Research strategy for constructing a green infrastructure network based on spatial prioritization

ABSTRACT The destruction of the ecological system caused by urban expansion has led to the environmental deterioration, cities have become increasingly vulnerable. In this study, six districts and counties along the Yellow River in Zhengzhou were selected as the study area. First, green infrastructure elements were extracted by morphological spatial pattern analysis. Then, outside the urban areas, we used connectivity analysis to evaluate the importance of core areas, adopted minimum cumulative resistance model to extract potential corridors, and identified the important corridors by using the gravity model. Finally, in the urban areas, we set up an evaluation system to assess the demands for ecosystem services. The results showed that: (1) Seven landscape types of green infrastructure be identified in study area. (2) There are 17 vital cores, 136 potential corridors, and 24 vital corridors outside the urban areas. (3) The blocks with high demand for ecosystem services are mostly concentrated in the old blocks with dense populations and poor infrastructure, and there are 5 blocks with comprehensive high-demand. Based on identified importance for green infrastructure land space, and high-demand level for ecosystem services areas in this study, a green infrastructure net plan was proposed based on spatial conservation prioritisation.