Spatiotemporal Dynamics Effects of Green Space and Socioeconomic Factors on Urban Agglomeration in Central Yunnan
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors
I added my constructive comments, perhaps helping you to develop the paper.
Regards
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below and the corresponding revisions in track changes in the re-submitted files.
Comments 1: The topic and the content of the paper are not original and there is similar research on LULC (land use, land change), land coverage, and landscape.
Response 1: We thank the reviewers for their faithful comments. The revised manuscript further condenses the significance and value of the research in the article.
Comments 2: Application of the quantitative data and mapping of the data could be pragmatic aspects of the application of knowledge.
Response 2: We are grateful to the reviewers for their recognition of the fact that our quantitative data research could be pragmatic aspects of the application of knowledge.
Comments 3: Green spaces, land coverage, and the spatial-temporal aspects are relevant topics to the journal's mission, aim, and objectives.
Response 3: We would like to thank the reviewers for confirming that our research meets Forests' requirements.
Comments 4: The structure of the paper included deficiencies due to the methodology section and results that made the paper difficult for academia to read.
The literature review, theoretical framework, methodology, and results need major revisions to make the discussion and conclusion readable.
Response 4: Thank you so much for your comment, according to your suggestion, We have revised the introduction, methods, results, discussion and conclusions.
Comments 5: The title did not show the content of the paper.
Response 5: Thanks a lot for your comment, the object of this study is the green space of urban agglomeration, so in order to avoid ambiguity, we have changed the words ‘Urban Agglomeration in Central Yunnan’ to ‘the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration’ in the title.
Comments 6: The abstract represents an interpretation or assumptions about the topic, particularly the
findings, conclusion, and application. The abstract did not present the research process and content.
Response 6: Thank you, the abstract has been revised according to the comments to include the research process and content.
Comments 7: The keywords are clear.
Response 7: Thank you for the recognition.
Comments 8: Introduction: 1.1 the problem(s) was discussed.1.2 The research questions and objectives were presented.1.3 However, the gap in knowledge was not discussed by the authors.1.4 Despite the well-structured Paragraph 1, paragraph 2was more methodological rather than an introduction. Adding many words or technical phrases did not help the section to develop the problem statement.
Response 8: Thank you very much, we have revised the introduction section on the basis of the comments and in accordance with the suggested logical node structure.
Comments 9: Literature review Theoretical Framework: There was no literature review or theoretical framework in the paper.
Response 9: Thanks, this paper does not have a separate literature review section, it is part of the introduction.
Comments 10: Materials and methods: The section did not discuss the methodology. The section included data sources and research methods. However, the validity and reliability of the methods and data were not discussed. Particularly, this problem was appeared in the results that quantitative data was converted to maps to illustrate the relationship.
Response 10: Thank you for your very helpful comments and suggestions, which we very much agree with and have made major revisions following the review comments: we have added a methodological framework to complement the description of the study design and research process, and replaced Table 2 to complement the description of the principal component characteristics, cumulative contribution rate and factor load, which increases the reliability of the data analysis.
Comments 11: Results: 4.1 The section started with 3 levels of titles and is not common in academic writing. 4.2 The source of data in Table 3. was clear. 4.3 Figure 2 was not clear due to data, graphics, and arrangement. 4.4 The authors need to find other ways to present the analysis in a better way. 4.5 Page 6 included long paragraphs, with many manes, and numbers, that made reading and understanding of the content difficult. 4.6 Figure 3 represented the Fiscal revenue; however, the applied color for the maps did help to understand the content, in opposite created confusion on the topography color codes in GIS. Also, the legends in the maps were not readable. 4.7 This problem was increased when this color coding was applied to different mapping topics such as Figures 4 to 6. 4.8 there is no consistency in the mapping process, some of the mapping was started in 2000, and others in 2005. The logic of such selections was not clear.
Response 11: Thanks for the comments. We have made significant changes to this section in response to the review. See below for the response to each review comment:
4.1, According to the comments, the two parts of the results section have been separated into the first-level headings ‘3. Dynamics of green spaces in Central Yunnan urban agglomeration’ and ‘4. Socioeconomic factors associated with spatial-temporal differences in green space evolution’, which is more conducive to the smooth expression of the article structure.
4.2, Thank you for confirming the clarity of expression in Form 3.
4.3, 4.6-4.7, Figure 3(original Figure 2) has been redrawn and is expressed using a spatial graphical representation. Figure4(a), 5(a), 6(a), 7(a), 8(a) and 9(a) have been revised to unify the presentation of the categorical hue and numerical legend .
