Review of green development of Chinese industrial parks

China has posed great importance on green development, a model for economic transformation that enhances public welfare while sustaining environment and resources. Meanwhile, China has the largest number of industrial parks which is crucial for both the global supply chain and national economy. Diversified green development demonstration programs have been promoted with a top-down paradigm facilitated by the central government due to the parks' important roles in industrial development and pollution control. There is a growing knowledge body about the green development of the parks, and Chinese cases accounted for the largest share of peer-reviewed publications. This article provides a review of academic papers and grey documents on the topic since 2000 by descriptive and bibliometric analysis. We extract five major research focuses by keyword clustering of 129 peer-reviewed articles, namely, the planning of eco-industrial parks, the improvement of environmental management, the evolution of industrial symbiosis and supply chain networks, the optimization of infrastructure, and the assessment of economic-environmental performance. Then, diversified practices of green development in Chinese industrial parks are further enriched by supplementing grey literature and practice. Based on the literature and ongoing practice, we explain the green development model for Chinese IPs and conclude inadequate dissemination of concept and knowledge, heterogeneity of interest, untargeted assessment and guidance, and backward management system are the five major challenges in the field. The review can inspire the scientific community, policymakers, and practitioners in China and other developing countries to further promote green development by targeting industrial parks.

Automated summary

China places great importance on green development, especially in its industrial parks. This article reviews academic papers and grey literature to summarize the main research focuses and challenges in the green development of Chinese industrial parks, and proposes a green development model.