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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 19917

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Prof. Dr. Chengpeng Lu

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Guest Editor

Institute of County Economic Development & Rural Revitalization Strategy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: industrial ecology; economic geography; regional ecology; climate change adapatation and mitigation

Dr. Ruzi Li

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Guest Editor

School of Economics & Management, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Interests: regional economics and ecological economics

Dr. Haoming Guan

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Guest Editor

School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Chang Chun 130024, China
Interests: urban and region study; region economic resilience

Dr. Fuyou Guo

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Guest Editor

College of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao 276800, China
Interests: regional sustainable development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This is a call for papers for the Special Issue on “Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability”, which aims to set up a holistic framework to the regional governance of ecological environment and serve the ecological civilization construction in China. With the development of human society and the progress of science and technology, the continued expanding utilization of resources in terms of scale and intensity has caused environmental problems, including global climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, resource depletion, and ecosystem degradation, which threaten the sustainable development of our society. The public expects sustainability research providing scientific theories and systematic solutions for the protection and utilization of ecosystems, mitigation of natural disasters, and ecological security pattern construction at the regional, national, and global scale, and the maintenance of sustainable development of human society. This Special Issue (SI) aims to discuss the strategic plan, technical approaches, and technological support system of ecological and environmental governance and welcomes high-quality works that focus on the ideas, pathways, solutions, strategies, technologies, pilot cases, and exemplars that are relevant to the regional governance of ecological environments, ecosystem management, mitigation and adaptation of climate change, public participation, and governance.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

Theories, methods, and applications related to regional governance;
New methods for studying the spatiotemporal process, genetic mechanism, prediction simulation, and optimal control of ecological environment;
Innovative findings in ecological civilization construction;
Investigation of natural resources;
Prediction and and modeling of natural disasters;
Environmental, economic, and social benefits of governance;
Climate-related governance and challenges;
Sustainable urban–rural planning and design.

Prof. Dr. Chengpeng Lu
Dr. Ruzi Li
Dr. Haoming Guan
Dr. Fuyou Guo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

regional governance
ecosystem management
ecological security

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2663 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Structure of China’s Green Development Efficiency: A Perspective Based on Social Network Analysis

by Xiaotong Gao, Naigang Cao, Yushuo Zhang and Lin Zhao

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 16156; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316156 - 03 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1170

Abstract

Clarifying the spatial correlation network structure of green development efficiency (GDE) is of great significance for realizing coordinated and sustainable development in China. By constructing the evaluation index system of GDE, this study used the super epsilon-based measure (EBM) model that considers undesirable output to measure the GDE of China from 2000 to 2018, based on which the characteristics of the spatial correlation network characteristics and influencing factors were analyzed using social network analysis (SNA) and a geographical detector. The results indicated that: (1) The GDE of China as a whole remained relatively stable, and there was a significant spatial spillover effect of GDE between provinces; the spatial correlation network demonstrated complex and dense characteristics, and the closeness and stability of the network gradually increased. However, the strict hierarchical structure of the network still existed. (2) The eastern coastal provinces exhibited significant spillover effects and connectivity functions, while the northeastern and central-western provinces are located at the edges of the spatial correlation network. (3) The GDE spatial correlation network is divided into a leader subgroup, bridge subgroup and net benefit subgroup, with no isolated subgroup. (4) The economic development level, urbanization and financial development have a decisive impact on the formation of the GDE spatial correlation network. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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17 pages, 3985 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Sustainable Water Utilization Based on the Pressure–State–Response Model: A Case Study of the Yellow River Basin in China

by Ruzi Li, Shuqi Huang, Yi Bai, Yingzi Li, Yi Cao and Yaobin Liu

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14820; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214820 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1245