4.4-4.5, The textual presentation of the results has been shortened and optimized, and Table 4 has been added to help express the types of key drivers and their impacts at in different times. 4.8, Due to the different driving factors of green space at different stages, as well as its influence, there will be inconsistent drawings, the details of which are described in section “4.1. Influence of socioeconomic factors”.
Comments 12: Research Findings: There are no research findings in the paper.
Response 12: Thanks, the findings of the study are integrated into sections 3 and 4, although there are no stand-alone findings in this paper.
Comments 13: Discussion: The discussion was mixed to the conclusion. This style did not help to understand the paper profoundly. Without correction, revising, and editing of the theoretical framework, and methodology sections, the results sections, the section could not be evaluated.
Response 13: Thank you for the useful comments, the section has been subdivided and the text has been optimized.
Comments 14: Conclusion: The discussion was mixed to the conclusion. This style did not help to understand the paper profoundly. Without correction, revising, and editing of the theoretical framework, and methodology sections, the results sections, the section could not be evaluated.
Response 14: Thank you, we have added the section on summarising and concluding.
Comments 15: The references were related to the research.However, the source for the methodology sections was so poor.
Response 15: Thanks for the suggestion. Relevant references have been added to the methods section and the introduction section, specifically:
- Rutt RL, Gulsrud NM. Green justice in the city: A new agenda for urban green space research in Europe. Urban forestry & urban greening 2016, 19: 123-127.
- Chakraborty S, Maity I, Patel PP, Dadashpoor H, Pramanik S, Follmann A, et al. Spatio-temporal patterns of urbanization in the Kolkata Urban Agglomeration: A dynamic spatial territory-based approach. Sustainable Cities and Society 2021, 67: 102715.
- Serret H, Raymond R, Foltête J-C, Clergeau P, Simon L, Machon N. Potential contributions of green spaces at business sites to the ecological network in an urban agglomeration: The case of the Ile-de-France region, France. Landscape and Urban Planning 2014, 131: 27-35.
- De la Barrera F, Henríquez C. Vegetation cover change in growing urban agglomerations in Chile. Ecological Indicators 2017, 81: 265-273.
- Sperandelli DI, Dupas FA, Dias Pons NA. Dynamics of urban sprawl, vacant land, and green spaces on the metropolitan fringe of São Paulo, Brazil. Journal of Urban Planning and Development 2013, 139(4): 274-279.
- Degefu MA, Argaw M, Feyisa GL, Degefa S. Dynamics of urban landscape nexus spatial dependence of ecosystem services in rapid agglomerate cities of Ethiopia. Science of The Total Environment 2021, 798: 14919
56.Yang Z, Fang C, Mu X, Li G, Xu G. Urban green space quality in China: Quality measurement, spatial heterogeneity pattern and influencing factor. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2021, 66: 127381.
- Ben Messaoud K, Wang Y, Jiang P, Ma Z, Hou K, Dai F. Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of Urban Green Spaces in Response to Rapid Urbanization and Urban Expansion in Tunis between 2000 and 2020. Land 2024, 13(1): 98.
Comments 16: The tables are clear.
Response 16: Thank you for the recognition. We replaced the original table 2 and added a new table 4 for better expression of the drivers.
Comments 17: The maps were so small. They included the wrong coding color creating misunderstanding for readers.
Response 17: Thank you very much for your constructive suggestions and comments, we have redrawn Figures 3(a)-(d) to unify the presentation of the categorical hue and numerical legend for 4(a), 5(a), 6(a), 7(a), 8(a) and 9(a). And shared the original figure attachments.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsSeveral questions and remarks regarding the paper by Liu et al. “Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Green Space and Socioeconomic Driving Mechanisms of Urban Agglomeration in Central Yunnan”.
“Most research studies the characteristics of green space changes in urban agglomerations in developed regions, such as the Yangtze River Delta region [45], the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay…” (Lines 81-85) Are these studies limited to China? Is this type of study being conducted anywhere else in the world?
“…the proportion of the primary industry, the proportion of the second industry…” (Lines 129-130). Which industries are regarded as secondary and which as primary? Please provide more details.
Subsection “2.2. Data sources” Numerous units can be used to measure socioeconomic factors. Please provide the units used in Table 2 to measure socioeconomic characteristics.
