Spatial openness affects the subjective evaluation of soundscape, landscape, and thermal perceptions, leading to various restoration effects and recreational behaviors. However, the literature lacks studies investigating the effects of multisensory interactions under different levels of spatial openness in plazas on users’ behaviors in urban greenways. Thus, this study contributes to the enhancement of recreational experiences and the environmental design of urban greenways by examining the interaction between multisensory evaluations and recreational behaviors in greenway plazas with different levels of spatial openness. Three types of plazas (enclosed, semi-enclosed, open) were selected along an urban greenway to analyze interactions through in situ measurements, questionnaires, and behavior observation. The results showed that people rated the environment as the quietest and coolest in enclosed plazas, although the sound pressure level of these plazas was the highest. Furthermore, the visual evaluation (VE) was mostly correlated with acoustic evaluation (AE) in plazas with high openness, while the correlation effect between AE and thermal evaluation (TE) was only significant in enclosed plazas. In other words, AE was the key factor targeting the improvement in comfort in greenway plazas. Secondly, improving AE was more effective for stimulating the frequency of interactive activities in enclosed plazas, compared to improving TE. However, AE had a negative effect on the time that people were willing to spend on interactive activities in semi-enclosed plazas. Finally, these findings provide corresponding strategies for creating comfortable audio, visual, and thermal environments in greenway plazas with different levels of openness, as well as strategies for enhancing the recreational experiences of visitors.

As the construction of national parks progresses, core stakeholders evaluate the gap between their actual outcomes and their psychological expectations across economic, social, cultural, and ecological dimensions. Drawing on expectation disconfirmation theory, this study conceptualizes this cognitive gap as expectation disconfirmation, defined from a subjective perspective as the extent to which stakeholders' psychological expectations remain unmet, reflected in the degree of negative disconfirmation. This study, based on the pilot area of Shennongjia National Park in Hubei Province, China, employs structural equation modeling to systematically examine the direct and indirect pathways among three categories of core stakeholders (N = 605). The analysis focuses on economic expectation disconfirmation (EED), social expectation disconfirmation (SED), cultural expectation disconfirmation (CED), and ecological expectation disconfirmation (EcED), and their relationships with stakeholder satisfaction and participation intention. The results indicate that (1) During the construction of the national park, different types of stakeholders exhibit both shared and distinct patterns of expectation disconfirmation. Among these, EED and SED consistently merged as the primary dimensions prioritized across groups. (2) CED varied significantly among stakeholder groups, with notable differences in its influence on satisfaction and participation intention. Specifically, for land users, the pathway linking CED to satisfaction and participation intention was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In contrast, for individual operators and government officials, CED showed a significant indirect pathway association with participation intention through satisfaction (p < 0.05). (3) For land users, ED, SED, and EcED all exhibited significant negative associations with lower levels of satisfaction and weaker participation intention. Among individual operators and government officials, the relationship between expectation disconfirmation and participation intention is primarily mediated by satisfaction, underscoring its crucial role in shaping stakeholder engagement. (4) Furthermore, there was a significant positive pathway association between satisfaction and participation intention (p < 0.01). Within the cross-sectional research framework, the findings indicate a systematic relationship among the levels of expectation disconfirmation of different stakeholders, satisfaction, and participation intention, providing empirical insights into exploring stakeholder participation mechanisms in national park community governance.

Green spaces in subtropical cities are important for providing ecological services that support human well-being and serve as reservoirs for diverse microbial communities, which in turn support ecosystem functions. However, studies on the characteristics of the phyllosphere microbial community and public health risks associated with putative pathogens in various urban green spaces exposed to anthropogenic stress remain limited. To address this gap, we collected leaf samples from forests, greenbelts, parklands, and wetlands across Wuhan, China, and analyzed the bacterial and fungal communities via next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. For bacterial and fungal communities, alpha diversity was significantly greater in low-traffic zones than in high-traffic zones. Beta diversity analysis revealed distinct clustering of bacterial and fungal communities according to the urban green space type. Anthropogenic factors (foot traffic) influence green space type to shape microbial community structure, function, and stability, with shifts significantly associated with soil physicochemical properties via Mantel tests and redundancy analysis. The relative abundance of Enterobacter and Enterococcus was significantly greater in high-intensity parklands (HIPS) and high-intensity greenbelts (HIGS) (41.84, 38.32%), respectively. Our findings provide important information for the sustainable management of urban green spaces by regulating microbial communities, offering new insights into ecosystem health and human well-being.

