Coordination analysis of flood-sediment transportation, eco-environment, and socio-economy coupling in the governance of the Yellow River Basin system

The watershed system has a complex game relationship between the benign operation and coordinated development of various elements of flood-sediment transportation, eco-environment, and socio-economy (FES). With the increasing breadth, depth, and intensity of human activities in watersheds, it is urgent to coordinate the FES. The relationship of water-sediment in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is complex, with a prominent contradiction in water supply and a fragile ecosystem. This research tries to build a comprehensive evaluation model for FES and explore the complex interaction between FES in the YRB from 2000 to 2020. The results demonstrated that (1) the comprehensive flood-sediment transportation index (CFTI) and comprehensive eco-environment index (CEI) presented fluctuating growth. In contrast, the comprehensive socio-economy index (CSI) revealed a linear growth trend. The CFTI of Sanmenxia, CEI of Toudaokuan, and CSI of Ningxia had the highest growth rates, with 36.03%, 6.48%, and 107.5%, respectively. (2) FES's positive and negative effects were alternating, with heterogeneity in both time and space. (3) The coupling coordination degree (CCD) in the YRB indicated an increasing trend, ranging from 0.53 to 0.87, from reluctantly coordinated development to good coordinated development. The lagging subsystem was CFTI (2000-2001 and 2008-2020) and CSI (2002-2007), and the CEI was not lagging. (4) Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) demonstrated significant differences in the CCD of the YRB, and areas with similar CCD within the basin tend to be centrally distributed in space. At the same time, there was negative spatial autocorrelation in coordination. The results provide a scientific theoretical and methodological framework for strategic research on the YRB system's governance, protection, and management.

Exploring the coupling coordination relationship of water resources, socio-economy and eco-environment in China

Water resources (W), socio-economy (S), and eco-environment (E) have incredibly intricate linkages of interaction, and the coordination of them is crucial to the long-term sustainability of a nation. Thus, we considered "water resources, socio-economy, and eco-environment" (W-S-E) as a composite system and constructed an evaluation model to quantitatively analyze the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of W-S-E system in China from 2011 to 2020. Then, the spatial correlation characteristics were analyzed by using spatial autocorrelation method. To analyze the time evolution patterns of the W-S-E system, this paper divided the stages from the perspective of clustering, which is more scientific and interpretable than the CCD fixed-value division. We found that: (1) W subsystem, S subsystem and E subsystem were closely connected and its CCD was enhanced with relatively higher growth rates in the development of S subsystem but slower growth rates in the W subsystem. (2) The CCD of W-S-E system had spatial correlation. The areas with low CCD were concentrated in the west of China, forming poor coordinated development phenomena. Conversely, most of provinces had relatively high CCD in the east of China with the coastal region playing radiative driving function. (3) The temporal change of W-S-E system followed four transforming patterns including "policy-oriented type", "resource problems constraint type", "socio-economy leading type", and "special location controlling type". Furthermore, we also put forward some advice and policy suggestions. The findings provide research basis and guidance for the sustainable and coordinated development of water, society and ecology.

Agricultural land management and rural financial development: coupling and coordinated relationship and temporal-spatial disparities in China

The integrated development of agricultural land and finance not only promotes rural financial innovation and breaks the bottleneck of agricultural financing but also facilitates agricultural land transfer and scaled operations. This leads to the advancement of the effective growth of contemporary agriculture. The reform of the 'separation of three rights' in agricultural land promotes land circulation, which, in turn, offers an institutional guarantee for the tandem development of rural finance and agricultural land management. This paper measures the comprehensive development index of agricultural land management and rural finance in 30 provinces of China from 2005 to 2020. In light of this, it calculates the degree of coupling and coordination between China's agricultural land management and rural financial development. The Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density, and the Moran index were used to analyze regional differences and patterns of agglomeration. The study found that the degree of coupling coordination between China's agricultural land management and rural finance is increasing annually. However, there remains a significant gap in achieving high-quality coupling. Notably, the growth rate of rural financial development exceeds that of agricultural land management, and hypervariable density is a major source of regional variation. There is polarization in the coupled development of farmland management and rural finance. Provinces in the eastern and central regions tend to be located in the high-high agglomeration (H-H) in terms of the level of development of agricultural land and financial integration, while the western region tends to fall in low-low aggregation (L-L).

Study on the coordinated development of urban competitiveness and energy-carbon emission reduction in China

The urban competitiveness (UC) evaluation system is multidimensional and complex. This paper takes the simulated annealing (SA) model as the projection pursuit (PP) optimization to achieve a comprehensive assessment of competitiveness of 277 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2019, accompanied by energy saving and carbon-emission reduction (ESCER) as environmental measurements, to explore whether the two can meet the Porter hypothesis through coupling coordination degree (CCD). Further using spatiotemporal autocorrelation and obstacle degree model to uncover spatiotemporal features and interfering factors of coordinated development. Key findings include: (1) UC and ESCER show a slightly fluctuating upward trend during the research period, with apparent spatial variations. The eastern coastal region has a robust UC, while the less competitive central and western regions benefit from natural conditions, excelling in ESCER. (2) 87% of cities have achieved coordinated development between competitiveness and ESCER. Some coastal areas, often with a high CCD, are improving resource use efficiency and environmental benefits through economic agglomeration. From the perspective of the CCD collaboration network, the positive correlation accounts for about 85%, which reveals that most adjacent regions can cooperate on the road of coordinated development. (3) While differences exist in the coordinated development of UC-ESCER across various regions, social factors predominantly influence the obstacles affecting coordinated development. Specifically, a substantial barrier to the concordant progression of most cities is the number of patent applications, underscoring the pivotal role of innovation in aligning UC with ESCER.

Research on the coupling mechanism and influencing factors of digital economy and green technology innovation in Chinese urban agglomerations

This paper examines the coupling coordination degree between digital economy and green technology innovation in 19 urban agglomerations across China from 2011 to 2020. Through the analysis of the coupling coordination degree model, spatial autocorrelation, multi-distance spatial clustering analysis, kernel density analysis and grey correlation model, this study uncovers the mechanism of coupling between digital economy and green technology in Chinese urban agglomerations. Data analysis revealed a significant increase in the coupling coordination between the digital economy and green technology innovation within urban agglomerations. However, there are noticeable spatial imbalances in this trend. Additionally, the multi-distance spatial distance analysis highlights a shift from a random distribution to a clustered distribution of spatial characteristics. The polarization features vary among each urban agglomeration and exhibit a significant positive spatial correlation. Factors such as economic sustainability, creative talent, policy support, digital impetus, and technological support will affect the coupling mechanism of green technology innovation and the digital economy in China's urban agglomerations. Policy recommendations are proposed to foster the development of the digital economy, promote coordinated growth within and beyond urban clusters, and ultimately build a digital ecological civilization that is both green and intelligent.

