About

Hong Wu is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Penn State, who joined the department in 2016. Her academic background includes a B.Arch. and M.L.A. from Tsinghua University in Beijing, and a Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on watershed planning and management, green stormwater infrastructure, urban river restoration, landscape performance, urban sustainability, and landscape planning and design in China. She serves as co-chair of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture’s Geospatial and Digital Analytics Track, former co-chair of Penn State’s University Water Council, director of the Penn State Stormwater Living Lab, and is a core member of Stuckeman’s Ecology + Design Center. Additionally, she is an Editorial Advisory Board Member of the Studies in the History of Gardens and Designed Landscapes journal. Her interdisciplinary research has led or co-led over 25 projects, securing more than $7 million in grants, and resulted in 40 peer-reviewed articles. Her work applies computer-based models to facilitate natural resource decision-making, especially related to water, and explores innovative design approaches to integrating sustainability into urban landscapes. Her professional experience includes landscape architecture practice in Beijing, where she was a principal of Urban People + Space Landscape Design Studio and a consultant for the Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute, with recognition through three international design awards, including a 2012 American Society of Landscape Architects Professional Honor Award.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Psychology
• Business
• Geography
• Computer Science
• Public relations
• Environmental planning
• Acoustics
• Ecology
• Knowledge management
• Medicine
• Speech recognition
• Multimedia
• Cognitive psychology
• Environmental resource management
• Environmental science
• Marketing

Selected publications

• Fostering Resilience and Innovation in Island Communities – Identifying Systemic Challenges and Opportunities

  JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES · 2026-01-14

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Urban forests as essential infrastructure for climate resilience and biodiversity: A call to policymakers

  Plants People Planet · 2025-11-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  By 2050, nearly 70% of the global population will live in cities (UN, 2018), increasing the demand for urban green spaces. Urban areas are facing increasing risks from climate change, including heatwaves, flooding, wildfires, and growing social inequality, which challenges urban planning and design. Urban forests form the backbone of green infrastructure supporting resilient, equitable, and sustainable cities. Importantly, their cost-effective benefits advance sustainable development, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. Urban forests include all woody and understorey vegetation within and around dense settlements, from cultivated trees in streets, parks, and gardens to self-sustaining stands in remnant and peri-urban woodlands (FAO, 2016). As essential nature-based solutions (Cohen-Shacham et al., 2016), urban forests provide multiple ecosystem services. They help cool urban temperatures, reduce air pollution, enhance soil infiltration, slow stormwater runoff, buffer extreme weather, and support human health (Livesley et al., 2016). They contribute significantly to climate adaptation and moderately to mitigation by reducing the energy demand for cooling (McPhearson et al., 2023). Urban forests also enhance biodiversity by providing habitats and climate refugia at multiple scales (Alvey, 2006). Trade-offs in urban forest benefits, costs, and the impacts of policy interventions, such as those related to measurement, outcomes, or implementation, remain complex (Vogt et al., 2015), but the loss of canopy reduces air quality, biodiversity, and resilience to floods, droughts, pests, and extreme heat (Nowak, 2018). Canopy loss impairs recreation and impacts physical and mental health (Carrus et al., 2015). Because urban forests are inherently dynamic systems, the death or removal of large and mature trees should be anticipated through proactive planning for their replacement, including careful consideration of which species are selected and why. Unequal access drives social-environmental injustice and health inequities, which can be addressed through greenspace expansion, equitable distribution, and better management (Esperon-Rodriguez et al., 2025). Urban forests are increasingly at risk due to significant stewardship gaps. Despite the existence of international management standards, ongoing tree losses result from pests introduced through trade, climate and pollution stress, inadequate legal protections, rapid urban densification, and insufficient maintenance (Esperon-Rodriguez et al., 2022; Paap et al., 2017; Vogt et al., 2015). Planting alone cannot offset accelerated mature tree losses or replace the vital functions these trees provide over their shortened lifespans in urban environments. Closing the stewardship gap demands urgent investment, robust funding, and stronger policy to sustain diverse and resilient urban forests. Urban forests are among the most effective, equitable nature-based solutions available. When protected and resourced, they cool neighborhoods, manage stormwater, store carbon, support biodiversity, and improve health, especially in underserved communities. Yet mature tree loss outpaces replacement amid increasing climate and biological stresses. We urge COP30 policymakers to treat urban forests as essential and critical city infrastructure: safeguard mature trees, set and finance SMART canopy, diversity and access targets, mainstream urban forests in climate and biodiversity plans, and fund long-term operations, monitoring, nursery capacity, and biosecurity. Implementing this visionary action delivers cooler, healthier, more biodiverse, and more equitable cities now and for future generations. MER and MGT led the initiative and drafted the letter. All authors provided feedback, edited, and agreed with the content of the letter. All authors, except MER and MGT, are listed alphabetically. MER received funding from Western Sydney University's Research Theme Program. KDP was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, grant 12A0L25N). RMM was supported by a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (project DE200100649), funded by the Australian Research Council of the Australian Government. JCS received funding from the Danish National Research Foundation (grant DNRF173) and EARTHKEEPER (Global South Biodiversity Leadership Initiative). CS's contribution was funded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (grant no 84379). We declare no conflict of interest. There are no data associated with the article.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Moderating Effects of Park Accessibility and External Environment on Park Satisfaction in a Mountainous City

