How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model
Benefits of cultural ecosystem services (CESs) of urban green spaces (UGSs) for human health and general well-being have been widely recognized. Optimizing the landscape structure of green vegetation and improving CES are essential to reduce environmental inequality, and detecting the determinant la...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/7/1401 |
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| author | Qizheng Mao Chanjuan Hu Qinghai Guo Yuanzheng Li Min Liu |
| author_facet | Qizheng Mao Chanjuan Hu Qinghai Guo Yuanzheng Li Min Liu |
| author_sort | Qizheng Mao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Benefits of cultural ecosystem services (CESs) of urban green spaces (UGSs) for human health and general well-being have been widely recognized. Optimizing the landscape structure of green vegetation and improving CES are essential to reduce environmental inequality, and detecting the determinant landscape features that influence CES at multi-scale is the first step. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we evaluated multiscale effects of vegetation landscape structure of UGS on residents’ perceptions of CES in 40 residential communities in Zhengzhou city, China. According to our results, at the micro-scale level in a single residential community, public activity spaces within green spaces, particularly large size of open spaces, was the most critical factor affecting residents’ perceptions of recreational services, which provided a multifunctional landscape, with opportunities for multiple recreational leisure activities and entertainment. Then, the percentage of vegetation coverage in green spaces, and large vegetation patches that can significantly improve residents’ perceptions of CES and were identified in the natural landscape. At the ecosystem level and species community level, although vegetation structure contributed little to the level of CES, an open vegetation structure with a large area of grass cover was particularly beneficial to increase aesthetic services, and both richness of flowers and ornamental trees improved residents’ spiritual perception. However, our findings suggest that improving the management of green space vegetation is the most effective and direct way of improving CES and resolving environmental inequities between residential communities with different vegetation coverage and infrastructure, and we suggest that future research should explore residents’ subjective perceptions of both vegetation and landscape structure of UGS at larger spatial scale. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:03:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b0d0139b34b145bf8b26f5cbb5026582 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:03:57Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0d0139b34b145bf8b26f5cbb50265822023-11-18T19:23:45ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-07-01147140110.3390/f14071401How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM ModelQizheng Mao0Chanjuan Hu1Qinghai Guo2Yuanzheng Li3Min Liu4Department of Resource and Environmental Science, Henan University of Economics and Law, Zhengzhou 450016, ChinaInstitute of Geographical Sciences, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaDepartment of Resource and Environmental Science, Henan University of Economics and Law, Zhengzhou 450016, ChinaDepartment of Resource and Environmental Science, Henan University of Economics and Law, Zhengzhou 450016, ChinaBenefits of cultural ecosystem services (CESs) of urban green spaces (UGSs) for human health and general well-being have been widely recognized. Optimizing the landscape structure of green vegetation and improving CES are essential to reduce environmental inequality, and detecting the determinant landscape features that influence CES at multi-scale is the first step. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we evaluated multiscale effects of vegetation landscape structure of UGS on residents’ perceptions of CES in 40 residential communities in Zhengzhou city, China. According to our results, at the micro-scale level in a single residential community, public activity spaces within green spaces, particularly large size of open spaces, was the most critical factor affecting residents’ perceptions of recreational services, which provided a multifunctional landscape, with opportunities for multiple recreational leisure activities and entertainment. Then, the percentage of vegetation coverage in green spaces, and large vegetation patches that can significantly improve residents’ perceptions of CES and were identified in the natural landscape. At the ecosystem level and species community level, although vegetation structure contributed little to the level of CES, an open vegetation structure with a large area of grass cover was particularly beneficial to increase aesthetic services, and both richness of flowers and ornamental trees improved residents’ spiritual perception. However, our findings suggest that improving the management of green space vegetation is the most effective and direct way of improving CES and resolving environmental inequities between residential communities with different vegetation coverage and infrastructure, and we suggest that future research should explore residents’ subjective perceptions of both vegetation and landscape structure of UGS at larger spatial scale.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/7/1401urban green spacescultural ecosystem servicesinfrastructureresidential communitiesplant diversitymanagement |
| spellingShingle | Qizheng Mao Chanjuan Hu Qinghai Guo Yuanzheng Li Min Liu How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model Forests urban green spaces cultural ecosystem services infrastructure residential communities plant diversity management |
| title | How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model |
| title_full | How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model |
| title_fullStr | How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model |
| title_full_unstemmed | How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model |
| title_short | How Does Vegetation Landscape Structure of Urban Green Spaces Affect Cultural Ecosystem Services at Multiscale: Based on PLS-SEM Model |
| title_sort | how does vegetation landscape structure of urban green spaces affect cultural ecosystem services at multiscale based on pls sem model |
| topic | urban green spaces cultural ecosystem services infrastructure residential communities plant diversity management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/7/1401 |
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