The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China

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 developme...

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Main Authors: Hengzhou Xu, Zhongyue Li, Luyu Guo, Yingfei Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Land
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/1/168
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author Hengzhou Xu
Zhongyue Li
Luyu Guo
Yingfei Liu
author_facet Hengzhou Xu
Zhongyue Li
Luyu Guo
Yingfei Liu
author_sort Hengzhou Xu
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj-art-4387d9dd37154288955afaab1d202e712025-01-24T13:38:10ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-01-0114116810.3390/land14010168The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from ChinaHengzhou Xu0Zhongyue Li1Luyu Guo2Yingfei Liu3College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaCollege of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaCollege of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaCollege of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaChina’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.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/1/168national innovative city pilot policyland green use efficiencydifference-in-differences modelindustrial structuretechnological innovation
spellingShingle Hengzhou Xu
Zhongyue Li
Luyu Guo
Yingfei Liu
The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China
Land
national innovative city pilot policy
land green use efficiency
difference-in-differences model
industrial structure
technological innovation
title The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China
title_full The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China
title_fullStr The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China
title_short The Impact of Innovative City Pilot Policy on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency: A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China
title_sort impact of innovative city pilot policy on urban land green use efficiency a quasi natural experiment from china
topic national innovative city pilot policy
land green use efficiency
difference-in-differences model
industrial structure
technological innovation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/1/168
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