Sustainable urban agglomerations aim to provide ecologically sound and economically thriving environments for human habitation. The construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) can effectively coordinate the relationship between ecological preservation and economic development. However, the traditional research of ESP has not considered enough economic production activities. This study uses the 2021 Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration (CCUA) as a case study. It introduces an industrial measurement based on machine learning to characterize the economic production pattern (EPP) in the context of ESP, and establishes a sustainable development pattern (SDP) by resolving conflicts between ESP and EPP on the same map. The results showed that: (1) The ESP of the CCUA was characterized by “external encirclement and internal linkage”. (2) The EPP of the CCUA presented the characteristics of “dual-core drive, axis series connection”. (3) Ecological-economic conflicts are mainly reflected in the vulnerability of low-grade ecological resources to economic activities and the serious ecological issues in economically active areas. (4) Finally, the construction of the SDP of “one Development Main Axis, two Economic Development Cores, two Industrial Development Belts, five Ecological Axis and five Ecological Barrier Areas” can promote coordination of ecological preservation and economic development. The research results of this paper bring a new perspective and new ideas for the study of ecological security pattern, including interdisciplinary integration, and multi-method integration, and the spatial characteristics shown can provide important reference opinions and strategic guidance for urban sustainable development planning and design more effectively.

Research on circular development in China’s urban planning remains limited, particularly regarding marginalized groups’ actions. This study addresses the gap by examining circular practices within informal food systems in Chengdu’s urban villages. It highlights residents’ bottom-up initiatives in food production and consumption and their interactions with the broader urban context. Using street interviews and Research through Design, it develops community-based visions to improve these actions and the needed planning tools for implementation. It also explores how circular development could support urban regeneration by recognizing overlooked resources and practices. Semi-structured expert interviews reveal barriers in China’s planning system to accommodate such visions. Findings indicate that local circular actions—driven by local labor and knowledge and efforts to tackle polluted land and idle spaces—offer valuable opportunities for circular development. However, deficiencies in planning tools for spatial planning, waste treatment, land contamination regulation, and vulnerability recognition create barriers to upscaling these initiatives. This study calls for integrating circular development into China’s spatial planning by strengthening top-down tools and fostering grassroots initiatives to promote sustainable resource flows, ecosystem health, and social equity. It also offers broader insights into promoting circular development by recognizing and integrating informal, bottom-up practices in cities undergoing informal settlement regeneration.