A novel framework for quantifying ecosystem quality by coupling urban morphology

Effective spatial governance in cities requires an integrated understanding of how urban morphology, ecological conditions, and human activities interact, yet existing approaches are often fragmented and provide limited support for governance-oriented diagnosis. To address this gap, we propose an integrated analytical framework that systematically couples urban morphological characterization with comprehensive ecosystem assessment and differentiated governance zoning. Applying this framework to Shanghai, China, we reveal a three-tier spatial structure, with high values in the core and peripheral region and low values in the middle ring. The overall coordination degree is modest (0.40), indicating a significant spatial mismatch between ecological supply and social demand. The dominant obstacle factors include heat exposure index, habitat quality, carbon storage, vegetation indices, sky view factor, and building height, which together explain 54.2% of the total system constraint, pinpointing environmental and spatial-form factors as the primary bottlenecks. Based on these findings, we construct a four-quadrant model to classify urban areas and propose tailored optimization pathways. Our work provides an analytical basis for adaptive governance and ecological restoration in rapidly urbanizing cities by explicitly linking urban morphology to ecological processes.