2.4.1. ESSR Model
The ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system is a comprehensive representation of the degree of disturbance caused by the environment and society relative to urban green-space ecosystems, the sensitivity of urban green-space ecosystems to external stress or pressure, the state of an urban green-space system at a specific time, and the preventive behavior formulated by government departments for stable development.
Due to the rapid development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, problems caused by human disturbances, such as increased population and accelerated urbanization, gradually emerged [
16]. Coupled with the impact of climate change, these factors have exposed the green-space system to substantial external pressures. In addition, the urban agglomeration comprises a large number of cities of different natures, types, and scales that fall within a specific range, also rendering the urban agglomeration one of the most sensitive areas of the ecological environment. Therefore, its sensitivity will determine the impact of external pressure on the urban green-space system; exposure and sensitivity together produce a potential pressure source that affects the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system. In the face of potential pressure sources, the final impact of the urban green-space system can be determined by the state of the system itself and the corresponding action of the government.
Therefore, this study fully considers the comprehensive characterization of the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system. From the perspective of the generation and final impact of the pressure source, the characteristics of the urban green-space system are integrated, and the exposure and sensitivity of the VSD (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability) model are introduced. This improves the problem that the PSR model (pressure, state, and response) ignores, which is the importance of exposure to the structure and function of the urban green-space system, and it emphasizes the sensitivity of the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system relative to its structural composition for disaster stress [
17]. Using a combination of the exposure and sensitivity dimensions of the VSD model, the potential impact of the pressure source is defined. The state and response dimensions of the PSR model are retained to explain the final impact of the pressure source [
18]. The model is further expanded to four dimensions. From the perspective of the pressure source, the state and sensitivity of the urban green-space system, the exposure response process and the final vulnerability results are comprehensively considered. The consideration draws on the advantages of the hierarchical organization method and clear process specification of the VSD model [
19]. Simultaneously, it retains the advantages of the PSR model and embeds causal logic thinking [
20]. Based on the two models, this study proposes the “Exposure-Sensitivity-State-Response” ESSR model. The interaction of the four dimensions of the model constitutes the logical relationship of “what happened, the size of the impact, the results produced, and how to deal with it”, as shown in
Figure 3.
2.4.2. ESSR Evaluation Model Index System
The research method of the ecological vulnerability evaluation index system of urban green-space systems should first be based on the ESSR model in order to explore the main impact factors affecting the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system. The selection of the ecological vulnerability impact factors of the urban green-space system in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region is based on five principles: being scientific, systematic, comprehensive, applicable, and regional. Currently, in the study of the urban green-space ecosystem, related research on ecological vulnerability is scarce. Therefore, based on referring to international vulnerability models and assessment frameworks, this study draws on the relevant literature on urban ecological vulnerability index systems [
21,
22], as well as the ecological vulnerability index system of an urban green-space system, reported by Zhang et al. The concept and framework of urban vulnerability in China [
23], the conceptual framework of regional ecological sustainability assessment based on the PSR model [
24], and the framework of ecosystem vulnerability in semi-arid areas based on the VSD model [
25] are used as references. Based on the analysis of the model’s framework, the natural and social factors of the study area and the development law of the research object are fully considered. After combing and analyzing the frequency, applicability, and accessibility of different impact factors in many studies, impact factors were selected from the perspective of scientificity and objectivity [
26]. At the same time, the selection of factors should also include natural, social, and human factors, in order to ensure that the impact factors can comprehensively evaluate the ecological vulnerability of the research object. In summary, the index system constructed based on the ESSR model is divided into the goal layer, the indicator layer, and the factor layer. The goal layer is the first level, the purpose of the evaluation is controlled from the core, and the evaluation results of the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are expressed. The indicator layer comprises the second level, which explains the evolution of ecological vulnerability relative to four dimensions: exposure, sensitivity, state, and response. The factor layer comprises the third level, and it is mainly the impact factor of the ecological vulnerability assessment of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban green-space system.
Exposure refers to the degree of the interference of environmental and social pressure on the urban green-space system, which is a parameter reflecting the degree of interference or stress from the outside world. The impact factors of exposure include annual average temperatures, annual average precipitation, and the human disturbance index. The annual average temperature (
Figure 4a) is a direct reflection of whether the study area is suitable for the development of the urban green-space ecosystem. The higher the annual average temperature, the lower the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system. Annual average precipitation (
Figure 4b) reflects the meteorological and hydrological conditions in the study area. As annual average precipitation increases, the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system will decrease with the increase in water resources introduced by precipitation. The human disturbance index (
Figure 4c) is the expression of the disturbance degree of human activities to the urban green-space-system ecosystem [
27,
28].
Sensitivity is a measure of the degree of difficulty between the stress and the consequences of the urban green-space system. Sensitivity is related to the critical conditions of the destruction of the urban green-space system. It can be reflected by natural resource conditions and topographic features. Among them, topographic features are the basis of ecological environment sensitivity (
Figure 4d) [
29]: the digital elevation model is one of the important topographic factors. By observing the digital elevation model, human disturbance relative to the urban green-space system is becoming increasingly obvious. Moreover, the slope is an important factor in measuring the influence of the natural environment on the urban green-space system. The larger the slope, the more unfavorable it is to the development of a green-space system. Finally, the aspect represents the southerly area, which experiences substantial amounts of light, the rapid evaporation of water, and frequent human activities; thus, the vulnerability of the urban green-space system will be higher.