Spatial disparities and internal subsystems'coupling coordination analysis of green development in Chinese animal husbandry

This study establishes an indicator system encompassing economic, social, and environmental dimensions to assess the level of green development in animal husbandry from 2010 to 2020. It further examines the coupling coordination degree within each dimension. The Dagum Gini coefficient is employed to scrutinize the regional disparities in coupling coordination degree of the economic benefit, social benefit, and environmental benefit of the green development in Chinese animal husbandry. Additionally, Moran's I is utilized to identify the degree of spatial autocorrelation and aggregation types. The results demonstrate the following: (1) From 2010 to 2020, the level of green development in the animal husbandry in China has steadily improved. Among the three dimensions, economic benefits exhibit the highest performance, followed by environmental benefits and social benefits. There are obvious regional disparities in the green development of animal husbandry, which are "strong in north and weak in south" and "strong in west and weak in east." The Gini coefficient for green development in the animal husbandry in China experienced a fluctuating upward trend. (2) From 2010 to 2020, the overall coupling coordination degree of the economic benefit, social benefit, and environmental benefit of green development in the animal husbandry in China remains at a rudimentary level and demonstrates a steady upward trend. Spatially, it manifests an agglomeration pattern primarily centered around Beijing, with the northeastern region being the main focus. (3) The Gini coefficient for the coupling coordination degree experienced a slight fluctuating upward trend. In terms of inter-regional disparities, significant differences are observed between the northeastern region and the central region, as well as between the northeastern region and the eastern region. In terms of contribution to disparities, inter-regional contributions were the most substantial, followed by super-variable density, with intra-regional contributions being the smallest. (4) The coupling coordination degree displayed spatial autocorrelation, with "high-high" aggregation areas predominantly concentrated in the northeastern region.

Dynamic simulation of the water-land-food nexus for the sustainable agricultural development in the North China Plain

Inter-regional trade of agricultural products based on the flow of agricultural virtual resources is of great importance for sustainable agricultural development. We focused on grain crops (rice, wheat and maize) in the North China Plain (NCP), and used the Penman-Monteith equation to simulate crop water requirements. We further analyzed the flow of virtual land and virtual water associated with the grain trade using an environmentally expanded multi-regional input-output model. The coupling coordination of land, water, and food was evaluated to assess the rationality of regional agricultural production resource allocation. Between 2007 and 2017, agricultural virtual land and virtual water embodied in the grain trade between the NCP and other areas increased by 48.10 % and 34.41 %, respectively, indicating that the NCP is gradually consolidating its position as the main production area and distribution center of crops in China. Agricultural virtual resources in the NCP were mainly transported to the southeast coastal region, with an overall trend of resource movement from north to south. The total supply of agricultural land and water resources markedly increased in the NCP, whereas the transfer of virtual resources across regions showed a decreasing trend. Because of the irrational structure of crop cultivation and unevenness of regional resource allocation, the coupling coordination of the water-land-food nexus in the NCP is much lower than the national average. This study provides important information on the trade flows and coupling relationships of virtual water and land resources of three major food crops, which will help to alleviate resource pressure in agricultural production and promote sustainable agricultural development in the NCP.

The coupling coordination and spatiotemporal evolution of industrial water-energy-CO2 in the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is an important energy, chemical, raw material, and basic industrial base in China. With economic growth, water and energy consumption in industrial industries increasing dramatically, huge pressure for CO2 emission reduction has generated. This paper constructed an industrial water-energy-CO2 (WEC) evaluation index system, analyzed the comprehensive evaluation level, coupling status and coupling coordination status, by using the comprehensive evaluation method, coupling degree model and coupling coordination degree model and used the spatial autocorrelation analysis to study the spatiotemporal evolution from 1999 to 2019 in the YRB. The results demonstrated that the integrated development level of the basin's industrial WEC system and subsystems had been improving. The basin was at a high coupling and the level of coupling had been increasing as a whole, and the industrial energy-CO2 coupling degree was bigger than the industrial water-energy and industrial water-CO2 coupling degrees in the YRB. The coupling coordination status had transitioned from forced coordination to good coordination. Spatially, the coupling coordination didn't appear a significant correlation and showed a random distribution. Accordingly, the suggestions were made to improve the level of industrial development in the basin, strengthen integrated resource management, and enhance intra-basin cooperation.

Balancing low-carbon and eco-friendly development: coordinated development strategy for land use carbon emission efficiency and land ecological security

Correctly identifying and handling the relationship between land use carbon emission efficiency (LUCEE) and land ecological security (LES) are important to promote carbon neutrality in the overall layout of ecological civilization construction. This study takes 30 provinces in China as the research unit and measures the level of LUCEE and LES in each province in the period from 2011 to 2020 via a super-efficient slack-based measure model considering undesirable output. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) of LUCEE and LES is calculated, and its spatiotemporal evolution pattern is explored by kernel density estimation and standard deviational ellipse (SDE). The Dagum Gini coefficient is used to study spatial regional differences and the sources of differences. Results show that (1) China's LUCEE exhibited a downward and then an upward trend, as well as a spatial pattern of "high in the west and low in the east" with obvious regional differences. The LES experienced a positive transformation of "less secure → basically secure → more secure" nationwide, with no apparent regional differences. (2) The kernel density curves showed a continuous increase in CCD in general, while interprovincial differences increased, then decreased, and shifted from multipolar to bipolar differentiation. (3) The migration of SDE centers in CCD demonstrated a path of "southeast → southwest → northeast," and the ellipticity increased from 0.167 to 0.173, showing a trend of concentrated distribution. (4) The overall Gini coefficient of the national CCD indicated a decreasing trend, but imbalances remained, with the largest annual average value in the western region (0.120) and the smallest in the northeast (0.044). The main source of regional disparity was the intensity of transvariation. Accordingly, this study proposes targeted regional development strategies to promote low-carbon sustainable land use and improve the ability of land ecosystems to prevent security risks.

Research on the coupling coordination relationship between the digital economy and high-quality energy development: Evidence from China

The deep integration of the digital economy and high-quality energy development is a vital breakthrough in promoting the digital transformation and upgrading of energy, and it is also a critical path to achieving green and low-carbon development. However, the degree of integration of the two has yet to be discovered. This article measures the coupling coordination degree of the digital economy and high-quality energy development using panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2020, explores the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the coupling coordination degree, and further analyzes the driving factors of the coupling coordination degree. The results show that:(1) The coupling coordination degree shows an upward trend, but there are apparent gradient differences and spatial non-equilibrium features in the coupling coordination degree among provinces. (2) The coupling coordination degree shows a "parabolic" spatial trend of "high east and low west" in the east-west direction and an "inverted U-shaped" spatial trend in the north-south direction. (3) The center of gravity of the coupling coordination degree moves to the southwest, clustering in the northeast-southwest direction and showing a spreading trend in the southeast-northwest direction. (4) The coupling coordination degree has a significant positive spatial correlation, and the cold-hot spot gradually develops into a distribution pattern with the Yangtze River Delta in China as the agglomeration center. (5) Economic development, industrial structure, government behavior, environmental regulation, urbanization, technological innovation, and external openness significantly impact the coupling coordination degree. In addition, economic development and human capital have a positive spatial spillover effect on the coupling coordination degree. Urbanization level and technological innovation have a negative spatial spillover effect on the coupling coordination degree. Accordingly, to promote the coupling and interaction between the digital economy and high-quality energy development, the government should take effective measures in optimizing the industrial structure, scientifically promoting the urbanization process, and enhancing the scientific and technological innovation capacity.