Urban green spaces provide extensive ecosystem services and societal benefits. However, the soil microbiota that underpins these functions remains poorly understood in the context of anthropogenic pressures. Although microbial communities drive nutrient cycling, plant health, and pollutant degradation, their distribution and assembly mechanisms in heterogeneous urban landscapes remain unresolved. Using Illumina sequencing, we characterized bacterial and fungal communities in soils from forests, greenbelts, parklands, and wetlands in highand low-intensity human traffic zones. Alpha diversity was significantly higher in the low-traffic zones. Beta diversity analysis revealed distinct clustering of bacterial and fungal communities by green space type. Human traffic intensity interacted with green space type to shape microbial community structure, functional potential, and diversity stability relationships, with shifts strongly correlated with soil physicochemical properties. Community assembly analysis demonstrated that stochastic processes dominated bacterial assembly, whereas the fungal community exhibited more substantial dispersal limitation. Our findings suggest that fungi are more sensitive to the fragmentation of anthropogenic habitats. Our study established a critical link between urban zones, human activity, and soil microbial communities. As global urbanization accelerates and demand for green spaces rises, understanding how urban planning and anthropogenic pressures shape these communities is essential for sustainable ecosystem management.

Incorporating heat mitigation knowledge into block-based morphological structure offers an effective means of translating academic research into practical urban management. However, uncertainties remain regarding the appropriate size of analysis units, the cooling effectiveness of heterogeneous spatial features with their clustering typologies, and the integration of these factors into comprehensive mitigation decision-making. Focusing on canopy urban heat island intensity (CUHII), we analyzed the thermal impacts of composite landscape elements across blocks of varying sizes using high-resolution meteorological observations at pedestrian height. Feature screening based on the Mantel test, combined with a random forest model, revealed that landscape composition and configuration indices effectively explained the CUHII variation among blocks only at analysis radius of 200 m. The thermal contributions of these indices displayed a hierarchical structure. Building mean height (BMH) and green space ratio (GSR) emerged as the primary warming and cooling factors, respectively, with GSR being particularly critical for nighttime cooling. In addition, increasing the building capacity factor and reducing the green space shape index-reflecting the use of small-volume buildings and compact vegetation layouts-could further enhance cooling effects. Furthermore, for block typologies classified based on the identified efficiency threshold values of key factors, the average CUHII difference was 0.7 degrees C during the daytime and 1.9 degrees C during nighttime. Priority should be given to maintaining a GSR above 20 % and BMH below 40 m to prevent strong CUHII effects. According to these findings, we proposed a context-specific mitigation strategy that supports targeted spatial design guidance to block with distinct typologies, effectively reducing CUHII.

Clarifying the ecosystem service supply-demand relationship (ESSD) in response to environmental change forms the scientific foundation for ecological restoration strategies. Although ecological restoration effectively enhances ecosystem stability and promotes the sustainable provision, its impacts on ESSD remain unclear under coupled complex topography and diverse human activities. Focusing on the Jiuwanxi small watershed (JSW) in China's Three Gorges Reservoir Area, we quantified the spatiotemporal dynamics of five key ESSDs: grain production (GP), water yield (WY), soil retention (SR), water purification (WP), and carbon sequestration (CS), from 2001 to 2021. We integrated resident surveys with multi-source remote sensing data (Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2), and applied XGBoost-SHAP models to characterize the impacts of forest restoration and other variables on ESSD in a mountainous watershed. The results indicate that the forest area in the JSW increased by 24.82 % during 2001-2021. The supply of most ecosystem services improved across the watershed, with SR and WY exhibiting the most significant enhancement. In contrast, both GP supply and the demand for all ecosystem services declined substantially. The ESSD trends exhibited variations between watershed and village scales: at the watershed scale, all ecosystem service supply-demand ratios (ESDR) increased, with SR increasing by up to 591.69 %; whereas at the village scale, ESDR declines occurred for GP and CS in 28 % and 16 % of villages, respectively. Precipitation and forest area proportion were primary ESDR drivers, but cross-sectional analysis overestimated meteorological factors and ignored forest restoration's time-lag effects. Dynamic analysis showed forest area proportion changes most strongly correlated with ESDR variations, demonstrating restoration's efficacy in ESSD regulation. Consequently, the time-lag effects and spatial heterogeneity of forest restoration on ESSD in mountain watersheds must be comprehensively considered. Differentiated restoration strategies should be implemented based on topographic and socioeconomic factors to optimize the"high-altitude conservation, mid-altitude restoration, and low-altitude development" vertical spatial pattern. These findings provide a reference for sustainable ecological restoration in similar mountainous regions.

