Potential heterogeneity of urban ecological resilience and urbanization in multiple urban agglomerations from a landscape perspective

Rapid urbanization has reduced the capacity of cities to mitigate and withstand disasters. Strengthening urban ecological resilience (ER) is important for improving urban self-organization. Geographical characteristics and developmental status of different cities lead to a more complex relationship between urbanization and ER. Using the three major urban agglomerations in China, we constructed a new framework for assessing the ER from a landscape and ecological processes perspective, and analyzed the driving heterogeneity of urbanization on ER. The results indicated that the ER of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and Pearl River Delta (PRD) decreased continuously from 2000 to 2018, while the ER of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) decreased from 2000 to 2010, and then increased from 2010 to 2018. The resilience level of PRD was significantly lower than those of BTH and YRD. The urbanization process had a negative impact on ER, and the contribution of urbanization factors to ER varied significantly across cities, and population factors have the most direct influence. Curve fitting analysis further deepened our understanding of heterogeneity, investigating from the perspective of landscape and driving factors, and suggesting improvement measures. This study can deepen the understanding of the impact of urbanization on resilience and provide scientific guidance for achieving regional sustainability.