Coupling coordination analysis of population, economy and grain in major grain-producing counties

This study discusses the coupling and coordination relationship among population, economy, and grain production in the central primary grain-producing counties. It aims to find a dynamic balance between the responsibility of the grain-producing areas in ensuring food security and the development of the economy and population. This study focuses on the main grain-producing provinces of Jilin and Jiangsu in China. Based on county-level data on population, economy, and grain production, it constructs an index system for the population, economy, and grain systems. The study employs the entropy weighting method and coupling coordination model to analyze the coupling coordination degree and coordinated development of the three systems in Jilin and Jiangsu provinces from 2000 to 2020, covering a span of 21 years. The coupling coordination degree and coordinated development of the three systems in the main grain-producing areas have gradually moved towards high-quality coordination. In the economically underdeveloped province of Jilin, factors such as geographical environment, population size, and industrial structure impose constraints on system coordination. In the economically developed region of Jiangsu, there is a high labour force and better development of the secondary and tertiary industries, but relatively less investment in agriculture, which affects overall coordination. It is necessary to promote regions' development with high-quality coordination by leveraging their advantages in economic foundations, and further advance the construction of the main grain-producing areas. Additionally, efforts should be made to strengthen policy support for underdeveloped regions, clearly define the industrial types and positioning of counties, and focus on industrial transformation and upgrading.

Coupling coordination and spatio-temporal evolution of land-use benefits under the dual carbon goal: A case study in Anhui, China

According to the dual carbon goal, urban development should adhere to the principle of low-carbon sustainable development in order to reach the "carbon peak" in 2030 and "carbon neutrality" in 2060. To achieve the dual carbon goal and sustainable land resource utilization, it is necessary to seek ways to improve land-use benefits and promote the coordinated development of economic, social, and ecological benefits. Therefore, the study analysed the coupling coordination and spatio-temporal evolution of land-use benefits in Anhui province, aiming to provide a reference for improving the level of regional land-use benefits. First, we developed a land-use benefit evaluation indicator system that took into account the dual carbon goal from three perspectives: economic benefits, social benefits, and ecological benefits or economic, social, and ecological benefits. Following that, we evaluated the spatial-temporal characteristics of land-use benefits using the coupling coordination model and coupling coordination gravity model. The results showed: (1) From the time scale, the comprehensive land-use benefits showed an increasing trend from 2011 to 2020, the coordination state changed from "moderately uncoordinated" to "on the verge of uncoordinated". (2) From the perspective of spatial differences, the coupling coordination level of land-use benefits in 16 prefecture-level cities increased year by year, but no prefecture-level cities reached the coordination stage. (3) As for the spatial linkage strength of coupling coordination of land-use benefits, 16 prefecture-level cities in 2011, 2015 and 2020 presented a similar spatial linkage pattern, and the coupling coordination of prefecture-level cities in southeast Anhui province was strongly influenced by regional factors.

Research on the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanism of coupling coordinating between green transition of urban land use and urban land use efficiency: a case study of the Yangtze River Delta Region in China

Analyzing the spatiotemporal characteristics and driving mechanisms of the coupling coordination between the Green Transition of Urban Land Use and urban land use efficiency can help explore the future development direction of sustainable land use in cities. This paper constructs a theoretical framework for the coupling coordination between Green Transition of Urban Land Use and urban land use efficiency. We use several models, including the super-efficiency slack-based model, the coupling coordination degree model, the non-parametric kernel density estimation method, exploratory spatial data analysis, and the geographically and temporally weighted regression model to examine the real level of Green Transition of Urban Land Use and urban land use efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2003 to 2020. Based on this, we investigate the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving mechanisms of the two coupling coordination processes. The study found that (1) from 2003 to 2020, the overall trend of the coupling coordination between Green Transition of Urban Land Use and urban land use efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta region tended to be coordinated and developed, but still at a primary coordination level, with sufficient room for improvement in the future. (2) The coupling coordination level of each city in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2003 to 2020 showed obvious spatial non-equilibrium and correlation characteristics, and overall dynamic polarization effects were exhibited during the study period; the spatial pattern of high-value areas showed a regularity of prioritizing Shanghai and Zhejiang Province, gradually penetrating into Jiangsu Province and Anhui Province. (3) Economic and social factors have a positive influence on the degree of coupling coordination; natural factors and policy factors have a predominantly negative influence on the degree of coupling coordination. Research conclusions include establishing a regional collaborative development mechanism, utilizing the spatial spillover effect of leading cities; emphasizing science, education, and culture, strengthening the introduction of scientific and technological talents, increasing fiscal inputs, raising the level of economic development, and further expanding the driving effect of economic and social factors; and optimizing the layout of urban and rural construction land, developing urban land in an orderly manner, appropriately strengthening environmental regulation, thereby suppressing the negative effects caused by natural and policy factors.

Exploring the spatial-temporal evolution and driving mechanisms for coupling coordination between green transformation of urban construction land and industrial transformation and upgrading: a case study of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River

With the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization, the increasingly prominent contradiction between urban industrial development and urban land supply and demand highlights the need to explore the intricate interplay between the green transformation of urban construction land (GTUCL) and industrial transformation and upgrading (ITU). This exploration carries significant practical implications for fostering the harmonious development of industry and land use and achieving sustainable urban growth. In this study, we constructed evaluation indicator systems for GTUCL and ITU, drawing on the analytical frameworks of "dominant-recessive" transformation theory and "dynamic structure benefit" theory, respectively. We employed an enhanced entropy method, an improved coupling coordination model, and a geographic detector to unveil the coupling coordination relationship, the spatiotemporal evolution patterns, and the driving mechanisms of GTUCL and ITU within the urban agglomeration of the mid-Yangtze River region. The results are as follows: (1) during the research period, the comprehensive index of ITU exhibited substantial growth, increasing from 0.159 to 0.408, reflecting a remarkable 157% surge. Simultaneously, the comprehensive index of GTUCL witnessed an increase from 0.171 to 0.285, signifying a 66.66% upswing, lagging behind that of ITU. (2) The degree of coupling coordination between ITU and GTUCL demonstrated a consistent upward trajectory. It rose from 0.402 to 0.579 by 2020, marking a significant 44.2% increase. The overall development now resides within the stage of coordinated progress, although it remains at a relatively modest level, and the pace of development has moderated somewhat. Regional disparities within the urban agglomeration consistently manifest a trend of initial reduction followed by amplification, accentuating the polarization effect of internal coupling relationships. (3) The spatial differentiation pattern centered around "Wuhan, Changsha, and Nanchang" has become increasingly pronounced. The radiation linkage model following the "core-periphery" paradigm has stabilized further. Nevertheless, the relatively loose spatial connection structure has led to a more conspicuous inadequacy in radiation impact. (4) The core driving factors have transitioned from emphasizing economic development to focusing on technological support. The composition structure has shifted from the initial stage of an "economically sensitive" driving model, which centers on economic development, to the second stage of an "ecologically sensitive" driving model, which prioritizes ecological development.

