Spatiotemporal dynamics of urban green space in Changchun: Changes, transformations, landscape patterns, and drivers

To better understand the phased changes, development direction and planning challenges of urban green space (UGS) in response to the urbanization process and changing urban development goals, this study examines the spatiotemporal variations, landscape patterns and driving forces of UGSs in Changchun from 1990 to 2020. The results indicate that the evolution of UGSs may be largely categorized into three stages, considerable decline, balance between increase and decrease, and surge increase, accompanied by obvious changes to the landscape. Several factors have contributed to these changes, including natural, urbanization and changing greening policies. Early urbanization resulted in the encroachment and fragmentation of a considerable amount of UGS; however, as urban building priorities have changed, UGS planning has increasingly gained attention. In the third decade of the research period, UGSs greatly expanded, demonstrating some achievements in the construction of UGSs under the background of ecological civilization. Knowledge of the dynamics of UGSs provides a reference for urban greening planning, which also helps cities respond to the call for land “ecological use, ecological security and green development” during the urbanization process in China and similar countries.