An optimization study of the eco-tourism corridor in Shenyang in the context of China’s western industrial relocation

• Extends eco-corridor theory using slow-travel networks for city sustainability. • A multi-scale framework for accessibility, greenspace, and corridor optimization. • Proposes planning strategies for slow-tourism corridors in Northeast China cities. Under the background of China’s “Western Migration” policy, Northeastern China faces development challenges such as population outflow, industrial restructuring, and urban function remodeling. In this context, tourism development has become a vital pathway to promote economic revitalization while safeguarding ecological health.This study takes Shenyang City as a case to investigate how urban green spaces and slow-moving systems (pedestrian and cycling paths) can be strategically integrated for the construction and optimization of eco-tourism corridors. Using ArcGIS-based buffer and overlay analyses, the spatial distribution variability and ecological characteristics of the slow-moving system were examined. The ecological corridors were evaluated in terms of accessibility, adaptability, and connectivity between green spaces and slow-moving paths.The results reveal that Shenyang’s green spaces have a single-function bias misaligned with residents’ needs, a hierarchical imbalance between the slow-moving system and green space configuration, lagging integration in older urban areas, and an uneven distribution of accessibility between residential areas and slow-moving networks.Based on these findings, an optimization model for Shenyang’s eco-tourism corridor was established, proposing spatial strategies to integrate green land resources and slow-moving paths from a citywide perspective. These strategies aim to create multi-functional ecological corridors that enhance urban economic vitality, improve ecological services, and strengthen the synergistic role of green spaces and slow-moving systems in sustainable urban development.