How does habitat quality respond to urbanization in China? A multi-scale perspective

China is undergoing the largest urbanization process in human history. Against this backdrop, balancing development and conservation has become a core issue for the nation's sustainable development. However, existing research on the relationship between the two remains homogeneous and one-dimensional, overlooking the inherent spatial dependence and heterogeneity, which undoubtedly pose significant challenges for formulating precise ecological policies. To fill this gap, this study measured habitat quality (HQ) and urbanization level (UL) using multi-source data in 2000, 2010, and 2020, and investigated the response of HQ to UL from a multi-scale perspective. There was a slight decline in the HQ between 2000 and 2020. The hot spots of HQ change were mainly located in the transition zones from central to western China. Conversely, the cold spots were concentrated in ecologically fragile areas and regions experiencing rapid urbanization. Spatial regression results showed that UL significantly negatively affected HQ, but the effect decreased consistently. HQ's response to landscape patterns varied by scale. Geographically weighted regression indicated that UL negatively affected HQ in most regions of China, while the intensity and direction of landscape patterns' impact on HQ varied by scale. These findings offered a scientific foundation for developing tailored environmental protection policies.