Leaf litter constitutes a major fraction in litter production in Masson pine forests. However, productivity declines due to infertile soil. In these plantations, fertilization is a key management practice to sustain productivity. Our study aimed to: (1) evaluate the effect of mineral fertilizer on the decomposition dynamic of leaf litter; (2) evaluate its effect on amino acid concentration; and (3) explore the relationship between soil properties and amino acid. Leaf litters of Masson pine were placed into litter bags in the following treatments: Control (CK), N fertilization (+ N), N and P fertilization (+ NP), and N, P, K fertilization (+ NPK) and collected every three months during 12 months of decomposition. Litterbags and chromatography techniques were employed to assess litter mass and amino acid concentration. Our study found that Masson pine leaf litter significantly affected by fertilizers, and the decomposition process accelerated with + NPK, and + NP. Out of the 16 amino acids, only GAALAGL showed significant increase under fertilizer treatments. The total amino acid concentrations were 229.33 ± 4.46, 205.37 ± 4.49, 206.28 ± 4.17, 186.74 ± 4.32 mg/g, respectively, in + NPK, + NP, + N, and CK. Soil chemical properties had a negative effect on amino acid concentration except for GVITMAS. N and P concentrations in leaf litter significantly increased while K concentration decreased; similarly, soil N and P exhibited significant increases, while K decreased. NPK fertilizer might be the preferred management option as it can positively impact leaf litter decomposition and increase amino acid concentration. The findings serve as a valuable reference for implementing fertilization strategies in subtropical forests.

Leaf litter decomposition is a crucial ecological process driven by bacteria and fungi, which release extracellular enzymes. However, the effects of mineral fertilizer application on microbial aspects in forest ecosystems are unclear. We hypothesized that mineral fertilizers significantly affect bacteria and fungi in terms of function, diversity, structure, and composition. We also proposed that microbial phyla respond more to fertilizers than untreated conditions and that there's a strong correlation between bacteria, fungi, and chemical factors under fertilizer treatments. Using next-generation sequencing, we investigated microbial responses in a Masson pine plantation across four sampling times (90, 180, 270, and 360 days) with control (CK), N fertilization (+N), N and P fertilization (+NP), and N, P, K fertilization (+NPK). Mineral fertilizer impacts were more pronounced on bacterial diversity than fungal diversity, especially in alpha diversity. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, and Cyanobacteria (11.76, 0.34, 0.08, 1.86, 7.17 %), respectively, responded positively to fertilizers, while only Ascomycota and Basidiomycota (14.77, 16.51 %), respectively, were influenced among fungal phyla. Beta diversity analysis revealed distinct groupings of bacterial and fungal communities over time. Redundancy analysis indicated shifts in community structure linked to soil chemical properties. Our findings concluded that NPK fertilizer might be a preferred management option, providing valuable insights for fertilization strategies in subtropical forest ecosystems, benefiting both surface and belowground components. However, the application of mineral fertilizer requires careful consideration of the implications and limitations on microbial communities.

The use of local native plant species for ecological restoration and rehabilitation is considered an important strategy for nature-based solutions. To achieve this goal, the key work is to understand the distribution of local native plants and their limiting factors. Pittosporum tobira is a keystone species of the vegetation community in subtropical coastal areas, and it plays an essential role in the function and stability of the coastal vegetation buffer zone. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that restrict the growth of P. tobira in the subtropical supratidal zone. We investigated the growth and development of P. tobira plants at three field sites, Dongtou Island (DT), Yuhuan Island (YH), and Cangnan County (CN), in Zhejiang Province, China. To investigate the key factors restricting the growth of this species, we sampled soils from both the supratidal zone and the P. tobira habitat zone. Soils in the supratidal zone showed typical characteristics of sodium chloride-type saline-alkali soil, and the soluble salts content showed wide fluctuations. Some soils in the supratidal zone showed severe salinization. The soil pH and soluble salts contents were higher, but soil organic matter content was lower, in the supratidal zone than in the P. tobira habitat zone. Among the three wild P. tobira habitat sites, DT had the lowest soil nutrient contents. In soil from the DT site, the soluble salts content was 150% higher and soil organic matter content was 50% lower than those in soils from the YH and CN sites. Compared with P. tobira growing at the CN and YH sites, those growing at the DT site showed higher antioxidant enzyme activity, higher organic osmotic regulatory substances content, and lower malondialdehyde content in the leaves and roots. These results suggest that the growth and distribution of P. tobira are affected by the organic matter content, pH, and soluble salts content in soil. Among the three P. tobira populations studied here, the population at DT was the most tolerant to the highly saline conditions in this subtropical coastal area, and has potential applications in landscape restoration of the supratidal zone.

