Search Results (57)

Urban blue–green space (UBGS) plays a critical role in mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect and reducing land surface temperatures (LSTs). However, existing research has not sufficiently explored the optimization of UBGS spatial configurations or their interactions with urban morphology. This study takes New York City as a case and systematically investigates small-scale urban cooling strategies by integrating multiple factors, including adjustments to the blue–green ratio, spatial layouts, vegetation composition, building density, building height, and layout typologies. We utilize multi-source geographic data, including LiDAR derived land cover, OpenStreetMap data, and building footprint data, together with LST data retrieved from Landsat imagery, to develop a prediction model based on generative adversarial networks (GANs). This model can rapidly generate visual LST predictions under various configuration scenarios. This study employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate the performance of different model stages, selecting the most accurate model as the final experimental framework. Furthermore, the experimental design strictly controls the study area and pixel allocation, combining manual and automated methods to ensure the comparability of different ratio configurations. The main findings indicate that a blue–green ratio of 3:7 maximizes cooling efficiency; a shrub-to-tree coverage ratio of 2:8 performs best, with tree-dominated configurations outperforming shrub-dominated ones; concentrated linear layouts achieve up to a 10.01% cooling effect; and taller buildings exhibit significantly stronger UBGS cooling performance, with super-tall areas achieving cooling effects approximately 31 percentage points higher than low-rise areas. Courtyard layouts enhance airflow and synergistic cooling effects, whereas compact designs limit the cooling potential of UBGS. This study proposes an innovative application of GANs to address a key research gap in the quantitative optimization of UBGS configurations and provides a methodological reference for sustainable microclimate planning at the neighborhood scale. Full article

Relying on information technologies such as the Internet, big data, and cloud computing, smart cities (SC) fully integrate urban resources, constantly strengthen the ability of urban economic systems, infrastructure systems, ecosystems, social systems, institutional systems, and other systems to withstand disaster disturbance and external risk shocks, and promote urban resilience (UR) construction. This study uses panel data from 254 prefecture-level cities in China from 2009 to 2021, and employs a multiperiod difference-in-differences method to examine the direct and heterogeneous effects of SC on UR. After a series of empirical tests, this study obtains the following results: (1) SC have a significant impact on the improvement of UR, which objectively demonstrates the reciprocity between SC and the level of UR construction, providing data support for promoting the in-depth practice of SC. (2) From the mechanism test of the impact of SC on UR, urban land green utilization efficiency and industrial structure transformation are intermediate mechanisms through which SC affect the improvement of UR. In addition, public environmental attention (PEA) has a positive regulatory effect on SC and UR, that is, PEA strengthens the role of SC in improving UR. (3) From the heterogeneity of urban characteristics that affect UR, SC have a more significant effect on improving UR in eastern cities and non-resource-based cities. This study provides new ideas for studying UR and provides useful insights for promoting SC construction and enhancing UR. This study proposes that the government should continue to promote the intelligent construction of Chinese cities, advance the industrial structure and improve the green land utilization efficiency, and strengthen their positive impact on UR. Full article

Intensive farming in urban suburbs often causes habitat loss, soil erosion, wastewater discharge, and agricultural productivity decline, threatening long-term benefits for the local community. We developed a nature-based solution for sustainable land restoration by establishing “Green Treasure Island” (GTI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the ecological restoration effectiveness of GTI and explore its feasibility and replicability for future applications. The core eco-functional zone of GTI—a 7 hm² forested wetland—embedded a closed-loop framework that integrates land consolidation, ecological restoration, and sustainable land utilization. The forested wetland efficiently removed 65% and 74% of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff, raised flood control capacity by 22%, and attracted 48 bird species. Additionally, this biophilic recreational space attracted over 3400 visitors in 2022, created green jobs, and promoted local green agricultural product sales. Through adaptive management and nature education activities, GTI evolved into a landmark that represents local natural–social characteristics and serves as a publicly accessible natural park for both rural and urban residents. This study demonstrates the feasibility of creating GTI for improving ecosystem services, providing a practical, low-cost template that governments and local managers can replicate in metropolitan rural areas worldwide to meet both ecological and development goals. Full article