Abstract

Based on the pressure–state–response (PSR) framework, in this paper, we construct an assessment system for sustainable water utilization (SWU) in 60 prefecture-level cities along the Yellow River Basin. Then, a spatial autocorrelation model is employed to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of SWU. Further, nine related variables are selected to explore the key factors affecting the spatial differentiation of SWU with a geographic detector model. The results are as follows: (1) The overall level of SWU in the Yellow River Basin is not high, and the level of SWU in five cities is much higher than that in other cities. (2) Overall, the SWU shows noticeable spatial autocorrelation characteristics along the Yellow River Basin. Additionally, locally, it shows high–high agglomeration, low–high agglomeration, and low–low agglomeration. (3) The most important factors affecting the spatial differentiation of SWU in the Yellow River Basin are precipitation, population density, and the proportion of tertiary industry in regional GDP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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27 pages, 13609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Disproportions of the Green Economy and the Financial Situation of Polish Voivodeships in 2010–2020

by Paweł Dziekański, Piotr Prus, Piotr Sołtyk, Magdalena Wrońska, Florin Imbrea, Laura Smuleac, Raul Pascalau and Karolina Błaszczyk

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13824; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113824 - 25 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1257

Abstract

The provincial government, a separate association of regional communities in the state structure, carries out public tasks that affect the quality of life of the local community and the activities of businesses. Geographical conditions and the effect of socioeconomic factors lead to different levels of development in different regions. The endogenous potential of the local government is the result of a combination of local conditions, determining its opportunities and directions of development. The aim of this article was to assess and identify the spatial differentiation in the relationship between the green economy and the financial situation of voivodeships in Poland using synthetic measures. The choice of variables for the period of 2010–2020 was determined by the availability of the data collected from the regional system in the CSO Local Data Bank. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution was used to construct the synthetic measures. Financial resources are the basis for the operation of local government units, conditioning the implementation of their current and developmental tasks. Knowledge of the current state of finances allows authorities to make comparisons with other units and is helpful in making financial decisions. The green economy is one of the paths to sustainable development. The green economy increases the quality of life and social equality while reducing environmental risks and natural resource consumption. As a result of the research procedure, the spatial differentiation of provinces in Poland in 2010–2020 is presented in terms of the level of the synthetic measure of the green economy and financial situation. In 2010, the synthetic measure of the green economy ranged from 0.31 to 0.42, and in 2020, it ranged from 0.40 to 0.53. The synthetic measure of financial risk in 2010 ranged from 0.37 to 0.61, and in 2020, it ranged from 0.40 to 0.77. The measures are shaped by economic activity and working conditions, health, education, leisure and social relations, economic and physical security, and environmental quality. The results of this survey enable local governments to make comparisons. The lessons learned can allow them to identify potential directions for optimizing development policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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20 pages, 1675 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Effect and Mechanism of Circular Economy Promotion Law on the Utilization Rate of Industrial Solid Waste in Resource-Based Cities

by Gaowen Lei, Sidai Guo and Zihan Yuan

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9878; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169878 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1276

Abstract

In recent decades, the impact of industrial solid waste (ISW) on the environment is arousing the government’s attention. Improving the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW not only reduces environmental pollution, but also promotes the recycling of resources and eases the pressure on resources. This study uses the panel data of 278 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2015 to establish a DID model then empirically analyze the impact of the Circular Economy Promotion Law (CEPL) on the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW in resource-based cities. It was found that implementation of the CEPL improved the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW in resource-based cities. Furthermore, the higher the city’s environmental regulation score, the more obvious the effect of the CEPL on the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW. This study also found that the impact of CEPL on the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW in resource-based cities will change due to variation of city’s type and city’s location. This study not only enriches the theoretical basis for the research on factors affecting ISW management, but also provides new ideas for transforming the ISW management model and realizing a “win-win” between the economy and the ecological environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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18 pages, 7263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Patterns and Influencing Factors of Industrial Ecological Efficiency in Northeast China

by Wai Li, Xiaohong Chen and Ying Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9691; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159691 - 06 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1208

