How does urban land use efficiency improve resource and environment carrying capacity?

Considering the constraints on urban land expansion, improving the efficiency of existing urban land becomes a key factor in promoting resource sustainability and environmental protection. This paper examines the impact mechanism and threshold effect of urban land use efficiency (ULUE) on resources and environment carrying capacity (RECC) using panel data covering 282 Chinese cities from 2007 to 2018. The empirical results show that: (1) ULUE enhances RECC in China, and the rationalization and advancement of industrial structure are important transmission mechanisms; (2) The impact of ULUE on RECC is heterogeneous, showing significant differences in different regions, periods, administrative levels, and resource endowments; (3) With industrial rationalization and industrial advancement as threshold variables, ULUE exhibits a gradient-style enhancement with significant threshold characteristics in improving RECC. These findings can provide practical guidance for various land policies.

Automated summary

By examining the impact mechanism and threshold effect of urban land use efficiency (ULUE) on resources and environment carrying capacity (RECC), this study finds that improving ULUE can enhance RECC and plays an important role in the rationalization and advancement of industrial structure. The study also reveals significant differences in the impact of ULUE on RECC across regions, periods, administrative levels, and resource endowments.