Developing green space ecological networks in Shijiazhuang city, China

Green spaces, an important component of ecosystems, not only provide many environmental and social services that contribute to the quality of life, but also are the important carriers for biodiversity conservation. Rapid urbanization has led to fragmentation of green space, and it is a great threat for biodiversity conservation. One of the key tasks for planners is to optimize the benefits of green spaces. This study introduces a “shortest path” method for developing green spaces ecological networks in Shijiazhuang city through (1) land use and green spaces analysis based on GIS; (2) quantifying simulated potential corridors based on the shortest path method to develop green space ecological networks; (3) applying the gravity model in evaluating the interaction intensity of the green patches to extract the significant ecological corridors. Some suggestions for green spaces planning were given, such as improving the connection of the green patches and optimizing the green space pattern.