  Land · 2025-01-03 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  Urban parks play a vital role in enhancing residents’ well-being, making it essential for decision-makers and designers to understand the factors influencing park satisfaction to improve park attributes. While existing studies primarily focus on internal park characteristics, this study investigates the diverse ways that external environmental factors influence park satisfaction. Using moderated regression models, we examined six factors, i.e., the quality of neighborhood compound greenspaces, perceived home–park distance, walking difficulty, the convenience of coordinating other trips, external environmental quality, and perceived travel safety, in Chongqing, China. Based on an intercept survey of 301 residents, five factors significantly impacted park satisfaction. Notably, the quality of compound greenspaces and trip coordination convenience were critical determinants, showing large correlations with satisfaction. Enhancing environmental quality and travel safety along access routes is also crucial, as they directly enhance satisfaction and moderate the impacts of internal park quality. Reducing walking difficulties can encourage frequent park visits and strengthen the relationship between internal park quality and satisfaction. Interestingly, the perceived home–park distance had minimal impact, likely because the parks studied were in close proximity to participants’ homes. These findings highlight the importance of holistically considering both internal and external factors in urban park planning and design. Future research should explore additional external factors in diverse urban contexts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Spatial Layout Strategy for Stormwater Management Measures in Mountainous Cities Based on the “Source-Sink” Theory

  Water · 2025-05-24 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Mountainous cities are especially vulnerable to flooding and water quality degradation due to surrounding steep terrain, variable precipitation, and fragile ecosystems. Existing studies often rely on small-scale scenario simulations or computationally intensive optimization algorithms, limiting their practical application. This study proposes a spatial layout strategy for stormwater management tailored to mountainous environments, using the Xining sponge city pilot area as a case study. Based on the “source–sink” theory, flood risk was assessed at the district scale, and the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was applied to evaluate four Low-Impact Development (LID) deployment schemes. A novel indicator—the source–sink coupling optimization degree (SSCOD)—was introduced to quantify LID spatial coordination between source and sink zones and identify optimal configuration thresholds. Results show that the four LID allocations significantly reduce runoff and improve water quality compared to the no-LID baseline. Analyses also reveal diminishing returns: optimal LID performance occurs when SSCOD ranges from 0.345 to 0.423, with 24.24–24.41% of LID facilities placed in high-risk zones. Beyond this range, effectiveness plateaus or declines, leading to potential resource waste. The proposed framework provides a technical basis and practical strategy for guiding stormwater infrastructure planning in mountainous cities, balancing effectiveness with resource efficiency.

  PublisherDOI

• Seasonal Driving Mechanisms and Spatial Patterns of Danger of Forest Wildfires in the Dongjiang Basin, Southern China

  Forests · 2025-06-11

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Global forest wildfires are increasing in both frequency and intensity, resulting in significant ecological degradation and posing substantial threats to human health. This study focused on the Dongjiang River Basin in southern China and investigated the seasonal and spatial distribution patterns of forest wildfires in the research region from 2003 to 2023 using geographic information system technology. This study employed the random forest (RF) model, a machine learning algorithm, to predict the danger level of wildfire across different seasons and quantitatively interpret the seasonal wildfire driving mechanisms using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values. The results indicated that forest wildfires in the Dongjiang Basin were predominantly concentrated in the eastern region of the Dongjiang Basin, with significant seasonal variation in the spatial distribution. The frequency of fire events exhibited distinct seasonal patterns, with higher incidence in spring and winter and relatively lower frequency in summer and autumn. The random forest model demonstrated high predictive accuracy for the wildfire danger in all the seasons. Furthermore, the analysis of the driving factors showed that, despite some seasonal variability, the underlying mechanisms of wildfire occurrence could be effectively quantified using the SHAP values. Notably, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and anthropogenic disturbances consistently emerged as the dominant driving forces behind forest wildfires across all the seasons.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Spatially explicit optimization of urban green infrastructure for multiple ecosystem services using deep learning surrogates

  Environmental Modelling & Software · 2025-10-25

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Spatially Informed Quality of RuralLife Model for Land Use Suitability inMountainous Regions of Wumeng

  Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · 2025-09-30

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating Public Satisfaction and Its Determinants in Chinese Sponge Cities Using Structural Equation Modeling

  Land · 2024-08-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Public satisfaction is an important indicator of the success of environmental policies and management practices. China’s sponge city development (SCD) initiative was launched in 2014 and has received international attention for its technical advancements and environmental achievements. Public satisfaction, however, has not been fully investigated in cities transformed by SCD. This study uses public surveys and structural equation modeling to evaluate people’s satisfaction with SCD in four pilot sponge cities, and how familiarity with SCD, perceived benefits, concerns about adverse effects, and trust in government influence satisfaction levels. The results show that people in the four cities were, on average, slightly satisfied with SCD. Familiarity, perceived benefits, and trust in government were significant determinants of public satisfaction. On the contrary, concerns about the adverse effects of SCD did not significantly influence people’s satisfaction. Moreover, a mismatch was found between government-led evaluation outcomes and satisfaction measured here. This study highlights the importance of social and perceived values in shaping people’s satisfaction with SCD and provides suggestions for management strategies for enhancing public satisfaction, ultimately supporting the long-term effectiveness of urban stormwater management programs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Roles of Entrepreneurial Resource Acquisition and Family Support in Internet Use and Women’s Entrepreneurial Competence

  SAGE Open · 2024-04-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Women have become an increasingly important force in entrepreneurship, and their relatively low entrepreneurial competence has aroused widespread attention from the academia. Drawing from the resource-based theory and the social support theory, this study aims to explore the impact of Internet use on women’s entrepreneurial competence and the roles of entrepreneurial resource acquisition and family support in this relationship. After collecting a sample of 328 women entrepreneurs in China, this study demonstrates that Internet use is positively related to women’s entrepreneurial competence, and this relation is partially mediated by entrepreneurial resource acquisition. Moreover, family support moderates the relation between Internet use and entrepreneurial resource acquisition as well as the mediating effect of entrepreneurial resource acquisition. The results of the current study contribute to revealing how Internet use affects women’s entrepreneurial competence, including its direct and indirect effects and boundary conditions. Practical implications for policy-makers and female entrepreneurs are also provided.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Barriers and opportunities for implementing prescribed fire: lessons from managers in the mid-Atlantic region, United States

  Fire Ecology · 2024-08-27 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Prescribed burning is a beneficial fire management practice used by practitioners worldwide to meet multiple land management objectives, including reduction of wildfire hazard, promotion of biodiversity, and management of vegetation for wildlife and human interests. Meeting these objectives can be difficult due to the need for institutional coordination, resource and policy constraints, and community support. We examined these dynamics in the United States’ mid-Atlantic region because prescribed fire use is increasing in the region to meet a broadening set of land management objectives. Managers are at the frontlines of these challenges and hold significant experience and knowledge for enhancing wildland fire management policy and strategy. Towards better leveraging this insight, we conducted focus groups with fire managers in land management agencies in the region to identify managers’ perceived barriers and opportunities for implementing prescribed fire. Results We found manager perceptions to be hierarchical, with barriers and opportunities expressed across landscape, community, and individual levels. Limited institutional coordination across landscapes was seen by managers as an opportunity for expanding prescribed fire implementation, whereas coping with shared fear or stress about burning among individual managers or individual community members was seen as a significant barrier. Yet, despite different prescribed burning histories and policies at the state level, barriers and opportunities were similar among managers in the mid-Atlantic region. Conclusions Managers in the mid-Atlantic region confront barriers to prescribed fire use but are also uniquely positioned to recognize opportunities to enhance its implementation. This work sheds light on these barriers and opportunities, revealing that managers desire greater opportunities for landscape-level fire planning and coordination across agencies as well as greater opportunities for community engagement and interpersonal trust-building within complex social-management networks. Manager perspectives from the mid-Atlantic provide lessons for other regions across the globe grappling with new or broadened land-management strategies that include beneficial fire use.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Rui Wang

  Wuhan University of Technology

  7 shared

• Gunnar Andersson

  Stockholm University

  5 shared

• Zachary D. Miller

  Bureau of Land Management

  4 shared

• Antony King Fung Wong

  Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  4 shared

• Lauren McPhillips

  Pennsylvania State University

  4 shared

• Daniel A. Brent

  Pennsylvania State University

  3 shared

• Alan H. Taylor

  3 shared

• Mahsa Adib

  Pennsylvania State University

  3 shared

Labs

• Hong Wu - Department of Landscape ArchitecturePI

Education

• Ph.D., Landscape Architecture

  University of Oregon

  2014

• MLA, Landscape Architecture

  Tsinghua University

  2007

Awards & honors

• 2012 American Society of Landscape Architects Professional H…
• Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) Case Study Investiga…
• Firescapes in the mid-Atlantic