Modeling the trade-offs between urban development and ecological process based on landscape multi-functionality and regional ecological networks

The process of urbanization and urban land use conversion inevitably disturbs the structure and function of ecosystems and their capacity to provide ecosystem services. Integrating ecosystem services into effective policies and planning at the regional scale to achieve sustainable urban development is still a challenge. The goal of this research is to optimize spatial patterns of urban development by assessing and comparing multiple trade-off scenarios between ecological processes and urban expansion, incorporating planning and design into spatially explicit methods, and integrating ecosystem services into decision-making procedures. We develop a conceptual framework for regional urban-ecological sustainability with six steps: pattern recognition, landscape process, problem diagnosis, integrated ecological network, urbanization simulation, and decision-support. We apply this framework to a case in which planning and design have followed the rational-comprehensive approach. Results demonstrate that landscape multi-functionality and regional ecological networks are significantly improved using our integrated approach to planning and design, because it provides vital information for regional planning to cope with the urgent need for ecological protection and urban development. By comparing urban growth under three scenarios, we found that the trade-off scenario based on ecological conservation and restoration (medium security level) resolved conflict more effectively, which restricted urban expansion on land of high ecological importance by constructing regional ecological networks. In addition, using field survey and species distribution model approaches, we design plant community types with complementary tree, shrub, and herb species as part of the decision-making procedure, which can restore zonal vegetation and the hydrological cycle in rugged mountain regions. The research concludes that regional urban-ecological sustainability based on scientific assessment, planning, and design provides a rational basis for sustainable urban development and landscape management.