Subsection “3.1.2. Green space differences based on district (county) scale” Why is the information for each of the districts (?) in the Central Yunnan agglomeration shown in such detail? Most non-Chinese scientists have limited understanding of the names of these districts.
Please offer "Discussion" and "Conclusion" in distinct sections.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below and the corresponding revisions in track changes in the re-submitted files.
Comments 1: “Most research studies the characteristics of green space changes in urban agglomerations in developed regions, such as the Yangtze River Delta region [45], the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay…” (Lines 81-85) Are these studies limited to China? Is this type of study being conducted anywhere else in the world?
Response 1: Thank you so much for your comment, the literature on case studies of urban agglomerations in other countries has been supplemented according to the recommendations. See references 23-28. Specific modifications can be found in line 49-57 of the revised text.
Comments 2: “…the proportion of the primary industry, the proportion of the second industry…” (Lines 129-130). Which industries are regarded as secondary and which as primary? Please provide more details.
Response 2: Thanks a lot for your comment, the 14 socio-economic factors selected in this study are taken directly from the Statistical Yearbook, with the name of each factor providing the relevant information. Additional explanations have been made for the indicators necessitating interpretation, as amended in lines 144-149. To ensure transparency in the selection process, the principal component characteristics, cumulative contribution rates and factor loadings were expanded to express the criteria for filtering and selecting these factors. Please see table 2.
Comments 3: Subsection “2.2. Data sources” Numerous units can be used to measure socioeconomic factors. Please provide the units used in Table 2 to measure socioeconomic characteristics.
Response 3: Thanks, we have added to the units for each of these factors, as shown in Table 2.
Comments 4: Subsection “3.1.2. Green space differences based on district (county) scale” Why is the information for each of the districts (?) in the Central Yunnan agglomeration shown in such detail? Most non-Chinese scientists have limited understanding of the names of these districts.
Response 4: Thank you for your insightful comments. We agree with your suggestion and have reduced the emphasis on specific names of local districts and counties in the results section. Instead, we have focused on expressing the trends in green space changes through the orientation of spatiotemporal dynamics across the broader region.
Comments 5: Please offer "Discussion" and "Conclusion" in distinct sections.
Response 5: Thank you very much, according to your suggestion, we have separated the writing of the discussion and conclusion sections, please see the revisions.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors
I added my constructivist comments to the report. I recommended editing the title for more clarification of the content.
Regards
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript again. Thank you for your positive feedback on our revised manuscript, and we greatly appreciate your recognition of the changes we made. In the second round of revisions, in response to your comments, we further refined the title. Additionally, we included content on "Who is engaged" in the methods overview of the introduction. In section 3.2, we added two subheadings, "3.2.1" and "3.2.2," to enhance the clarity and readability of the results. We also made further modifications to the conclusion section and updated the references accordingly. Please find the detailed responses below and the corresponding revisions in marked changes in the re-submitted files.
Comments 1: Representation in the structure and logic：It was revised and improved. Please revise the sections.
Response 1: Thank you for your comments. Based on your feedback, we have further optimized the framework of the results section. In section 3.2, we added two subheadings, "3.2.1" and "3.2.2," to enhance the clarity and readability of the results.
Comments 2: The title was not clear. It is recommended to change it as”Spatiotemporal Dynamics Effects of Green Space and Socioeconomic factors on Urban Agglomeration in Central Yunnan”.
Response 2: Thank you very much for your constructive suggestions. We have revised the title according to your recommendations.
Comments 3: Introduction：Somehow acceptable.
Response 3: Thank you so much for your comment, We have added the content on "Who is engaged" in the methods overview of the introduction. Please see lines 76 to 83 in the introduction for details.
Comments 4: Conclusion: Acceptable, I keep my right to share recommendations after the first round of major revision.
Response 4: Thanks a lot for your comment, Regarding the conclusion, we have made significant revisions to further clarify the logical expression and findings of the research, as well as to include the directions for future research and the significance of the study.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsAll questions and comments were addressed by the authors. The manuscript has been carefully revised.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript again. Thank you for your positive feedback on our revised manuscript, and we greatly appreciate your recognition of the changes we made. In the second round of revisions, we further refined the title and added content on "Who is engaged" in the methods overview of the introduction. In section 3.2, we included two subheadings, "3.2.1" and "3.2.2," to enhance the clarity and readability of the results. We also made additional modifications to the conclusion section and updated the references accordingly. For specific details on the modifications, please refer to the marked sections of the revised manuscript.
