Main Authors: Xuewei Zhang, Jiahui Wu, Jintao Yuan, Wanxu Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000044
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author Xuewei Zhang
Jiahui Wu
Jintao Yuan
Wanxu Chen
author_facet Xuewei Zhang
Jiahui Wu
Jintao Yuan
Wanxu Chen
author_sort Xuewei Zhang
collection DOAJ
description The construction of compact cities has been proposed to effectively avoid a series of ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic issues caused by extensive and sprawling urban development while establishing an efficient and resource-saving urban development mode. Identifying the spatial variations and interaction relationship between ecosystem services (ESs) and urban compactness can provide valuable knowledge for the construction of compact cities and the pursuit of high-quality development. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the urban compactness of Chinese urban agglomerations (UAs) is conducive to the promotion or inhibition of ESs at the county scale. This study aimed to address the research gap by examining the spatial relationship between ESs and urban compactness using a set of spatial regression models. Grain yield (GY), habitat quality (HQ), and carbon storage (CS) were selected to measure ESs in this study. Our findings revealed that the urban compactness of UAs in China generally increased from 2010 to 2020, with the most significant increases observed in the Yangtze River Delta, Mid-Yangtze River, and Central Plains UAs. The GY and HQ’s global Moran’s I for urban compactness were significantly negative, while that between CS and urban compactness was significantly positive in 2010 and negative in 2020. The results of the spatial regression analysis indicated that there was a negative association between urban compactness and ESs in both 2010 and 2020. Additionally, the negative impact of urban compactness on HQ increased, while the effect on CS diminished. The negative effect of urban compactness on ESs was strongest at the regional-level UAs, followed by national and local levels. The results of the geographically weighted regression model indicated that the impact of urban compactness on ESs varied spatially. This study provided a scientific reference for further optimization of compact urban development and the conservation of ESs.
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spelling doaj-art-e569103c677846bb869a69199f0da5bc2025-01-31T05:10:47ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-01-01170113075Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerationsXuewei Zhang0Jiahui Wu1Jintao Yuan2Wanxu Chen3School of Economics and Management, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010020, ChinaDepartment of Geography, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, ChinaDepartment of Geography, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, ChinaDepartment of Geography, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China; Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding author at: School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, No. 68, Jincheng Street, East Lake New Technology Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430078, China.The construction of compact cities has been proposed to effectively avoid a series of ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic issues caused by extensive and sprawling urban development while establishing an efficient and resource-saving urban development mode. Identifying the spatial variations and interaction relationship between ecosystem services (ESs) and urban compactness can provide valuable knowledge for the construction of compact cities and the pursuit of high-quality development. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the urban compactness of Chinese urban agglomerations (UAs) is conducive to the promotion or inhibition of ESs at the county scale. This study aimed to address the research gap by examining the spatial relationship between ESs and urban compactness using a set of spatial regression models. Grain yield (GY), habitat quality (HQ), and carbon storage (CS) were selected to measure ESs in this study. Our findings revealed that the urban compactness of UAs in China generally increased from 2010 to 2020, with the most significant increases observed in the Yangtze River Delta, Mid-Yangtze River, and Central Plains UAs. The GY and HQ’s global Moran’s I for urban compactness were significantly negative, while that between CS and urban compactness was significantly positive in 2010 and negative in 2020. The results of the spatial regression analysis indicated that there was a negative association between urban compactness and ESs in both 2010 and 2020. Additionally, the negative impact of urban compactness on HQ increased, while the effect on CS diminished. The negative effect of urban compactness on ESs was strongest at the regional-level UAs, followed by national and local levels. The results of the geographically weighted regression model indicated that the impact of urban compactness on ESs varied spatially. This study provided a scientific reference for further optimization of compact urban development and the conservation of ESs.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000044Ecosystem servicesUrban compactnessSpatial regressionSpatial interactionUrban agglomerationsChina
spellingShingle Xuewei Zhang
Jiahui Wu
Jintao Yuan
Wanxu Chen
Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations
Ecological Indicators
Ecosystem services
Urban compactness
Spatial regression
Spatial interaction
Urban agglomerations
China
title Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations
title_full Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations
title_fullStr Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations
title_full_unstemmed Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations
title_short Can urban compactness improve ecosystem services: Evidence from Chinese urban agglomerations
title_sort can urban compactness improve ecosystem services evidence from chinese urban agglomerations
topic Ecosystem services
Urban compactness
Spatial regression
Spatial interaction
Urban agglomerations
China
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000044
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