A systematic coupling analysis framework and multi-stage interaction mechanism between urban land use efficiency and ecological carrying capacity

Applying the projection pursuit and DPSIR model for evaluation of ecological carrying capacity in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

The ecological carrying capacity (ECC) of Inner Mongolia is the foundation of its sustainable development. As a result, a comprehensive investigation of Inner Mongolia's ECC and its influencing factors is critical for promoting regional sustainable development. However, an ECC evaluation index system for the ecological environment and economic development features of Inner Mongolia has not yet been developed. In addition, as ECC attributes rise, traditional methods become ineffective at extracting the structural characteristics of high-dimensional data, leading to an incomplete evaluation. In view of this, based on the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework, we developed an ECC evaluation index system that takes into account the ecological environment and economic development features of Inner Mongolia. The projection pursuit model based on real coded accelerating genetic algorithm (RAGA-PP), which can analyze high-dimensional data, was applied to achieve ECC comprehensive assessment in Inner Mongolia. Finally, the analysis of the ECC obstacle factors in the study area was conducted. The findings reveal that (1) from 2000 to 2020, there was an average increase of 28.4% in the ECC for all of Inner Mongolia cities. The spatial divergence feature is obvious, and the northeastern cities' ECC is higher than the southwestern. (2) From 2000 to 2020, the value of the drive, pressure, and state subsystems primarily shows fluctuation. The impact and response subsystems both exhibit an increase, while the response subsystem's characteristic values are lower. (3) The obstacle degree of driving force subsystem is significant and ranges from 17.6 to 33.9% between 2000 and 2020. Main obstacles to ECC are the average annual temperature, the disposable income of farmers and herdsmen, the urban registered unemployment rate, and the seeded area per capita. The findings of the research can provide useful guidance to developing efficient policies that take into account the various ECC in different cities in order to improve ECC performance throughout Inner Mongolia.

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.

Economic, environmental and social efficiency and effectiveness development in the sustainable crop agricultural sector: A systematic in-depth analysis review

Multi-dimensional inclusion of economic, environmental, and social sustainability spheres together are the most global concerns of the agricultural crop sector. Therefore, optimizing waste and natural resources guides researchers and policymakers to structure actions and strategies to attain sustainability. Several studies have been published around the world to choose between focusing on eco-efficiency or eco-effectiveness in different aspects. This work aims to systematically apply an updated review to critically assess the agricultural research articles' contributions among the assessment of those methods, models or tools, as well as a quantitative and qualitative in-depth analysis review to classify them, according to their mapping, functions, strengths, weaknesses, and logical relationships for the evaluation in the crop agricultural sector, which is expected to be needed in future to better understand the research gaps and select the appropriate methods for sustainability evaluation from different spheres (ecology, economy, and sociology). Of 242 peer-reviewed records from 2018 to the beginning of 2023, 135 reviews and articles gathered from Web of Science and Scopus meet the criteria to be examined. Our analysis revealed that the number of reviews is limited to approximately 4.5 %; most of the case studies were carried out in countries, such as China (36 %) and Brazil (6 %), and continents such as Europe (16 %). Depending on considered aspects, most studies evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and derivatives using a set of tools, varying between the managerial tools applied for the macro-level structuration (DPSIR, EMA, and LCA) and mathematical tools applied for the micro-level quantification, subdivided into the visualization methods (GIS), and the optimization methods (DEA, SFA, MILP, FO). Thanks to their multifunctionality in considering different aspects of input, output and influence factors variables, the in-depth analysis study suggests the application of data envelopment and stochastic analysis to carry out a multidisciplinary evaluation for the socio-eco-efficiency or the socio-eco-effectiveness.

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.

Study of Township Construction Land Carrying Capacity and Spatial Pattern Matching in Loess Plateau Hilly and Gully Region: A Case of Xifeng in China

With the acceleration of urbanization, the construction land scale of urban and rural areas is constantly expanding, which leads to contradiction and conflict between territorial development and ecological protection becoming more and more serious. Therefore, as an important unit of county (district), and even urban and rural, development, the study on land resource carrying capacity and the rationality of the development can provide some basis for developing the optimal strategies of differential territorial space. Taking Xifeng, Gansu Province, China as the research area, this study constructs the evaluation index system of township construction land carrying capacity from the three dimensions of ecological protection, natural environment, and social economy. It evaluates the suitability of township construction land by the means of a comprehensive scoring method and discusses the carrying capacity and spatial pattern matching of township construction land based on the suitability evaluation results. The results showed that: (1) the spatial difference of suitability of construction land is obvious, which is higher in the city center than in the surrounding areas; (2) the comprehensive carrying capacity of township construction land is 52.62%, and different townships range from 3.78% to 13.15%. It is different between towns; (3) on the whole, the condition of township construction land is well-developed, and the main distribution forms are flaky, banded, and dotted. (4) There is a positive correlation between spatial matching and carrying capacity. The carrying capacity should be considered in regional development to avoid overdevelopment. It can provide a basis for optimizing the territorial spatial layout, strengthening the coordinated development among townships, and improving the comprehensive township carrying capacity in the Loess Plateau hilly and gully region.