Zuorong Dong

Amid intensifying global climate change and accelerating urbanization, maintaining a balance between carbon emission reduction has become essential for achieving sustainable development. This research investigates the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of carbon sequestration services in the ecological development zone of northern Guangdong, China. By integrating Big Geodata technology with the InVEST model, the study quantitatively evaluates both the supply and demand dimensions of carbon sequestration services using land-use, nighttime light, and socioeconomic data. Carbon storage capacities were estimated for different land-use types (including cropland, forest, grassland, water body, built-up land, and undeveloped land), while carbon emissions were spatially distributed based on nighttime light intensity, providing a holistic perspective on the regional carbon budget. The findings indicate significant spatial heterogeneity: the western region exhibits an average carbon sequestration capacity approximately 20% higher than the eastern region, due to extensive forest and grassland coverage, whereas urban areas exhibit higher carbon demand coupled with insufficient supply. Through an analysis of land-use transfer matrices and contribution assessment, land-use transformations, particularly the conversion of ecological land to urban built-up areas, were quantitatively identified as the primary factor disrupting the regional carbon balance. This study proposes actionable territorial spatial planning strategies, such as prioritizing ecological conservation in high-carbon-supply areas and promoting low-carbon urban renewal in high-demand zones, directly derived from the spatial mismatch patterns revealed by the InVEST model outputs. These insights contribute significantly to regional sustainable development practices and global climate governance.

This study examines the evaluation of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education within the architecture curriculum. By discussing the application and impact of STEAM education in the architecture curriculum, this study aims to clarify its role in improving the quality of architecture education. Taking the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach, this study also assesses the degrees of association and influence between various components of STEAM education in the architecture curriculum. It is found that the engineering course group has the highest centrality, while the arts course group has the lowest. This study emphasizes the strengthening of the leading role of the arts course group and provides suggestions. This study not only reveals the mutual impact relations between different components of STEAM education in architectural education but also provides practical implications and possible research directions for educational practice, offering a scientific basis and practical guidelines for promoting innovation and development of architectural education.

The preservation and restoration of historic sites is of great significance to the continuation of a city’s historical heritage and high-quality development. However, the conservation management of historic sites is still in the stage of exploration and improvement. The current states of development and preservation have been facing many problems, such as fragmented and poor states of preservation. It is crucial to retain and revitalize the authenticity of historic sites. A multi-criteria decision-making approach to an innovative evaluation model is proposed. Based on the cultural, social, and economic characteristics of the historical sites, an evaluation index system is constructed and weighted to judge its importance. The results suggest that the statuses of the historic relics at the facet layer have the most significant effect on the preservation of the authenticity of historic sites. The completeness of historic relics ranks first in weight among the evaluation indexes, which suggests that emphasis should be not only on their protection, but also on the preservation of their overall styles. The results will enable urban decision makers to effectively set the priorities of preservation and restoration by regions and stages. Huai’an, a major ancient city along the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal in China, was taken as an empirical case study to validate the feasibility of the evaluation index system and its ability to provide references for the preservation and restoration of historic sites.

The importance of elderly care institutions in city public service planning has increased due to rapid population aging. This study used the point-of-interest coordinates of elderly care institutions for kernel density,hotspot analyses and Getis–Ord Gi* Analysis. The spatial distribution of elderly care institutions in Meizhou, China, was analyzed, and related hotspots were identified. Through the analysis of computer software, it can be indicated that: (i) the distribution of elderly care institutions in Meizhou City shows agglomeration characteristics, and the overall distribution shows the characteristics along residential areas, traffic arteries and commercial centers. (ii) The hot spots of nursing institutions in Meizhou City are prominent, forming two significant hot spots and almost no cold spots. The findings of this study can be used as a reference by those involved in optimizing the spatial layout of elderly care institutions in cities.