## 1 Introduction  
The process of urbanization has emerged as a significant driver of ecological threats and environmental degradation, underscoring the imperative to scientifically evaluate the impact of urban development on ecological quality. Specifically, urban areas, characterized by concentrated population and economic activities, constitute the foundation and nucleus of future national development. However, rapid urbanization has concurrently imposed serious pressure and inflicted damage on the ecological environment [1]. Notably, China has experienced a remarkable surge in urbanization rates, escalating from 17.92% to 63.89% in recent decades, with projections nearing 80% by 2050 [2]. This rapid urbanization has emerged as one of the most environmentally destructive forces, driven by factors such as resource consumption, population growth, and intensive human activities [3; 4]. The expansion of urban areas has encroached upon arable land and other ecologically sensitive areas, giving rise to numerous ecological challenges and environmental problems, including environmental pollution, biodiversity crises, and degradation of ecological quality [5]. These issues have significantly impacted human livelihoods and disrupted normal production processes [6]. As awareness grows regarding the importance of balancing human socioeconomic development and ecological restoration, the establishment of high-quality urban ecosystems, where humans and nature coexist harmoniously, has become a key goal for governments and urban planning [7; 8]. While the global urbanization process is irreversible, it is imperative to construct a robust scientific framework for assessing changes in ecological quality and exploring the impact of urbanization on ecological systems. These efforts can provide valuable suggestions for decision-making, aiding in the sustainability and reconciliation of economic development and ecological protection [9]. In response to the escalating ecological damage resulting from urbanization, numerous countries and researchers have directed their focus towards the development of methodologies to assess ecological quality. Recognizing the inherent subjectivity in ecological quality assessments, researchers have devised expert systems to articulate the quality of grassland ecosystems in Australia [10]. Additionally, successful endeavors to introduce new evaluation indicators have been made. Notably, the Chinese government has introduced the Ecological Index (EI) with the goal of standardizing national ecological quality assessment norms [11]. However, the implementation of EI has encountered challenges, particularly concerning data acquisition and visualization. To address these challenges, remote sensing (RS) technology emerges as a promising solution, offering unique advantages and resolving the aforementioned issues. Initial studies predominantly relied on single environmental variables, such as utilizing the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to evaluate vegetation degradation in urban expansion [12]. Recognizing the influence of multiple factors [13], researchers have developed assessment frameworks that integrate various indicators, including the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) [14]. Nevertheless, challenges have persisted, primarily related to subjective indicator assignment and limited consideration of the objective importance of indicators [13]. To overcome these limitations, the Remote Sensing-based Ecological Index (RSEI) employs principal component analysis (PCA) to comprehensively calculate both the amount of objective information and the importance of four key indicators representing greenness, heat, wetness, and dryness [15; 16]. This approach enhances the reliability of ecological quality assessments. Researchers have extended the RSEI to suit specific study themes, such as adjusting it to incorporate the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) to reduce time span sensitivity [17].