Study on the coupling coordination development of China's multidimensional digital economy and industrial carbon emission efficiency

Exploring the coupling coordination between China's digital economy (DE) and industrial carbon emission efficiency (ICEE) is of great significance for achieving sustainable development goals. In the study, a multidimensional indicator system was established to evaluate DE, and spatiotemporal analysis and network analysis methods were used to reveal the dynamic evolution characteristics of DE and ICEE. The coupling coordination model and convergence model were adopted to explore the development trend of coupling coordination between DE and ICEE. The results show that the ICEE and DE in various provinces of China exhibit obvious spatial heterogeneity and spillover effects. Currently, the coupling coordination degree between the development of China's DE and ICEE has reached the level of primary coordination or above. The coupling coordination degree between DE and ICEE in the eastern, central, and northeastern regions has reached an intermediate level or above, with the highest degree in the eastern region. The fluctuation of China's ICEE has consistent σ-convergence and β-convergence, and the convergence effect is higher with the introduction of the DE than without it. The condition β-convergence result indicates that underdeveloped regions can narrow the gap between their ICEE and that of developed regions by utilizing their resource endowments, industrial structure, human capital, and other conditions, improving emission reduction measures and policies. This study provides a certain reference for the green and low-carbon development of industry in China and other developing countries in the digital economy era.

Coupling coordination of new urbanization in Chinese urban agglomeration-characteristics and driving factors

The coordinated development of new urbanization (NU) in urban agglomerations (UAs) is key for promoting sustainable urban development and the way to achieve Chinese-style modernization. Based on the mechanisms of coupling and coordination of NU, the internal subsystem coupling coordination of NU was deconstructed into five dimensions-economic, population, land, social, and ecological. Using 200 cities in 19 Chinese UAs areas, the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of the coupling coordination degree of NU (CCDNU) were analyzed, and the driving factors were analyzed from both spatial spillover effect and stratification heterogeneity. The results are as follows: (1) CCDNU has increased from moderate disorder to barely coordinated, exhibiting a spatial distribution of a higher CCDNU in the east and lower CCDNU in the west with a positive global spatial autocorrelation feature; (2) economic drive, population concentration, spatial carrying capacity, and environmental quality play facilitating roles in the CCDNU of the study region, while the spatial carrying capacity, quality of life, and environmental quality inhibit the CCDNU of neighboring regions. From the decomposition of long- and short-term effects, both direct and indirect effects of driving factors were found to accumulate significantly over time. In addition, the model results were robust after replacing the geographic distance weight matrix and excluding the extreme values; (3) the spatial carrying capacity, population concentration, and economic drive are the dominant factors affecting the CCDNU in China. The dominant driving factors of are different in different regions. Meanwhile, the interaction detection shows that the interaction of each driver exhibits a two-factor enhancement or non-linear enhancement. Based on these results, corresponding policies are recommended.

The coupling coordination between tourism urbanization and ecosystem services value and its obstacle factors in ecologically fragile areas: a case study of the Wuling Mountain area of Hunan Province, China

The interrelationship between tourism urbanization (TU) and the ecological environment is extremely complex. Some studies have analyzed the interaction between them but ignored the ecosystem services. Therefore, exploring the coupling coordination relationship between TU and ecosystem services value (ESV) is significant. In this research, we established a coupling coordination degree (CCD) model between TU and ESV and used exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), spatial variogram model, and obstacle degree model to evaluate the evolution characteristics of CCD and its obstacle factors in the Wuling Mountain area of Hunan Province (WMAHP). The results are as follows: (1) the comprehensive TU level shows an upward trend, and TU levels in the west are generally higher than in the east. The total ESV shows a fluctuating upward trend, and the average ESV is relatively low in the west and southeast. (2) The comprehensive CCD shows an increasing trend, and the coupling coordination relationship has changed from uncoordinated to coordinated in most counties. Spatially, the global spatial autocorrelation and spatial variation degree of CCD are insignificant. Wulingyuan and Yongding are uplift areas, and a subsidence area is in the southeast. It is worth noting that the problem of TU lag generally exists. (3) For the whole area, TU and economy are always the primary obstacle factors in the system and category layer, respectively, but the obstacle degree of the population has gradually increased. At the county level, TU restricts the CCD improvement in most counties, and the proportion of counties where the economy is the primary obstacle in the criterion layer exceeds 60%. Policymakers need to formulate targeted promotion strategies based on the coupling coordination and relative development level between TU and ESV for different counties. This paper provides valuable references for achieving coordinated development between TU and ESV in ecologically fragile areas worldwide.

Coupling coordination and spatio-temporal pattern evolution between ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River Basin is one of the most important economic development belt and ecological management regions in China, it is of vital importance to study the coupling coordination between ecological protection and high-quality development. However, the systematic research from the perspective of ecological-production-living is still lacking. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation index system including 29 indicators is constructed from ecological, production and living dimension. To evaluate the high-quality development level and coupling coordination degree of 61 cities in the Yellow River Basin, a comprehensive measurement model and coupling coordination model are established using the entropy weight TOPSIS method. With the help of ArcGIS, the spatial characteristics of high-quality development level and coupling coordination are visually illustrated. The results showed that: (1) From 2011 to 2020, the high-quality development of 61cities in the Yellow River Basin showed an increasing trend, and the level of upper and lower reaches was higher than that of the middle reaches. (2) According to the high-quality development level of 61 cities, it was divided into three types: sustainable growth type with 44 cities, the fierce fluctuation type with 11 cities and the other 6 cities was stable type. (3) The coupling coordination degree of ecology, production and living system also showed an increasing trend, while the degree was not high. (4)About the year-on-year growth rate of coupling coordination degree for 61 cities in 2020 compared with 2011, there are 19 cities more than 30 %, and 23 cities between 20% and 30 %, 11cities was 10%-20 %, the other 8 cities was less than 10 %. (5) There is a significant spatial difference in the level of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, while coupling coordination degree does not significant in spatial layout. Therefore, the development of different regions should adjust measures to local conditions, give full play to their advantages, and make up for their shortcomings to promote the overall development of the city.

Resource allocation of rural institutional elderly care in China's new era: spatial-temporal differences and adaptation development

OBJECTIVES

In the new era of China, to ensure that rural residents can get the corresponding institutional elderly services equally, it is necessary to investigate the current situation of resource allocation of rural institutional elderly care and make corresponding adaptation suggestions.