Abstract

Scientific measurement of regional industrial ecological efficiency and discussion of the development and changes of its spatiotemporal pattern are of great significance to accelerate the high-quality development of regional economy and coordinate the development of industrial economy and ecological environment. Taking the old industrial bases in Northeast China as the research case and 2004–2019 as the research period, a super-slack-based model was used to measure the industrial ecological efficiency of 34 prefecture-level cities in the region. Meanwhile, the spatial autocorrelation model and the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model were used to analyze the spatiotemporal pattern characteristics and the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of influencing factors. The results showed that: (1) From a time change perspective, the overall industrial ecological efficiency of Northeast China declined, the mean of the 34 cities decreased from 0.675 to 0.612, the number of cities with a high level of industrial ecological efficiency decreased significantly, the number of cities with a low level of industrial ecological efficiency increased significantly, and the development gap between cities within the region widened. (2) In terms of spatial pattern, the difference in the spatial pattern in the east–west direction decreased, and the spatial pattern in the south–north direction was enhanced. The industrial ecological efficiency of the central part of Northeast China gradually became the highest in the whole region. (3) From 2017, the industrial ecological efficiency had stable spatial autocorrelation characteristics. The local spatial autocorrelation was dominated by L-H-type cluster areas in the mountainous regions and L-L-type cluster areas in central and southern Liaoning province. H-H and H-L types had small numbers. In addition, the trend of H-H cities transforming into H-L cities was obvious, and the high level of urban space spillover effect showed good development. (4) The science and technology input, industrial agglomeration intensity, and environmental regulation of the government generally had a promoting effect on the improvement in industrial ecological efficiency, while the economic extroverted degree had a negative impact. The high-value area of science and technology investment and industrial agglomeration intensity concentrated significantly in the central part. The government focused on ecological protection areas and ecologically sensitive areas, and the economic extroverted degree had a significant positive impact on the two major urban agglomerations in central Northeast China. Therefore, differentiating measures should be taken according to the actual situation of each city to improve the industrial ecological efficiency level in Northeast China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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18 pages, 2836 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Matters for Regional Economic Resilience Amid Multi Shock Situations: Structural or Agency? Evidence from Resource-Based Cities in China

by Liangang Li, Shuoya Liu, Chen Li, Pingyu Zhang and Kevin Lo

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5701; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095701 - 09 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2035

Abstract

This paper contributes to the study of regional economic resilience by analyzing the characteristics and mechanisms of resilience under different shock situations. The paper focuses on the resistance dimension of resilience and analyzes the mechanisms of influence from structural and agency-based factors. Our findings reflect that the regional economic resilience characteristics of resource-based cities in China in response to the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic vary significantly. We find that the economic resilience has positive spatial autocorrelation characteristics. The regions with strong ability to deal with the shocks can promote resistance in the surrounding regions through their spatial spillover effect. Both structural and agency-based factors play significant roles in regional economic resilience under different shock situations, but the direction of the effect varies significantly. The agency-based factors have a more important role in regional economic resilience. The findings suggest that the nature of different shock situations deserves greater attention in the analysis of regional economic resilience. The mechanisms of structural and agency-based factors may change under different shock situations, and the spatial correlation characteristics of regional economic resilience and the spatial spillover effects should be taken into consideration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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14 pages, 1026 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term and Short-Term Effects of Carbon Emissions on Regional Healthy Development in Shanxi Province, China

by Zhongwu Zhang, Guokui Wang and Xiaojia Guo

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5173; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095173 - 25 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1468

Abstract

As an important energy base in China, the economic development of Shanxi Province highly depended on coal resources. However, huge coal consumption produced a large amount of carbon dioxide and aggravated ecological problems. Thus, this study uses energy consumption, GDP, and the urbanization rate from 1981 to 2020 via the Vector Auto Regressive (VAR) and impulse response function to analyze the interaction among carbon emissions, urbanization, and economic growth in Shanxi Province. The results show that relations among carbon emissions, economic growth, and urbanization are complicated, and all three have a long-term stable equilibrium relationship. The lag effect on each other reacts violently in the short term, and gradually becomes gentle over time. In the short term, carbon emissions are positively correlated with economic growth and have the same trend of change, but in the long run, carbon emissions will have a small hindering effect on economic growth. Carbon emissions reduce urbanization levels in the short term, and then gradually climb, tending to stabilize as time goes by. With respect to receiving economic growth impaction, carbon emission increases at the initial stage of economic development, but the growth rate becomes slow as time goes by. With respect to receiving urbanization impaction, carbon emission first declines and then rises slowly with relatively small and slow growth in general. The relations among carbon emissions, economic growth, and urbanization are complicated. Therefore, local government needs to be very cautious in regional governance, especially in economic and urban planning and design, take various factors into consideration, and adhere to low-carbon, green, and circular development so as to achieve the carbon peak and carbon neutrality as scheduled and make the urban economy develop sustainably. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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20 pages, 6238 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Measurements and Influencing Factors of Comprehensive Human Development in China

