Spatial-temporal gradient analysis of urban green spaces in Jinan, China

In China, rapid urbanization has profoundly transformed the spatial pattern of urban land use, including urban green spaces. The government plans to optimize green spaces to integrate with urban development; this requires an understanding of the process of green space change. Quantification of green space patterns is a prerequisite to understanding green space changes, and is essential for monitoring and assessing green space functions. This paper presents a new method for quantifying and capturing changes in green space patterns, through a case study of Jinan City, China, during 1989–2004. Supported by GIS and remote sensing, the method comprises quantification of local area green spaces by the “moving window” technique (using FRAGSTATS), and a gradient analysis involving sampling from the urban center to the fringe. Results demonstrate that the significantly altered green space pattern could be quantified using landscape metrics in each local area. Gradient analysis undertaken in eight directions from the urban center reflects the changes in and effects of urbanization, and the implementation of government policy. In comparison with quantifying metrics in entire landscapes, this method more effectively links patterns and processes, and can establish an important basis for subsequent analysis of ecological and socioeconomic functions of green spaces.