STUDY DESIGN

This research discusses the characteristics and evolution pattern of rural aging, the resource allocation of rural elderly care institutions, and the adaptation degree of rural institutional elderly care resource and aging.

METHODS

The research methodology consists of the following stages: entropy-based Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), kernel density estimation, coupling coordination, spatial autocorrelation, and Theil index decomposition.

RESULTS

The degree of aging in rural areas of China is rising, and the whole population has entered a moderate aging society, showing the spatial characteristics of 'high in the east and low in the west'. The resource allocation of rural institutional elderly care in China is at a low level, and the absolute differences among provinces tend to reduce over time, and the overall resource allocation level tends to decline. The provinces that were in the mismatched adaptation relationship in the early stage have improved; however, the number of provinces with mismatched adaptability has continued to increase. The local spatial autocorrelation of resource adaptation verifies that the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River as the core form a hot spot, and during the observation period, the spatial agglomeration effect of the core is strengthened. The Theil index decomposition of resource adaptation indicates that the within-group differences between the eastern and western regions is significantly higher than that between the northeastern and central regions.

CONCLUSIONS

First, special attention should be paid to preventing the resource allocation of rural institutional elderly care in the eastern and western regions from falling again. Second, to avoid more and more low-adapted provinces falling into the 'mismatch dilemma' with the deepening of the aging degree. Third, strengthen cooperation among regions and promote the coordinated development of resource allocation of institutional elderly care in various regions. Fourth, the priority of institutional elderly care balanced development should be given to the eastern region and western region, thus weakening the overall difference.

Analysis of the relationship between supply-demand matching of selected ecosystem services and urban spatial governance: a case study of Suzhou, China

The mismatch between the supply and demand of ecosystem services has become a critical cause of the decline of urban ecological security. Studying the supply-demand matching of ecosystem services and exploring its association with urban spatial governance are imperative for ensuring sustainable urbanization. Taking Suzhou City as a case, the supply and demand values and matching degrees of five selected ecosystem services were assessed. Additionally, we explored the relationship between ecosystem services and urban spatial governance, with a focus on urban functional zoning. The findings indicate that first, the supply value of water production, food production, carbon sequestration, and tourism and leisure fall short of the demand value, while the supply value of air purification exceeds the demand value. The spatial matching of supply and demand shows a typical circular structure, with areas in short supply predominantly located in the downtown area and its vicinity. Second, the degree of coupling coordination between the supply-demand ratio of selected ecosystem services and the intensity of ecological control is low. Urban functional zoning can affect the supply-demand relationship of selected ecosystem services, and intensified development efforts can exacerbate the mismatch between supply and demand. Third, research on the supply-demand matching of selected ecosystem services can facilitate the assessment and regulation of urban functional zoning. Urban spatial governance can be regulated based on land use, industry, and population, with a focus on achieving a better supply-demand matching of ecosystem services. Through the analysis, this paper is aimed to provide reference for mitigating urban environmental problems and formulating sustainable urban development strategies.

Spatial and temporal coupling characteristics of industrial structure optimization and air quality in Chinese cities and multi-scale driver analysis

This paper takes the panel data of 283 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2020 as the research sample, measures the comprehensive index of industrial structure optimization and air quality by using GRA-TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation method, explores the spatial and temporal divergence characteristics of industrial structure optimization and air quality and the spatial and temporal evolution pattern of coupled and coordinated development by using ArcGIS spatial analysis and coupled coordination degree model, and analyzes the driving factors of coupled coordination degree of industrial structure optimization and air quality by combining multi-scale geographically weighted regression model. The study found the following: (1) The overall level of China's urban industrial structure is low, and shows an obvious eastern > central > western decreasing trend; urban air quality has a strong spatial clustering and spatial locking effect. (2) During the study period, the coupling coordination degree of industrial structure optimization and air quality showed an inverted "W" shape fluctuation from 2011 to 2020. The coupling degree and coupling coordination degree in 2020 were both higher than that in 2011, and most cities were in the run-in stage and moderate coordination stage. (3) There is a consistency in the temporal evolution trend and spatial evolution pattern of industrial structure optimization and air quality coupling degree and coupling coordination degree. (4) The driving factors are ranked according to the scale of action: public transportation intensity > population density > government intervention > GDP per capita > industrialization level. At present, China is in a critical period of promoting high-quality development by ecological civilization, and it is recommended to optimize regional industrial structure, improve urban air quality, and promote coordinated urban development.

Identifying the coupling coordination relationship between urbanization and forest ecological security and its impact mechanism: Case study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Boosting the coordination and symbiosis of urbanization and forest ecological security is notably critical for promoting regional green and sustainable development and achieving emission peak and carbon neutrality goals. However, there was still a lack of in-depth analysis of the coupling coordination relationship between urbanization and forest ecological security and its impact mechanism. On the basis of the data from 844 counties in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, this paper explored the spatial differences and influencing factors of the coupling coordination degree of urbanization and forest ecological security. The results manifested that: i) There were apparent spatial disparities in the urbanization index, forest ecological security index, comprehensive index, coupling degree and coupling coordination degree of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Among them, the spatial pattern of coupling coordination degree had a strong consistency with urbanization index, that is, areas with higher urbanization index also had higher coupling coordination degree. ii) Based on coupling feature identification, it was found that 249 'problem areas' were mainly located in Yunnan Province, southeastern Guizhou Province, central Anhui Province, and central and eastern Jiangsu Province. The main factor for the formation was due to the lag of urbanization in coordinated development. iii) Among the socioeconomic indicators, population structure (0.136), per capita year-end financial institutions loan balance (0.409) and per capita fixed asset investment (0.202) all had a positive impact on coupling coordination degree, while location conditions (-0.126) had a negative impact. Among the natural indicators, soil organic matter (-0.212) and temperature (-0.094) had a negative impact on coupling coordination degree. iv) During the process of coordinated development, it was necessary to increase financial investment and financial support, actively formulate policies to attract talents, enhance the education and publicity of ecological civilization, and develop a green circular economy. The above measures can promote the harmonious development of urbanization and forest ecological security in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Technological achievements in regional economic development: An econometrics analysis based on DEA

"Double circulation" is an important strategic choice under the development of the new situation. The transformation of university scientific and technological achievements and the coordinated development of regional economy are of great significance to the construction and development of the new paradigm. In this paper, DEA method is used to measure the transformation efficiency of scientific and technological achievements of universities in 31 provinces and autonomous regions (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), and the entropy weight-Topsis model is used to evaluate the quality of regional economic development. The comprehensive scores of the two systems are coupled and coordinated finally. It is found that the transformation efficiency of scientific and technological achievements of universities in 31 provinces and autonomous regions (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) is mostly DEA effective, and the transformation ability of scientific and technological achievements of universities is strong in the regions where university resources are concentrated and the economically developed regions, meanwhile there is a big gap between regions. The transformation ability of scientific and technological achievements in the central and western regions has a big room for improvement. The transformation level of scientific and technological achievements of universities in most provinces is still at a middle level of coordination with the level of regional economic development. In view of the above research conclusions, some countermeasures and suggestions are put forward in order to promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and regional economic development can be more coordinated.