Abstract Plants have evolved a variety of complex mechanisms to resist the environmental factors including salt and waterlogging stresses. In this study, we described adaptive changes of Pittosporum tobira toward salt and/or waterlogging stresses by mediating ROS (reactive oxygen species)/RNS (reactive nitrogen species) redox and melatonin synthesis. When the P. tobira seedlings were subjected to salt stress, waterlogging stress, and salt-waterlogging stress, both the photosynthetic capacity and antioxidant capacity were significantly inhibited, accompanying with the alterations of MDA, H2O2, O2− and NO levels and melatonin metabolism. These observations were correlated with the changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, POD and APX) and melatonin biosynthetic enzymes (MEL, TDC, SNAT, SER, and 5-MT) as wells as in the expression of their encoding genes. Lower melatonin content was found in the seedlings treated by salt-waterlogging stress than in those treated by salt or waterlogging stress. Furthermore, the tolerances of the seedlings grown at Zhejiang province to salt and waterlogging stress were stronger than those grown at Fujian province. Our findings suggested that the MEL/ROS/RNS redox network induced by salt stress, waterlogging stress, salt-waterlogging stress may be a crucial mechanism for coping with adverse conditions in P. tobira.

The stakeholders’ perceptions of forest ecosystem services (FESs) vary among different stakeholder groups. This study, using China’s Shennongjia National Park Pilot (SNP) and Canada’s Banff National Park (BNP) as case studies, identifies and evaluates the preference characteristics of key stakeholders (including farmers, individual operators, government officials, and tourists) toward various FESs. We utilized Q-methodology and semistructured interviews to conduct a sorting of 23 Q-statements regarding FESs, across 7 categories (ranging from −3 to +3), with 24 Q-participants. Stakeholders’ preferences toward FESs were categorized into 3 common perspectives: tourism and culture, production and livelihood, and ecological conservation. Different types of stakeholders hold both consensus and divergence regarding their views on FESs. For instance, there was strong consensus on services related to “natural ecotourism and biodiversity conservation”, while stakeholders expressed strong opposition regarding services related to “forest protection”. Furthermore, stakeholders elucidated the reasons behind their preferences for different types of FESs. Overall, our study indicates that besides considering the services provided by forests themselves, policymakers also need to pay attention to the preferences and divergences in needs among stakeholders of national parks. This ensures a more comprehensive fulfillment of diverse societal needs and facilitates the formulation of more effective policies to promote the sustainable management and conservation of national parks.

Climate dictates wildfire activity around the world. But East and Southeast Asia are an apparent exception as fire-activity variation there is unrelated to climatic variables. In subtropical China, fire activity decreased by 80% between 2003 and 2020 amid increased fire risks globally. Here, we assessed the fire regime, vegetation structure, fuel flammability and their interactions across subtropical Hubei, China. We show that tree basal area (TBA) and fuel flammability explained 60% of fire-frequency variance. Fire frequency and fuel flammability, in turn, explained 90% of TBA variance. These results reveal a novel system of scrubland–forest stabilized by vegetation–fire feedbacks. Frequent fires promote the persistence of derelict scrubland through positive vegetation–fire feedbacks; in forest, vegetation–fire feedbacks are negative and suppress fire. Thus, we attribute the decrease in wildfire activity to reforestation programs that concurrently increase forest coverage and foster negative vegetation–fire feedbacks that suppress wildfire.