China has already joined the ranks of innovative nations. Accelerating technological innovation to lead a green transformation in land use is an urgent requirement for promoting ecological civilization and, in turn, driving high-quality economic development. This study examines urban data spanning from 2006 to 2021, focusing on cities classified at the prefecture level or above. Employing the Chinese Innovative City Pilot Policy (ICPP) as a quasi-natural experiment, this study utilizes a super-efficiency Slack-Based Measure (SBM) model that incorporates undesirable outputs to assess Green Land Use Efficiency (GLUE). Additionally, a multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) model, combined with a mediation effect model, is employed to evaluate the influence of innovation-driven policies on GLUE. The findings are as follows: (1) Although GLUE showed variability throughout the study period, it generally trended upwards, with significant improvements noted in the eastern regions and coastal city clusters. (2) Innovation-driven policies have effectively enhanced urban GLUE, a conclusion supported by extensive robustness tests. (3) The heterogeneity investigation indicates that the ICPP’s impact on GLUE is more significant in cities with advantageous geographic locations, increased environmental awareness, and strong market potential. (4) A mechanism analysis demonstrates that the ICPP positively influences GLUE by reducing urban sprawl and promoting the concentration of digital service industries. Based on these results, this study proposes policy recommendations aimed at refining innovation-driven approaches to improve urban GLUE. These recommendations are pivotal in promoting a green, low-carbon transformation in China’s economic and social development. Full article

Information consumption has been reshaping the modes of human living and production, and driving the transformation of production and trade activities traditionally dependent on land resources, thus influencing urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE). Based on the panel data of 281 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2023, this study employs the national Information Consumption Pilot Policy (ICPP) as a quasi-natural experiment and utilizes a double machine learning model to assess the ICPP’s impacts on ULGUE. According to the results of the causal mediating effect analysis, the ICPP has improved ULGUE through three mediating mechanisms: expanding the scale of digital transactions, nurturing future industrial developments, and promoting green consumption behaviors. Moreover, in light of the results of the heterogeneity analysis, the ICPP’s impacts on ULGUE vary significantly. Such variation can primarily be attributed to differences in urban resource endowments, disparities in transportation infrastructure development, and variations in geographical location. Specifically, the ICPP has produced more prominent impacts on enhancing land green use efficiency in resource-based cities, cities with high-speed rail access, and coastal cities. Therefore, the government should proactively establish an urban information consumption environment, enhance the role of digital transactions, strategize future industrial developments, encourage green consumption behaviors, and differentiate local policies to effectively promote the continuous improvement of ULGUE. Full article

Land serves as a crucial repository of resource elements, and enhancing the green use efficiency of urban land (GUEUL) is essential for attaining sustainable development. Based on 296 cities in China from 2006 to 2022, this study explored the relationship between land system innovation and GUEUL by integrating multi-source data, ArcGIS analysis, the EBM-DEA model, and the DID model, and elucidating the temporal trend and spatial utilization characteristics of GUEUL in China. Based on the natural experimental scenario of the pilot reform of China’s urban construction land use approval system, this study finds through in-depth analysis of the double-difference model that the vertical transfer of land approval authority has fundamentally optimized the development pattern of GUEUL, and that this positive impact is mainly reflected in two dimensions: on the one hand, it reduces the systematic transaction costs, and on the other hand, it enhances the density of industrial spatial agglomeration. Second, the lower the initial level of infrastructure and the lower the degree of dependence on land finance, the more significant the decentralization of land approval power in the promotion of GUEUL. Currently, China is undergoing a swift phase of urbanization and industrialization, and this study provides policy support for improving the comprehensive efficiency of green land use and promoting high-quality and sustainable development of the region. Full article

China’s unique economic growth target system exerts significant economic growth pressure (EGP) on local officials, leading to notable economic and environmental consequences for urban land use. Consequently, this system is theoretically expected to have a significant impact on urban land green utilization efficiency (ULGUE). This study investigates the invisible institutional factors that shape ULGUE within China’s distinct economic growth target system. The results indicate an inverted U-shaped relationship between EGP and ULGUE, and this nonlinear relationship is statistically significant in central, western, and northeastern cities but not in eastern cities. EGP influences ULGUE in a non-monotonic manner by affecting land marketization, green technology innovation, and industrial structure upgrading. Furthermore, environmental regulation and financial technology investment moderate the relationship between EGP and ULGUE. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inverted U-shaped relationship is more pronounced in resource-dependent cities and cities with stringent target constraints. This study contributes empirical evidence on the interaction between EGP and ULGUE while offering both theoretical insights and practical implications. Full article

China is at a critical stage in addressing environmental issues and achieving sustainable development. To effectively promote environmental protection and the construction of an ecological civilization, government policy support has become essential. Accurately assessing the impact of green fiscal policy (GFP) on urban land green utilization efficiency (LGUE) is significant for achieving a “win–win” situation between economic development and environmental protection and for implementing a green and low-carbon path. This study evaluates the LGUE improvement effect of GFP using the DID method with the panel data of 270 cities in China from 2008 to 2019. We find that the GFP significantly improves the urban LGUE level. The mechanism analysis shows that the GFP improves LGUE through green technological innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and environmental regulation intensity. The heterogeneity analysis shows that the LGUE improvement effect of GFP is stronger for eastern cities and non-resource-based cities. This study has important theoretical and practical significance for coordinating green fiscal policies and deepening the promotion of the sustainable use of land resources. Full article