The state indicates the state of the urban green-space system when subjected to natural and human pressures [
30]. It includes the state of the urban green-space system after experiencing changes, as well as other changes that occur in the state of the urban green-space system after the initial change. Therefore, the state factors include two impact factors: population density and vegetation coverage. Vegetation coverage (
Figure 4e) represents the state of the urban green space ecosystem, and vegetation coverage is directly related to the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system. Moreover, it exhibits a negative correlation: the higher the vegetation coverage, the lower the ecological vulnerability of the green-space system [
31]. Population density represents the state of human life (
Figure 4f). The change in the urban green-space system may lead to the emergence of the urban ecological problems, the deterioration of ecological environment, and the introduction of impacts on human living conditions; moreover, changes may also cause reactions in the urban green-space system.
Response refers to the possible impact on the natural environment and human behavior. In this study, government departments formulate mitigation or solutions for the stable development of the urban green-space system [
32]. Using GDP and residents’ education degrees, GDP (
Figure 4g) is an important criterion for measuring the quality of social and economic development. The higher the GDP, the better the social and economic benefits; the greater the government‘s financial investment in protecting the environment, the lower the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system [
33]. The education degree (
Figure 4h) refers to the government’s and individual’s behavior in improving the cultural level and raising awareness of ecological protection through education in order to reduce or prevent the destruction of the ecological environment. It is generally believed that the higher the degree of education, the lower the ecological vulnerability [
34].
2.4.3. Index Weight Calculation of ESSR Model
In order to solve the dimension problem of the impact factors of the ecological vulnerability evaluation index data of the urban green-space system, range standardization was carried out [
35]. In addition, there are two types of impact factors in the index. One is the positive impact factor. Such indicators are generally considered to be better when their values are greater, and Formula (1) is used for their calculations. There is also a class of negative impact factors. Such indicators are generally required to be as low in value as possible, and Formula (2) is used for their calculations. The formulas are as follows:
In the above formulas, Yij, Mij, and M’ij are the original value and standardized value of the j index in the i year; max (Yij) and min (Yij) are the maximum and minimum values of index j, respectively.
- 2.
Principal Component Analysis
Firstly, the cumulative contribution rate of each impact factor is calculated using Formula (3) via the feature vector of the impact factor. The cumulative contribution rate is used to determine the number of main factors in the evaluation. When the cumulative contribution rate exceeds 90%, the number of main factors is determined [
36].
In the formula, λ is the eigenvector value.
When the number of main factors is determined, the variance of common factors is calculated according to Formula (4).
In the formula,
Hj is the common factor variance; m is the number of principal factors;
λ2jk is the eigenvalue of factor j relative to principal component k. In this study,
m = 9 and
j = 10. Finally, the weight of each evaluation index can be obtained using Formula (5):
In the formula,
wj is the relative weight of evaluation index
j. The results are shown in
Table 1.
2.4.5. Spatio-Temporal Evolution Analysis Method of the Ecological Vulnerability of the Urban Green-Space System
The transfer matrix can accurately quantify the transfer between states in the system during the research period. It can comprehensively and meticulously analyze the change characteristics with respect to the urban green-space system’s ecological vulnerability, which is the basis for studying the structural change, and the directional change of the ecological vulnerability of the urban green-space system. According to the ecological vulnerability changes in the urban green-space system of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei during different periods, a two-dimensional matrix was obtained. Carrying out an analysis of the two-dimensional matrix, the mutual transformation between the vulnerability degrees of the two periods can be obtained.
- 2.
Standard Deviation Ellipse and Center-of-Gravity Migration Model
As one of the spatial statistical methods [
38], the standard deviation ellipse can quantitatively explains the centrality, directionality, and expansion direction deviation of the urban green-space ecosystem’s vulnerability. The center-of-gravity migration model can reflect the moving direction and distance of the ecological vulnerability gravity center of the urban green-space system, and it can reflect the change range and spatial difference of a certain geographical element within a certain period of time.
- 3.
Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis
Spatial autocorrelation refers to the phenomenon that similar phenomena or objects in space show similar characteristics [
39], and this is also observed in global and local hypothesis tests.
Global spatial autocorrelation is usually used to test the spatial pattern of the ecological vulnerability of urban green-space systems throughout the study area. It is usually calculated using global Moran‘s I, and the formula is as follows:
In the formula, n is the number of spatial units involved in the analysis, xi and xj are the observed values of a certain attribute on space units i and j, respectively; x is the average value of a certain attribute in each space; Wij is the spatial weight matrix; and I is the global spatial autocorrelation coefficient Moran’s I.
The local Moran‘s I is the decomposition of the global Moran‘s I in each spatial unit, which can accurately reflect and grasp the aggregation and differentiation characteristics of spatial and adjacent units, and it highlights the aggregation state of the local ecological vulnerability areas of the urban green-space system. The formula is as follows:
In the formula, xi and xj are the observed values of an attribute on space units i and j, respectively; x is the average value of an attribute in each space; wij is the spatial weight matrix; and Ii represents the local Moran‘s I.
- 4.
Geographical Detector
In this study, the single-factor and interactive detectors in the geographic detector [
40,
41] were used to quantitatively analyze the influencing factors of the spatial distribution of ecological vulnerability in the urban green-space system of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region in 2010, 2015, and 2020. The single-factor detector can quantify the spatial and temporal variation of ecological vulnerability between different independent variables, and it can detect the degree and size of its impact. The formula is as follows:
In the formula, N = 1, 2…, for a specific type; L is the stratification of variable X or factor Y: that is, the classification or partition; Nh is the number of elements in layer h; and σh and σ are the variance of class h and the variance of the entire region, respectively. The range of q is [0, 1]. The larger the q value, the better independent variable X explains the change in ecological vulnerability Y, and vice versa is true as well.
The interaction detector is used to determine the interaction between different impact factors: that is, whether the interaction of evaluation factors will change its explanatory power to the ecological vulnerability index.