ContextTrees play a vital role in reducing street-level particulate matter (PM) pollution in metropolitan areas. However, the optimal tree growth type for maximizing the retention of various sizes of PM remains uncertain.ObjectivesThis study assessed the PM reduction capabilities of evergreen and deciduous broadleaf street trees, focusing on how leaf phenology influences the dispersion of pollutants across particle sizes.MethodsWe collected data on six PM size fractions from 72 sites along streets lined with either evergreen or deciduous broadleaf trees in Wuhan, China, during the summer and winter of 2017-2018.ResultsEvergreen trees demonstrated superior PM reduction capabilities compared to deciduous trees, with evergreen street canyons showing 27.2% and 12.6% lower PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in summer, and 13% and 5.5% lower concentrations in winter. During summer, evergreen streets predominantly contained fine particles (PM1, PM2.5), posing potential health risk due to their ability to infiltrate the human respiratory system. In contrast, deciduous streets primarily harbored coarser particles (PM4, PM7, PM10, and total suspended particulate [TSP]). During winter, larger particles were dominant, regardless of the tree growth form.ConclusionsEvergreen trees showed superior PM reduction capabilities compared to deciduous trees due to their year-round leaf retention, enhanced surface properties, and denser canopies that maximize PM capture. We recommend prioritizing evergreen broadleaf trees as the primary street trees while interspersing deciduous trees at appropriate intervals. This approach will ensure that urban greenery provides maximum ecological benefits while reducing the PM concentration.

The escalation of thermal risks is attributed to accelerating pace of urbanization. However, assessment and response to green infrastructure with respect to heat risk under different climate and function have been inadequate. This study intends to address these gaps by focusing on local climate zones (LCZs). Firstly, spatial characteristics of heat risk indexes (HRIs) constructed based on heat hazard-exposure-vulnerability for three large cities in 2010, 2015 and 2020 were explored. Secondly, whether HRI cross LCZs have significant differences was examined. Third, proportion and heat contribution of different HRI classes under different LCZs were quantified. Finally, effects of green infrastructure under different LCZs on HRI were analyzed. The results revealed consistent upward trends in the prevalence of sub-high and high HRIs from 2010 to 2015. HRIs exhibited significant spatial aggregation characteristics. Importantly, more than 95.83% of HRIs cross LCZs exhibited significant variations. The HRI for open building type was lower when compared to the compact LCZ types. Additionally, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) had a more pronounced mitigating effect on HRIs in compact high-rise (LCZ 1), compact mid-rise (LCZ 2), open high-rise (LCZ 4) and open mid-rise (LCZ 5). Updating the compact LCZ types to open LCZ types, avoiding configuration of LCZ 1 and 2, and prioritizing the configuration of NDVI enhancement in the existing LCZ 1, 2, 4 and 5, and increasing the amount of greenery by upgrading mono-structures to composite structures consisting of trees, shrubs and grasses and by implementing greening of façade are suggested to alleviate heat risk.

Time-varying characteristics of particulate matter (PM) pollution play a crucial role in shaping atmospheric dynamics, which impact the health and welfare of urban commuters. Previously published studies on the diurnal patterns of PMs are not consistent, especially in the context of field experiments in central China, and most field studies have only focused on particles with a single particle size. This study conducted regional-scale studies across 72 street canyon sets in Wuhan, China, investigated diurnal and seasonal PM concentration variations while also evaluating various PM size and the key driving factors. During summer (July, August, and September), evergreen tree-lined street canyons maintained a stable linear trend for smaller dp particulates (i.e., PM1, PM2.5, and PM4), while deciduous street canyons exhibited a bimodal distribution. In winter (January and February), fine particulates (i.e., PM1 and PM2.5) remained a linear trend in evergreen street canyons, while deciduous street canyons show a slightly wavy fluctuating pattern. Meanwhile, it exhibited quadrimodal-peak and triple-trough patterns in both PM7, PM10, and TSP concentrations. The lowest PM concentrations were observed between 14:00 and 16:00 for all particle sizes, with decreased summer pollution (7.81% lower in PM2.5, 53.47% lower in PM10, and 50.3% lower in TSP) noted in our seasonal analysis. Among the various meteorological factors, relative humidity (RH) was identified as the dominant influencing PM factor in both summer and winter. Results from this study will help us better understand field-based air pollutant dispersion processes within pedestrian spaces while laying the groundwork for future research into street PM experiments.

Widespread utilization of satellite infrared observations has revealed potential urban morphology designs to mitigate surface urban heat island effect. However, studies towards holistic thermal effects of internal and external spatial attributes on built-up areas are limited. Moreover, the use of low-resolution thermal pixels for hybrid landscape components introduce uncertainty in deriving effective cooling strategies. Here, we obtained submeter-level land surface temperature (LST) maps and spatial datasets using an unmanned aerial vehicle and comprehensively evaluated impacts of urban characteristics on LST during a hot summer day. The results of a random forest model indicated that 2D landscape composition had the strongest thermal contribution at block scale. Conversely, at fine-scale impervious activity space, 3D spatial configuration governed daytime LST, and the identified crucial influencing metrics represented by sky view factor exhibited non-linear correlations with LST. Accordingly, shade casting was a core mechanism through which 3D elements collectively contributed to outdoor heat dissipation, more efficient than effects of surface materials and their optical properties. Furthermore, regarding uncertain exogenous thermal impact of large blue-green spaces, no significant cooling effects were detected on adjacent built-up surfaces. These findings provided prioritized insights on how to integrate diverse urban elements to effectively reduce outdoor heat stress.

