The Impact of Land Tenure Strength on Urban Green Space Morphology: A Global Multi-City Analysis Based on Landscape Metrics

Huidi Zhou, Yunchao Li, Xinyi Su, Mingwei Xie, Kaili Zhang () and Xiangrong Wang ()
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Huidi Zhou: College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Yunchao Li: Landscape Architecture and Landscape Research Branch, China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Beijing 100044, China
Xinyi Su: College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Mingwei Xie: College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Kaili Zhang: College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Xiangrong Wang: College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Urban green spaces (UGS) are pivotal to urban sustainability, yet their morphology—patch size, shape, and configuration—remains insufficiently linked to institutional drivers. We investigate how land tenure strength shapes UGS morphology across 36 cities in nine countries. Using OpenStreetMap data, we delineate UGS and compute landscape metrics (AREA, PARA, SHAPE, FRAC, PAFRAC) via FRAGSTATS; we develop a composite index of land tenure strength capturing ownership, use-right duration, expropriation compensation, and government land governance capacity. Spearman’s rank correlations indicate a scale-dependent coupling: stronger tenure is significantly associated with micro-scale patterns—smaller patch areas and more complex, irregular boundaries—consistent with fragmented ownership and higher transaction costs, whereas macro-scale indicators (e.g., overall green coverage/connectivity) show weaker sensitivity. These findings clarify an institutional pathway through which property rights intensity influences the physical fabric of urban nature. Policy implications are twofold: in high-intensity contexts, flexible instruments (e.g., transferable development rights, negotiated acquisition, ecological compensation) can maintain network connectivity via embedded, fine-grain interventions; in low-intensity contexts, one-off land assembly can efficiently deliver larger, regular green cores. The results provide evidence-based guidance for aligning green infrastructure design with diverse governance regimes and advancing context-sensitive sustainability planning.

Keywords: land tenure strength; urban green space morphology; landscape metrics; property rights; landscape governance; institutional diversity; Spearman correlation; fragmentation; planning policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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