Spatiotemporal assessment of ecosystem services supply-demand relationships to identify ecological management zoning in coastal city Dalian, China

Integrating ecosystem services supply-demand relationships into ecological management zoning is a hot topic. Most studies have focused on the matching relationship between the supply and demand of ecosystem services. However, the extent to which both are coordinated at different matching levels is ignored, that is, whether ecosystem services supply and demand tend to reinforce each other at high levels or constrain each other at low levels. Therefore, taking Dalian as an example, this study constructed a research framework for ecological management zoning by integrating the matching and coupling coordination relationship of ecosystem services supply-demand. We found that the supply of ecosystem services in Dalian decreased by 23.70% and the demand increased by 22.54% from 2005 to 2019. There was an obvious mismatch and disharmony in the supply and demand of ecosystem services, and the matching and coordination often did not exist simultaneously. Overlay analysis was used to divide Dalian into four ecological management zones: eco-conservation, eco-development, eco-improvement, and eco-restoration zones. This study helped in integrating the matching and coupling coordination relationship of ecosystem services supply-demand into the environmental management system, which has practical significance for the sustainable development of ecosystem services.

A study on the equity of self-rated health of older adults at the family level

BACKGROUND

The self-rated health of older adults (SHOA) plays an important role in enhancing their medical service utilization and quality of life. However, the determinants and magnitude variations in SHOA at the family level (SHOAFL) remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the status and equitable level of SHOAFL in China, as well as to analyze the influencing factors and the precise nature and scope of their impacts.

METHODS

This study analyzed the data from the "Chinese residents' health service needs survey in the New Era", and included a total of 1413 families with older adults. The status and influencing factors of SHOAFL were analyzed using mean comparison and Logistic regression (LR) models. The Concentration Index method was used to explore the equity of the distribution of SHOAFL. The relationship between differences in personal characteristics among family members and differences in SHOA was determined by the method of Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD).

RESULTS

The total score of SHOAFL was 66.36 ± 15.47, and LR results revealed that the factors with a significant impact on SHOAFL were number of people living in family, distance to the nearest medical service institution, travel time to the nearest medical service institution, annual family income, yearly family medical and health expenditures, average age, and residence (all P < 0.05). The Concentration index of SHOAFL ranged from -0.0315 to 0.0560. CCD of the differences between SHOA and medical insurance and smoking status were 0.9534 and 0.7132, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The SHOAFL was found to be generally but more inclined towards urban families with high incomes and a short time to medical service institution. The observed disparities in SHOA among family members were mostly attributable to differences in health insurance and pre-retirement occupations. The status and equality of SHOAFL may be improved if policymakers prioritize making services more accessible to older rural residents with low incomes. Concurrently, reducing the existing discrepancy in health insurance coverage between older couples may also enhance their health.

Resilience or efficiency? Strategic options for sustainable development of agricultural systems in ecologically fragile areas of China

Sustainable development of agricultural systems is crucial for ensuring global food security, and resilience and efficiency are important topics for sustainable development of agricultural systems. Therefore, it is important to study the coupling and coordination relationship between agricultural system resilience and agricultural production efficiency, and explore the sustainable development model of agricultural system accordingly. Using statistical data from 2000 to 2020, we constructed a system of indicators for sustainable development of agricultural systems, and assessed the coordination status and interaction of agricultural system resilience and agricultural production efficiency in 49 county-level administrative units in the Loess Hilly Region Gansu Section (LHRGS) of China with the help of the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, bivariate Moran's I index, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. The results show as follows: (1) The level of resilience of the LHRGS agricultural system and the level of agricultural production efficiency shows a continuous upward trend and a robust growth state. (2) High-value areas of the LHRGS agricultural system resilience are concentrated in counties with better resource endowment, and high-value areas of agricultural production efficiency are distributed in regions with stronger innovation capacity, and there is a moderate level of coupling relationship between them. (3) The sustainable development capacity of the agricultural system is gradually improving, but there is a certain degree of heterogeneity between agricultural system resilience and agricultural production efficiency. (4) Agricultural input factors have significant effects on the sustainable development of the agricultural systems, and significant spatial differences are found in the effects of different agricultural input factors on the sustainable development of agricultural systems. Based on the findings of this study, policy recommendations for the sustainable development of agricultural systems in ecologically fragile areas are proposed.

Coupling coordination and influencing factors of urban spatial accessibility and economic spatial pattern in the New Western Land-Sea Corridor

The construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor is crucial to the economic development of western China and even Southeast Asia. Research analyzes the evolution of urban economic spatial pattern of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor in different years and discusses the coordinated development between economic connection and accessibility and its influencing factors. The research results show that: First, the influence of labor force on the urban centrality of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor is gradually increasing, and the spatial pattern of the urban network has gradually shifted from a unipolar attraction type to a spatial pattern of "one main and multiple subordinates." Second, urban accessibility presents a "core-periphery" spatial pattern, and the coupling coordination degree presents the spatial characteristics of "centro-periphery." The economic correlation strength, spatial accessibility, and the coordinated distribution of the two all have obvious spatial agglomeration characteristics. Third, there are spatial differences in the influencing factors of the coupling coordination degree. Based on this, the research puts forward the development mode of "growth pole," "area," and "axis," attaches importance to the problems of labor force in urban development, and strengthens the level of coupling coordination between regional transportation and economy, to promote the integration of regional transportation, logistics, and economy.

Research on the evolution and driving factors of digitalization of energy in China-A new perspective based on coupling coordination

The world is experiencing the tide of digital transformation. Promoting the digitalization of energy is an important measure to realize energy sustainability. The digitalization of energy is a product of the coupled and coordinated development of the energy industry and the digital economy. This paper takes 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020 as research objects. The Entropy Weight Method is used to measure the development level of China's energy industry and digital economy, and the Coupling Coordination Degree Model is used to measure the digitalization of energy (DE). Then, the evolution characteristics and driving factors of China's DE are studied by using Grey Prediction Model, Kernel Density Analysis Method and Geodetector Model. The conclusions are mainly as follows: (1) Though the development level of energy industry and digital economy in China are both growing over time, there are distinct features in their spatial distribution. (2) The DE is in a disorderly state as a whole, but it will be upgraded to the stage of barely coordinated during China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). From the evolutionary process, the distribution pattern and trend changes of DE are characterized by obvious polarization distribution and increasing absolute differences, and this feature is more obvious in the central and western regions. (3) Government support, FDI, and pollution governance have an increasing impact on DE, but this impact varies considerably between the east and central-west regions. Therefore, this paper suggests that local governments should formulate policies to promote the DE according to local conditions. The central government should focus on accelerating the construction of the "East Digital West Computing" project and the development of the energy Internet to solve the problem of uneven regional development.

