Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions
Approximately 35 % of Chinese cities are situated in mountainous areas, where rapid urban expansion on slopes has led to the degradation of urban ecosystem health, marked by the loss of natural landscapes, diminished resilience, and reduced ecosystem services. However, the impact of vertical urban g...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Ecological Informatics |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125000883 |
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| author | Lujin Zhang Yong Wang Hongyan Bian Jie Gao Zhenzhen Yuan Zixuan Wang Yixuan Dai Haimeng Liu |
| author_facet | Lujin Zhang Yong Wang Hongyan Bian Jie Gao Zhenzhen Yuan Zixuan Wang Yixuan Dai Haimeng Liu |
| author_sort | Lujin Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Approximately 35 % of Chinese cities are situated in mountainous areas, where rapid urban expansion on slopes has led to the degradation of urban ecosystem health, marked by the loss of natural landscapes, diminished resilience, and reduced ecosystem services. However, the impact of vertical urban growth on ecosystem health, especially in terms of temporal dynamics, distribution, and underlying mechanisms, remains poorly understood. Chongqing, a typical mountainous metropolis, was selected to investigate these impacts over the past two decades. By integrating the slope spectrum (SS), climbing index (CI) of built-up land, and ecosystem health index (EHI), we explored how urban expansion has affected the EHI. Additionally, we developed a method for identifying the expansion advantage slope range (EASR), which can track dynamic slope-climbing urban expansion. Our findings revealed that the built-up land expansion in Chongqing was primarily concentrated in the central areas of the western region. From 2000 to 2010, this expansion occurred primarily in urban built-up areas and shifted to other built-up areas between 2010 and 2020. Although the Climbing Index was −0.11, the EASR results indicated an increasingly significant slope-climbing trend, with slopes of built-up land increasing from [1.17, 8.25] to [1.42, 8.48]. Notably, when expansion occurs on slopes exceeding 12°, the decline in the EHI becomes significantly more pronounced, with the impact coefficient rising from 0.201 to 0.447. This study reveals the fundamental relationship between slope-climbing urban expansion and ecosystems, providing valuable insights for urban planning and sustainable development in mountainous regions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c986e20d9caa4c919bffa5037bb6bf13 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1574-9541 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Informatics |
| spelling | doaj-art-c986e20d9caa4c919bffa5037bb6bf132025-08-20T02:27:35ZengElsevierEcological Informatics1574-95412025-07-018710307910.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103079Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regionsLujin Zhang0Yong Wang1Hongyan Bian2Jie Gao3Zhenzhen Yuan4Zixuan Wang5Yixuan Dai6Haimeng Liu7School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; New Liberal Arts Laboratory for Sustainable Development of Rural Western China, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Corresponding authors.School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; New Liberal Arts Laboratory for Sustainable Development of Rural Western China, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaSchool of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding authors.Approximately 35 % of Chinese cities are situated in mountainous areas, where rapid urban expansion on slopes has led to the degradation of urban ecosystem health, marked by the loss of natural landscapes, diminished resilience, and reduced ecosystem services. However, the impact of vertical urban growth on ecosystem health, especially in terms of temporal dynamics, distribution, and underlying mechanisms, remains poorly understood. Chongqing, a typical mountainous metropolis, was selected to investigate these impacts over the past two decades. By integrating the slope spectrum (SS), climbing index (CI) of built-up land, and ecosystem health index (EHI), we explored how urban expansion has affected the EHI. Additionally, we developed a method for identifying the expansion advantage slope range (EASR), which can track dynamic slope-climbing urban expansion. Our findings revealed that the built-up land expansion in Chongqing was primarily concentrated in the central areas of the western region. From 2000 to 2010, this expansion occurred primarily in urban built-up areas and shifted to other built-up areas between 2010 and 2020. Although the Climbing Index was −0.11, the EASR results indicated an increasingly significant slope-climbing trend, with slopes of built-up land increasing from [1.17, 8.25] to [1.42, 8.48]. Notably, when expansion occurs on slopes exceeding 12°, the decline in the EHI becomes significantly more pronounced, with the impact coefficient rising from 0.201 to 0.447. This study reveals the fundamental relationship between slope-climbing urban expansion and ecosystems, providing valuable insights for urban planning and sustainable development in mountainous regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125000883Urban sprawlUrbanizationSlope spectrum (SS)Slope-climbing urban expansionEcosystem health index (EHI)Mountain city |
| spellingShingle | Lujin Zhang Yong Wang Hongyan Bian Jie Gao Zhenzhen Yuan Zixuan Wang Yixuan Dai Haimeng Liu Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions Ecological Informatics Urban sprawl Urbanization Slope spectrum (SS) Slope-climbing urban expansion Ecosystem health index (EHI) Mountain city |
| title | Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions |
| title_full | Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions |
| title_short | Understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions |
| title_sort | understanding the ecological impacts of vertical urban growth in mountainous regions |
| topic | Urban sprawl Urbanization Slope spectrum (SS) Slope-climbing urban expansion Ecosystem health index (EHI) Mountain city |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125000883 |
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