Improving the green efficiency of urban land use (GEULU) is essential for optimizing resource utilization while minimizing waste and pollution, making it a critical factor influencing the sustainability of urban development. However, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact of China’s New-Style Urbanization (NU) policy on the GEULU, particularly at the urban agglomeration scale, remains understudied. This study employed a super SBM-DDF-GML model and spatial data analysis to examine the characteristics and spatiotemporal dynamics of the GEULU and its interactions with varying implementations of NU at the regional, urban agglomeration, and city levels. The results show that China’s GEULU followed a “U-shaped” tendency from 2006 to 2020. Cities in western China exhibit higher levels of green efficiency but slower growth, compared with lower absolute levels and faster development rates amongst the eastern cities. The GEULU displays a significant positive spatial autocorrelation, with “high-high clusters” shifting from west to east and “low-low clusters” moving in the opposite direction. The impact of NU on the GEULU is divergent: positive in eastern and central regions but negative in the western areas. Economic urbanization, urban population growth, and the clustering of research and education facilitate green efficiency, while urban sprawl significantly hinders its improvement. Social urbanization and digitalization exert adverse effects on green efficiency across many cities. Ecological and environmental protections promote the GEULU in southwestern cities but obstruct it in northeastern cities. The negative effect of NU on the green efficiency has diminished over time, while its positive effects have grown stronger. These findings provide insightful information for urban planners and politicians in crafting region-contextualized adaptive strategies to enhance sustainable urbanization and efficient land use in China. Full article

Given the increasing scarcity of natural resources and the global imperative for sustainable development, the relationship between land resource allocation and green economic efficiency remains crucial but underexplored. This study, utilizing land transfer data from China Land Market Network, examines 285 cities at or above the prefectural level in China from 2007 to 2019. By applying a modified Slake-Based Measure (SBM) directional distance function model (MSBM), the study quantifies green economic efficiency and develops various panel models to investigate the impact of land resource misallocation on urban green economic efficiency. The findings indicate that land resource misallocation significantly impedes the enhancement of urban green economic efficiency. This is primarily achieved through the reduction in human capital investment and the weakening of technological conversion capabilities, both of which adversely affect the development of green economies in cities. Furthermore, government performance levels are shown to play a pivotal role in moderating the relationship between land resource misallocation and green economic efficiency, with regional heterogeneity evident between cities in old industrial bases and those in non-old industrial bases. These results underscore the critical importance of rational land resource allocation in improving green economic efficiency and facilitating the achievement of high-quality urban development. Full article

Metropolitan areas increasingly confront complex challenges related to food security, social inequality, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, climate change, and the reliance on extended, fragile supply chains. Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is recognized as a promising approach to mitigate these issues. For example, it enhances food security and nutrition by strengthening local food supply systems, improves livelihoods by providing employment and income for local residents, and promotes environmental sustainability through the creation of greening spaces and reduction of food miles. However, the full potential of UPA remains constrained by various technological, economic, and social barriers, such as limited growing spaces, lack of land tenure security, low economic efficiency, and insufficient public awareness and acceptance. Given that the technological innovations are critical in overcoming these barriers and maximizing the positive impacts of UPA, this review provides a state-of-the-art overview of advanced technologies and tools applicable to UPA, aiming to inform how these innovations can be better enabled to enhance UPA’s contributions to sustainable urban food systems. The review begins by defining UPA, categorizing its various forms, and exploring its multifunctional roles within urban contexts. It then presents a thorough analysis of a range of UPA technologies that serve specific purposes, including productivity and product quality improvement, space utilization optimization, resource recycling, and land use management. Furthermore, the review evaluates the current challenges faced by these technologies throughout the stages of research and development (R&D), dissemination and extension, and application and commercialization, employing an analytical framework adapted from Technology Life Cycle theories. In conclusion, the review emphasizes the crucial roles that UPA and relevant technological innovations play in transforming food systems and urban environments. It proposes four key recommendations: (1) enhancing funding mechanisms and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration for UPA R&D, (2) strengthening UPA technology dissemination systems, (3) promoting economic feasibility and market integration within UPA business models, and (4) establishing supportive environments among all stakeholders in the innovation process. These targeted strategies are essential for scaling UPA technologies, thereby strengthening food security, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic resilience in metropolitan areas. Full article

