Heritage trees have important historical, landscape, and ecological value. Exploring the spatial distribution pattern of heritage trees is of great importance to the construction of ecological civilization and the connotation of regional history and culture. This paper took 5,216 heritage trees in Luoyang, an ancient capital of China, as the research object and used geospatial analysis methods and a geographically weighted regression model to analyze the differences and driving forces of the spatial distribution of heritage trees. Results show that 1) the heritage trees in Luoyang were primarily Gleditsia sinensis, Sophora japonica, and Platycladus orientalis, and more than half of these trees were under 300 years old; 2) the high-density area formed a distribution pattern of “three cores, one ring, and two belts,” and the distribution of heritage trees had a positive spatial autocorrelation; 3) different driving factors in different regions had complex influences on the spatial distribution of heritage trees, and the order of influence was as follows: area of forest and orchard land > elevation > number of POIs (points of interest) > distance to the nearest river > slope > number of immovable relics. The results could provide a comprehensive understanding of the spatial distribution of heritage trees to protect the ecological function of heritage trees and mine the cultural value of heritage trees.
Studies on urban expansion in megacities are essential for managing urban sprawl to promote high-quality development. In this study, we have selected the emerging megacity of Zhengzhou as the research area, used the spatial analysis method to quantify the spatiotemporal characteristics of urban expansion from 1990 to 2020, and evaluated the rationality of urban expansion on the basis of the elasticity index and a comparison with other megacities. Results demonstrated that 1) Zhengzhou experienced great urban expansion from 1990 to 2020 and showed a trend of “steady–fast–slow,” with steady expansion from 1990 to 2000, fast expansion from 2000 to 2010, and slow expansion after 2010; 2) Zhengzhou’s urban expansion has obvious imbalance and spatial disorder, mainly concentrated in the urban central area, and is characterized by sprawl or a leap in space; 3) the occupation of cultivated land by urban expansion in Zhengzhou has gradually decreased, but the occupation of ecological land such as water areas has increased significantly, which may lead to a series of negative ecological effects; 4) Zhengzhou’s urban expansion was inefficient, while the utilization intensity and economic benefits of Zhengzhou’s urban construction land have improved, but relatively lower than those of other megacities in China. The findings have important reference that is significant for promoting the sustainable urban expansion of megacities and achieving sustainable regional development.
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