Exploring the impacts of urbanization on ecological resilience from a spatiotemporal heterogeneity perspective: evidence from 254 cities in China

Strengthening the ecological resilience of cities is essential for enhancing self-regulation and recovery mechanisms in response to disasters. This study examines the impact of urbanization on ecological resilience by utilizing panel data from 254 Chinese cities over the period 2017–2021. First, an urban ecological resilience assessment framework is developed to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of ecological resilience. The results reveal a distinct spatial gradient in ecological resilience, decreasing from southeast to northwest, while temporal analysis indicates overall stability throughout the study period. Moreover, the relationship between urbanization and ecological resilience is explored using a geographically and temporally weighted regression model. The findings highlight spatial heterogeneity in the impacts of urbanization factors, including GRP per capita, the proportion of secondary and tertiary industry output value, urban population ratio, built-up area, and urban road area, on ecological resilience, with each factor demonstrating bidirectional effects. This study provides empirical evidence on the influence of urbanization on ecological resilience, offering valuable insights to support urban resilience building.