Abstract: The ecological risks in the Hexi Corridor cities are severe. It is crucial to understand the ecological resilience of cities for sustainable development. Based on the “Resistance-Adaptability-Recovery” model, we assessed the temporal and spatial variations of ecological resilience in the cities of the Hexi Corridor. We explored the coordination types and evolutionary paths of ecological resilience using coupling coordination degree model. The results showed that the resistance initially increased and then decreased, showing a spatial pattern of low in the northwest and high in the southeast. The degree of adaptability showed a rising trend, exhibiting a spatial pattern of high in the center and low on the both sides. Recovery showed a declining trend, presenting a distribution pattern of high in the northwest and low in the southeast. The overall ecological resilience showed a trend of rising, falling and then rising again, with a distribution characterized by “high-high aggregation and low-low aggregation”. Hexi Corridor cities were primarily categorized as weak recovery and strong recovery types, with overall ecological resilience in a moderately coordinated stage. The coordination degree exhibited a trend of rising, falling, and then rising again, centered around Zhangye and Jinchang, decreasing towards the northwest and southeast. Ecological resistance was negatively correlated with the resilience of Hexi Corridor cities.

Key words: urban ecological resilience, Resistance-Adaptability-Recovery model, coupling coordination, Hexi Corridor, arid oasis city