The digital economy is a new economic form that has a significant impact on urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE). With the provincial panel data between 2013 and 2021, this paper empirically tests how the digital economy development level (DEDL) promotes the improvement of ULFUE in China. The key findings include the following: (1) There were significant spatial differences for the ULGUE and DEDL of China. For China’s ULGUE, China shows an ascent after an initial decline trend from 2013 to 2017, but a decline trend after 2017. China’s DEDL took on a rising tendency during the research period. In 2021, China’s DEDL increased by 143.8% compared with that in 2013. (2) The digital economy can obviously promote the ULGUE, but the promotion effect is affected by the urbanization level; with improvements in urbanization level, the impact of that may strengthen. (3) Technological innovation demonstrates a complete intermediary effect between the digital economy and ULGUE; the mediation transmission mechanism of technological innovation is evident. These results have been verified by robustness tests, proving their stability and reliability. The research results will provide new insights into the high-quality utilization of urban land resources. Full article

Studying the development of land green utilization efficiency and the factors that influence it in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region can improve the distribution of land resources among regions and reinforce interregional integrated planning. By constructing a super-efficiency SBM model, calculating the Malmquist–Luenberger index, and constructing a Tobit model, this study explores the spatial features and temporal variations of land green use efficiency in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region from 2010 to 2022. It also examines the mechanism that drives land green use efficiency in the context of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei synergistic development. According to this research, Beijing has consistently had the highest land green usage efficiency and a strong green development strength, whereas Baoding, Xingtai, Handan, and other cities in Hebei Province have lower land green utilization efficiency. According to the geographical dimension, the research area’s land green use efficiency exhibits a pattern of “high in the middle and low in the surroundings”, with Cangzhou, Langfang, and Tangshan standing out in terms of both industrial transformation and ecological building. Based on the results of the driving mechanism of land green use efficiency, it is evident that while the degree of urbanization and population concentration has a negative effect on land green use efficiency, the degree of economic development, industrial synergy, opening up to the outside world, environmental regulation, and ecological output all have positive and promoting associations with it. In summary, increasing the optimization of the economic and industrial structure, bolstering technological innovation and policy coordination, and attaining a harmonious coexistence of the economy and ecology are all essential steps in the process to increase the land green use efficiency in the research area when attempting to achieve the goal of sustainable development in the region. Full article

China’s rapid urbanization has spurred significant economic growth, but it has also given rise to challenges such as urban sprawl, ecological degradation, and inefficient land use—issues that impede progress toward green and sustainable development. Land is the spatial foundation for green development, and promoting its green utilization is essential for advancing the high-quality development of urban spaces. As a concrete implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, the National Innovative City Pilot Policy (NICPP) serves as a crucial driver in fostering high-quality development. In this context, the NICPP and green land use can be seen as two complementary components of achieving high-quality development. This study uses panel data from 266 cities across China and applies a difference-in-differences (DID) model to evaluate the effect of the NICPP on urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE), exploring the underlying mechanisms through the lenses of industrial structure and technological innovation. The results indicate that the NICPP significantly and robustly enhances ULGUE. The effect varies geographically and by city type, with the most pronounced benefits observed in eastern cities, non-resource-based cities, and non-old industrial base cities. Additionally, the NICPP contributes to improved comprehensive output benefits during land use activities and reduced pollutant emissions by optimizing industrial structures and enhancing technological innovation capacity, thereby promoting ULGUE. Therefore, in the future, the focus should be on integrating innovation with strategic policies. These findings carry profound implications for urban development in China and provide important lessons for promoting sustainable urban growth on a global scale. Full article

Urban land is an important and indispensable support for urban development. However, the continued development of urbanization and industrialization has given rise to many problems, increasing the burden of urban land and leading to inefficient urban land use. The study of urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE) helps to explore the path to alleviate urban land-use pressure and enhance the land green utilization efficiency, and provides important decision-making references for urban greening construction and development. In this paper, 88 districts and counties in Guizhou Province were taken as the research units. Then, their efficiency values and spatial–temporal evolution characteristics were analyzed by applying the non-expected output super-efficiency SBM model, the kernel density estimation method, and spatial autocorrelation analysis, respectively. In order to identify its influencing factors, the main correlation analysis was carried out using the Tobit model. The research findings are summarized as follows: (1) From the time-series evolution characteristics, the ULGUE among the 88 county cities in Guizhou Province had obvious polarization characteristics. In terms of the numbers, there was a gradual downward trend in the number of high-efficiency cities. (2) Based on the spatial evolution characteristics, there was a positive correlation in the ULGUE among county cities in Guizhou Province, and the high- and low-value areas were comparatively more widely located in the central–east and west sides of Guizhou Province, respectively. (3) Among the factors influencing the level of the ULGUE, the level of economic development, industrial structure upgrading, and environmental regulation mainly played a positive facilitating role, while the material standard of living of the population, the GDP content, the green development level, government financial support, and the population size played a negative inhibiting role. The study of the ULGUE in Guizhou Province provides ideas for urban construction and is of great significance for the green transformation of urban development. At the same time, it can provide a reference for China’s western development. Full article