Combination Weighting Integrated with TOPSIS for Landscape Performance Evaluation: A Case Study of Microlandscape from Rural Areas in Southeast China

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the landscape performance of rural microlandscapes in highly urbanized areas and propose optimization strategies based on the evaluation results. As a sustainable promotion mode, microlandscapes can effectively improve the damage caused by the development of rugged urbanization to the living environment. To improve the rural living environment, some achievements have been made in the construction of microlandscapes in the highly urbanized rural areas of southeast coastal areas, represented by Fujian Province, but there are still problems such as low utilization rate and difficult maintenance. As a qualitative and quantitative weighting method, the combination weighting method is widely used in the construction of evaluation models of safety engineering, environmental management, and other disciplines. This study constructed a landscape performance evaluation system based on the American landscape performance series and combined it with performance evaluation methods in other related fields to establish a landscape performance evaluation system suitable for rural microlandscapes in highly urbanized areas. Taking social benefits as an example, five main factors affecting social benefits are highlighted: comfort and health; safety and accessibility; sociability and service; aesthetics and education; and culture and inheritance. Each factor contains different sub-criteria to identify specific problems. Field observation, questionnaire survey, and interview records of 25 microlandscape projects in Yinglin Town, Jinjiang City were conducted. The combination weight calculation based on the AHP-entropy weight method and the comprehensive benefit ranking calculation based on the TOPSIS method is carried out. It was found that stress relief and the number of visitors were the main factors affecting the social benefits of microlandscape performance, and the top-ranked projects also had such characteristics. The seasonal phase and color richness had the least effect on social benefits. Therefore, the microlandscape should improve the healing effect of the project on users as much as possible in the design stage, so that users can better relax through the microlandscape. In addition, strategies such as space selection and path optimization should be adopted to improve the utilization rate of the microlandscape as much as possible, and the fairness of the use of vulnerable groups should be fully considered.