Measurement and spatial-temporal analysis of coupling coordination development between green finance and environmental governance in China

To direct financial resources for achieving the goal of sustainable development, Chinese government has devoted increasing efforts to developing green finance. However, few studies explored the relationship between green finance and environmental governance. Thus, this paper first theoretically discusses the interactive connection between green finance and environmental governance. And then we construct two comprehensive indicator systems and use entropy method to calculate green finance index (GFI) and environmental governance index (EGI) for 30 provinces of China from 2004 to 2020. The theoretical analysis unveils the complementary and mutual reinforcing relationship of the interaction between green finance and environmental governance through green industry. Using the data of GFI and EGI, the coupling coordination degree of green finance and environmental governance (CCDGE) is measured by coupling coordination model. The trend analysis discovers that GFI is increasing over time while EGI starts decreasing from 2013. Although GFI has grown more rapidly than EGI, but the development of green finance still lags behind environmental governance because of its short history. Just because of the uncoordinated development between green finance and environmental governance, CCDGE has been hovering in the moderate coupling coordination stage for a long time and still has a great distance to the high coupling coordination level. These findings imply that the relationship between green finance and environmental governance is still in a state of disorderly development that restricts each other. Furthermore, the findings of spatial-temporal analysis show there are obvious regional differences in GFI and EGI and the interactive effect between green finance and environmental governance. Specifically, GFI and EGI in eastern China are the highest, while CCDGE presents with a ladder decline status of "eastern region > central region > northeast region > west region." Our findings provide vital references for policymakers to promote the coupling coordination development between green finance and environmental governance.

Coordinated development and driving factor heterogeneity of different types of urban agglomeration carbon emissions in China

Carbon emission (CE) reduction has become the primary task of China's urban agglomerations (UAs) in achieving sustainable development goals. This paper uses a decoupling model and coupling coordination model to measure the relationship between the development levels of different types of UAs and CEs in China from 2004 to 2016. Concurrently, the geographically and temporally weighted regression model is used to explore the spatial heterogeneity of the impact of different driving factors on the CEs of UAs. The results show the following: Most UAs have the potential to further decouple CEs and economic growth. Most UAs are still in coordinated development (> 0.5). Among the service innovation UAs, the Yangtze River Delta UA has a coupling coordination of less than 0.3, while the Pearl River Delta UA has a coupling coordination of more than 0.8, showing polarization. Manufacturing and resource-based UAs are still in the grinding adaptation stage (0.5-0.8). There are apparent spatiotemporal differences in the impacts of various driving factors on the CE of UAs. The level of land urbanization and investment in fixed assets promote CEs. However, the level of population urbanization and industrial structure restrain CEs. Therefore, reducing land development and industrial transformation can be an effective means to reduce CEs in UAs. These findings will provide extensive insights for different UAs to achieve differentiated low-carbon development.

On the coordination in diversity between water environmental capacity and regional development in the Three Gorges Reservoir area

Water environment capacity has drew the attention of policymakers and stakeholders to sustainable development, and its dynamic changes are ultimately impacted by population, capital, and industrial clusters under regional development. Previous research, however, has not been able to completely comprehend it. In this paper, the authors use the Coupling Coordination Degree model and the Geodetector model to study the temporal and spatial evolution of water environment capacity and its driving mechanism based on regional development represented by regional function including urbanization function, ecological function, and agricultural function using the Three Gorges Reservoir area on county scale as a case study from 2000 to 2015. The results showed that (1) compared with 2000, 2005, and 2010, the water environment capacity of the whole reservoir area in 2015 was significantly improved. (2) The urban functions of each district and county are increasing in different years, and the dynamic changes of ecological and agricultural functions are obviously different. (3) The water environment capacity of districts and counties in the head area. There are significant disparities in the relationship between water environment capacity and regional function in various regions. Differences in water environment capacity are largely influenced by ecological function and the interaction driver of the proportion of agricultural function and urban function, which are typically the biggest of all the components. This suggests that regional development is a top priority in order to improve the operability of the water environmental capacity through more regulation, rules, and planning.

Spatial-temporal pattern evolution and influencing factors of coupled coordination between carbon emission and economic development along the Pearl River Basin in China

The Pearl River Basin (PRB) is a significant area for economic development (ED) and ecological protection in China. Studying the relationship between carbon emission (CE) and ED is crucial for China and the world to cope with climate change and achieve CO₂ reduction. For 48 cities in the PRB, we used the coupling coordination model and geographically weighted regression model to analyze the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between CE and ED and investigate the main influencing factors. The results suggested that (1) the CCD presents spatial heterogeneity, with the Pearl River Delta having the highest value and the middle reaches having the lowest value; (2) the coupling coordination type between CE and ED changes from incoordination to coordination in general; and (3) the resident income and population size have a positive influence on the CCD of the cities in the lower reaches, while the secondary industry scale has a beneficial impact on the upstream. Finally, we put forward corresponding policy suggestions to achieve sustainable development in terms of reducing economic inequities, enhancing public expenditure and innovation capability, and streamlining the industrial structure.

Coupling coordination between new urbanisation and carbon emissions in China

The strategic coordination of a new urbanisation and carbon emissions (NU-CE) systems in China is essential for advancing low-carbon urbanisation and sustainable urban planning. This paper introduces an improved coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, spatial auto-correlation and other methods to evaluate past and future states of coordination. The data, which are collected from the period 2010-2019 and 30 provinces in China, demonstrate the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the NU-CE coupling relationship. The relevant results are fourfold. (1) The level of NU in China continues to rise, alongside significant spatial heterogeneity, which is particularly evident in the eastern coastal areas. (2) The CE subsystem fluctuates slightly, also revealing differences between the southern and northern regions, where Shanxi and Inner Mongolia have the lowest levels. (3) The NU-CE CCD in each province continuously improved during the study period, which is closely related to different development stages and geographic locations. As a result, a ladder-type pattern of gradual decline emerges from the eastern coastal region to central and western regions. (4) NU-CE CCD has significant positive spatial correlation characteristics. The high-high CCD area exhibits a tendency to shift towards the central region, and the low-low cluster area from the southwest to the northwest region. (5) Finally, the grey GM(1,1) prediction model is used to predict the CCD of 30 provinces in 2020-2024. The findings illustrate a growing state of NU-CE coordination and strengthening spatial correlations in the future. Based on the findings of this study, a series of policy suggestions for improving China's new urbanisation and carbon emissions is proposed.

The coupling effect between economic development and the urban ecological environment in Shanghai port

With the rapid development of ports in the world today, the ecological environment pollution of port cities is becoming more and more serious. How to coordinate the port industry and the urban environment is an urgent problem to be solved. This article proposes a system to evaluate the coordination between port industry chain development and the urban ecological environment by taking Shanghai Port as an example. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method was applied to calculate the weights of various indexes, then the Coupling Coordination Degree Model (CCDM) was adopted to systematically study the coordination relationship between port industry development and the urban ecological environment. Our research finds the coupling coordination degree between Shanghai Port's economic development and the urban ecological environment shows an overall upward trend, changing from severely misaligned in 2000 (0.125) to barely coordinated in 2019 (0.691). Shanghai has achieved some results in constructing the ecological environment and green port, but there is still much room for improvement. Shanghai port needs to strengthen container transportation, enhance energy conservation and emission reduction, and vigorously promote the development of a green port. This study will provide a basis and reference for relevant institutions, government departments, and policymakers to formulate scientific and effective green port industry chain development strategies.

