Research on Enhancing Urban Land Use Efficiency Through Digital Technology

Based on panel data from China’s prefecture-level cities spanning 2009–2023, this study thoroughly examines the impact of digital technologies on urban land use efficiency and its underlying mechanisms. Findings reveal that advancements in digital technologies significantly enhance urban land use efficiency. This conclusion remains robust after undergoing a series of stability tests and endogeneity treatments, demonstrating its reliability. Further heterogeneity analysis revealed regional variations and structural characteristics in the impact of digital technologies. The study found that digital technologies most significantly boosted land use efficiency in western regions and cities with higher levels of centralization. Meanwhile, in cities with higher levels of land industrialization and digital workforce capabilities, the positive impact of digital technologies is more pronounced. The analysis of intermediary mechanisms from both micro-level resource allocation and macro-level structural transformation perspectives reveals that digital technologies effectively enhance urban land use efficiency through four dimensions: increasing the number of startups, strengthening innovation support intensity, elevating green technology levels, and driving industrial structure upgrading. Additionally, the study examined synergistic mechanisms and found that government signaling and environmental policy intensity can all significantly amplify the enabling effects of digital technologies, providing multiple drivers for enhancing urban land use efficiency.