Due to the important role of forests in carbon neutrality, it is a big task in accurately calculating and predicting forest carbon storage and carbon sink capacity in recent years. However, considering the factors on the capacity of forest carbon sequestration, ecologists and foresters consider different models to evaluate the forest carbon sink ability at different scales, with foresters focusing more on forest growth models, while ecologists adding more climate and environmental factors, which may result in inconsistent results in carbon storage. Therefore, constructing an integrated model by combining the forestry and ecology models is essential for accurately quantifying and characterizing the forest carbon sink potential at the regional scale. Here, we proposed a new forest carbon sink potential index (FCSPI), which is defined as fractional deficiency of the current forest carbon to its maximum level, based on forest permanent plots, climate, and edaphic data to evaluate the forest sink potential ability from stand level to zonal scale across the northern subtropical zone in Hubei province, China, which coupled the stand growth model and climate-productivity model. The results at stand level showed that the R2 and RMSE of FCSPI were 0.78 and 0.072 respectively, which indicated that the FCSPI is an intuitive, highly practical, straightforward, easy, and rapid to implement methodology for forest carbon sequestration assessment. Moreover, FCSPI can conveniently extended from stand scale to zonal scale based on the site quality index for carbon sink (SIC) and stand age variables, which were derived from the opened climate, edaphic, and topographic data. The results of wall-to-wall FCSPI across the subtropical forest in Hubei province reveal the current and future carbon potential sequestration, which can help managers to focus on forest management for climate-smart actions and planning in forest ecosystem services framework.

Urban heat islands are representative problems in urban environments. The impact of spectral indexes on land-surface temperature (LST) under different urban forms, climates, and functions is not fully understood. Local climate zones (LCZs) are used to characterize heterogeneous cities. In this study, we quantified the contribution of three cities to high-temperature zones and surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII) across LCZs and seasons, used Welch and Games–Howell tests to analyze the difference in LST, then described the spatial pattern characteristics of LST, and used a geographically weighted regression model to analyze the relationship between spectral indexes and LST. The results showed that compact midrise, compact low-rise (LCZ 3), large low-rise (LCZ 8), heavy industry (LCZ 10), and bare rock or paved (LCZ E) contributed greatly to high-temperature zones and had strong SUHII. There were 92–98% significant differences between different LCZs. The spatial aggregation of LST gradually weakened with a decrease in temperature. The modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) in most LCZs of all seasons for Wuhan could reduce LST well, while MNDWI only had cooling effects in winter for Nanjing and Shanghai. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in most LCZs performed a cooling role during summer and transition seasons (spring and autumn), while it showed a warming effect in winter. The cooling effect of NDVI in open building types was stronger than that of compact building types, while the cooling effect of MNDWI was better in compact building types than in open building types. With the increase of normalized difference built-up index (NDBI), all LCZs showed warming effects, and the magnitude of LST increase varied in different cities and seasons. These results contribute further insight into thermal environment in heterogeneous urban areas.

Modifying urban-built structures is a promising strategy for ventilation enhancement when designing sustainable communities. However, incorporating ventilation considerations into planning processes can be challenging because of tradeoffs and synergy among effects of various urban forms on local ventilation efficiency. This study aims to comprehensively integrate morphological parameters from aerodynamic perspective to distinguish local ventilation efficiency within heterogeneous urban areas. By synthesizing influences of spatial factors on airflow, "wind permeability, wind reinforcing, and wind accessibility" were resolved to form the local ventilation per-formance zone (LVPZ) characterization framework and its parameterization system. Accordingly, a spatial di-vision standard and typical types of LVPZ classification scheme were developed. With an LVPZ-map generated in Wuhan, stable wind speed sequences were observed and their ventilation performance differences were inter-preted among LVPZs using wind monitoring and CFD simulation. This scheme helps planners to evaluate local ventilation performance and provide a decision support tool for wind-sensitive urban development.