Analysis of coordination between urban compactness and green total factor energy efficiency: a case study of 35 cities in China

Rapid urban expansion and energy transformation are two major challenges facing China. Many researchers have explored urban compactness and energy efficiency, but there is little literature on the coordinated development of the two. Therefore, this paper takes 35 cities in China as research object: The urban compactness evaluation index system is established, and the score is calculated using the entropy weight method; considering the bad output, SBM is used to calculate the green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE); and the coupling coordination degree model is used to calculate their coordinated degree. The following conclusions can be inferred: (1) Although China's urban compactness has increased, it has not maintained a steady upward trend. Some more developed cities have the phenomenon of compactness rising first and then falling; (2) The overall GTFEE shows a continuous upward trend, but there is still much room for improvement, and regional disparities are significant; (3) The degree of coordination between the two maintains a steady upward trend, and the city's compactness lags behind GTFEE. Based on the findings of the study, this paper proposes policy recommendations that can serve as a reference for key decision-makers and are critical in promoting China's urbanization and energy transformation.

Assessment spatio-temporal coupling coordination relationship between mountain rural ecosystem health and urbanization in Chongqing municipality, China

Coercive and constraints mechanism analysis between rural ecosystem health (REH) and urbanization is required to comprehend spatio-temporal coupling coordination relationship and promote rural ecosystem health development under the pressure of urbanization, especially those with dramatic changes in Chinese countryside. This paper, taking Chongqing municipality as the case study, analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of the coupling coordination between urbanization and REH of 38 districts and counties from 2010 to 2018 with support of coordination coupling degree (CCD) model, entropy method, and GIS spatial methods. The main conclusions were as follows: (1) the EUS (34.84%) and RSceS (35.64%) separately made the highest share contribution to urbanization and REH, the proportion of non-agricultural population in total population and consumption of farmland chemical fertilizer intensity were the main two indicators. (2) The study has confirmed the existence of an obvious differentiated U-shaped curves between urbanization and REH, a dynamic coupling coordination-X was found to exist, which conformed to a linear continuous growth curve, and has transitioned to "high quality coupling coordination" stage from "severe disorder" stage from 2000 to 2018; (3) the spatial differentiation characteristics of coupling coordination in 2018 have shown a significant regional differences pattern, and the coupling coordination in more developed areas was generally higher than most developed areas and less developed areas, namely western Chongqing > metropolitan areas > northeastern Chongqing and southeastern Chongqing. This report could provide policy implications for Chinese decision makers to formulate sustainable measures to balance urbanization development and REH protection.

Study on coupling coordination and spatiotemporal heterogeneity between economic development and ecological environment of cities along the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is an important ecological barrier and an important economic zone in China. Under the new requirements of realizing ecological protection and high-quality development of the YRB, the coordinated development of basin economic development and ecological environment is an urgent research topic. Taking 36 cities along the Yellow River Basin as samples, this paper constructs an evaluation index system of economic development and ecological environment. The coupling coordination model and geographical weighted regression were adopted to analyze the coupling coordination relationship between economic development and ecological environment from 2008 to 2017, and the influencing factors were analyzed. The results showed that (1) the coupling coordination of urban economic development and ecological environment along the YRB showed significant regional heterogeneity, forming a low-value sag of the Loess Plateau; (2) the regional hot spots in the downstream of the YRB continuously extended inland, while these in the midstream converged; (3) the coupling coordination degree between economic development and ecological environment is affected by factors such as population size, openness, and advanced industrial structure, and the intensity varies significantly among regions.

A new framework of land use efficiency for the coordination among food, economy and ecology in regional development

Great challenges regarding land use conflicts in rapid urbanization call for deeper research on land use efficiency (LUE) from the perspective of sustainable land use for the coordination among food security, economic development, and ecological protection. This study firstly develops a new framework of LUE based upon the expectations in land use and the coordination among three sub-categories in food production, economic development, and ecological protection, then, uses the coupling coordination degree model to quantify the spatial differentiation characteristics and coupling coordination relationships among three sub-categories, and finally uses the multivariable linear regression and geographical detectors to analyze the impact factors of sub-category efficiency. The framework is applied to Jiangsu Province in eastern China by using ten indicators (i.e., cultivated land quality, grain output, multiple cropping index, average GDP per km², population density, proportion of industry and service industry, vegetation cover index, water conservation index, soil retention index, and carbon sequestration index) in terms of food production, economy, and ecology analysis at the county level. Compared with expectations, the LUE of Jiangsu in food production, economic development, and ecological protection is 54.15%, 85.56%, and 54.95%, respectively, indicating that Jiangsu has great potential for sustainable land use. The coupling coordination degree in land use generally synchronizes with the coupling degree, accounting for 65.34% of the province's area, of which 75.00% are in lower-coupling & lower-coordination, medium-coupling & medium-coordination. Among all the factors, proportion of industry and service industry, population density, multiple cropping index, average GDP per km², and water conservation index have the most important roles in the coordinated development of land use sub-systems. Therefore, we suggest land use/urban management need to implement more integrated planning and differentiated strategies to stimulate land use potential and maintain efficient and sustainable land use.

Spatio-temporal evolution scenarios and the coupling analysis of ecosystem services with land use change in China

Ecosystem service (ES) supply and demand are affected by changes in land use and the supply of specific ecosystem services for human consumption, respectively. Future spatio-temporal dynamics and their coupling relations with land use in China have not been well analysed. In this study, based on future land use scenarios of Li's database, ES supply, demand and balance (supply minus demand) were revealed utilizing land use and land cover (LULC) matrix model in China in 2010, 2050 and 2100. The results showed that ES supply, demand and balance had great spatial and temporal variations under different scenarios at national and provincial scales. Higher population and higher urban expansion scenarios will lead to a significant decreasing in the balance values of different categories and total ESs in most provinces. The ecological sensitivity index was calculated to indicate the impact of land use intensity on ecosystem services. The results showed that the sensitivity levels in approximately 90% of provinces were low for all the scenarios, as only Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Liaoning in 2050 and Gansu in 2100 were extremely sensitive to changes in supply, while only provinces in the central-eastern regions were sensitive with obvious differences from the demand. The coupling coordination analysis between land use intensity and ES balance was applied to identify the provinces with low-level coordination in land use and ES management. The results showed that the coordination change in most provinces remained stable under four scenarios. However, some provinces displayed an improving trend from low to moderate coordination or from moderate to high coordination and a degrading trend from moderate to low coordination or from high to moderate coordination from 2010 to 2100. This study contributes to exploring the effect of land use on ecosystem service evolution, thereby providing credible guidance for future land and ES management.