Abstract: The courtyards of low density dwellings provided opportunities for the residents to design their garden landscape. Some 1460 houses scattered throughout 38 streets in three districts in Guangzhou and Hong Kong were studied in detail. The characteristics and its long-term prospects of this kind of landscape were explored in the light of the findings. Implications for landscape planning and management of similar courtyards in the south subtropical zone were discussed.

Key words: nitrous oxide, localized emission factor, manure, spatial pattern, uncertainty estimation