Objective The concept of Beijing’s Garden City is not only a continuous development of the concept of Forest City and Park City, but also the proper meaning of the construction of Beautiful China. As a mega-city that has entered the era of renewal development and fine governance, Beijing has taken the lead in exploring the path of garden city construction, and attempt to establish a spatial planning framework that fits the positioning of the capital, exploring an innovative path of high-quality urban development driven by green space through the integration of natural landscapes, historical culture and modern urban functions, promoting the integration and mutual promotion of green space and urban functions, and providing theoretical reference and practical guidance for solving the problems of ecological governance, cultural inheritance and spatial quality improvement of megacities.

Methods Based on the in-depth interpretation of the connotation and evolution of garden city and the excellent practical experience of China and foreign countries, this paper compares and analyzes the connotative differences among related concepts such as ecological city, Shanshui city, landscape garden city, forest city, and park city, and refines the core connotation that garden city focuses on the urban characteristic core and takes the whole domain space as the object to enhance urban livability. Secondly, based on the five value dimensions of construction process, urban positioning, construction characteristics, natural conditions, and ecosystem, this paper analyzes the relationship between Beijing’s urban characteristics and the connotation of garden city, clarifies the key directions for Beijing’s garden city to respond to the needs of high-quality development, and puts forward development suggestions from the five dimensions of garden city construction resource carrier utilization, urban positioning response, fine spatial construction, climate adaptation methods, and ecosystem efficiency improvement. Furthermore, based on the perspectives of "increasing greenery", "integrating greenery", and "governing greenery", this paper proposes a high-quality transformation idea that planning needs to shift from quantitative expansion to quality improvement, from having greenery in the city to integrating greenery with the city, and from garden landscape construction to scene construction from the three dimensions of quantity and quality, space and function, and planning and implementation, and constructs a spatial planning framework for the transformation of "characteristic demands-spatial strategies", forming the Beijing path for garden city construction.

Results Five transformation paths were formed to promote the transformation of Beijing from traditional mode to high-quality development. First, leading the pattern and style of garden city with natural and cultural characteristics, constructing the foundation and structure of garden city relying on natural landscapes, and building the features of garden city by utilizing historical and cultural elements. Second, guiding the spatial priorities of garden city based on the capital’s positioning, strengthening the functions of the "four centers", designating elite demonstration areas of garden city, showcasing the national capital image, and shaping the ceremonial spaces of garden city. Third, creating colorful urban landscapes based on Beijing’s seasonal characteristics, exploring four-season garden city landscapes integrated with urban colors, and exploring the aesthetic values of landscapes under the interaction between seasonal changes and humanistic features. Fourth, deepening the construction methods of garden city based on human-perceived needs: constructing visual corridors to enhance the observability of garden landscapes; improving greenways to enhance the accessibility of garden spaces; activating boundaries to strengthen the integration of garden elements; revitalizing micro-spaces to achieve the approachability of garden areas; and shaping scenarios to enhance the permeability of garden concepts. Fifth, improving the ecological efficiency of garden city with the concept of safety and resilience: emphasizing environmental health efficiency and strengthening climate regulation; focusing on the integration of refined and wild landscapes to enhance biodiversity; and attaching importance to the dual-purpose design for normal and emergency use to improve safety and resilience.

Conclusion The construction of garden city represents a critical pathway for Beijing’s pursuit of high-quality development. Against the backdrop of intertwined historical and cultural heritage and the diverse development needs of a modern metropolis, the concept of garden city has injected new vitality into Beijing’s growth. This study provides practical experience for garden city concepts and related ideas, offering a construction path for promoting high-quality development in super-large high-density cities through the creation of high-quality "gardens" under the context of stock transformation. It presents new approaches for advancing urban high-quality development through green spaces. The construction methods proposed, including the establishment of visual corridors, improvement of greenways, activation of boundaries, revitalization of micro-spaces, and shaping of scenarios, offer feasible strategies for constructing green spaces based on human-perceived needs. These efforts aim to provide conceptual and methodological guidance for the planning and construction of garden city in China, inspiring other cities to deeply explore their characteristic resources and achieve high-quality urban development through the scientific planning and efficient utilization of green spaces.