by Zaijun Li, Xiang Zheng and Suleman Sarwar

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5065; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095065 - 22 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1567

Abstract

Comprehensive human development is the ultimate goal of achieving a happy life and creating sustainable social development. This study examines 31 provinces in China as the research object, constructs an evaluation index system for comprehensive human development in three dimensions (human–nature, human–society, human–human), and analyzes the spatio-temporal evolution patterns. Barrier and regression analyses are used to identify the main drivers of the levels in different regions. The results show that: (1) China’s level of comprehensive human development has been on the rise since 2005. The level of harmonious development in human–nature and human–society is constantly improving, while the process of harmonious development in the human–human dimension is, relatively, lagging behind. There are large regional differences, with high-level areas being distributed in the northeastern and eastern coastal provinces, while the central and western regions are farther behind. (2) An analysis of the barriers shows that the development of green infrastructure is the main barrier affecting differences in the level of harmonious development in the human–nature dimension. Income distribution, housing problems, and recreation levels are the main barriers affecting differences in the level of harmonious development in the human–society dimension. The level of information technology and aging issues are the main barriers affecting the differences in the level of harmonious development of the human–human dimension. (3) Regression analysis shows that the level of economic development and the degree of openness have a significant impact on the level of comprehensive human development, and that industrialization plays a negative role, while the size of government and the level of marketization have a weak effect on comprehensive human development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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13 pages, 1347 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regional Economic Resilience in the Central-Cities and Outer-Suburbs of Northeast China

by Qiao Li, Haoming Guan, Zhangxian Feng and Wang Long

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2844; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052844 - 28 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2258

Abstract

The global economic downturn and the new normal status of China’s economy have revealed that the Northeastern region of the country is facing challenges due to poor adaptability and weak regional economic resilience. In regard to the regional cities of China’s municipal-administered county system and from the perspective of the relationship between the economic resilience of the central-cities and the outer-suburbs, it is helpful to explore the characteristics of the regional economic resilience in Northeast China from 2007 to 2018. We find that: (1) The economic resilience of the central-cities and outer-suburbs in Northeast China has deteriorated. Compared with the central-cities, the economic resilience of outer-suburbs has weakened even more. (2) The types of regional economic resilience of the central-cities and outer-suburbs of Northeast China have diversified and weakened. The main types of economic resilience have changed from city-prospered-suburb-prospered and city-balanced-suburb-prospered to city-balanced-suburb-balanced and city-declined-suburb-declined. There are differences in the types of municipal economic resilience that are affected by changes in the economic resilience levels of central-cities and outer-suburbs. (3) It is further confirmed that the industrial structure has an important influence on the resilience of the regional economy. The economic resilience of the outer-suburbs in the Northeast China appear to be more vulnerable and more heavily influenced by changes in the proportion of the secondary industry than the central-cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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21 pages, 2037 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Environmental Regulation on Green Total Factor Productivity: An Evidence from the Yellow River Basin, China

by Jinhuang Mao, Qiong Wu, Meihong Zhu and Chengpeng Lu

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2015; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042015 - 10 Feb 2022

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 1709

Abstract

Based on the data of 59 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2019, this paper uses the Slack Based Measure-Global Malmquist Luenberger (SBM-GML) model to measure green total factor productivity (GTFP) of the cities. Under the space–time concept of the Basin, heterogeneity analysis of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin is conducted. On this basis, a panel Tobit model is constructed to analyze the impact of environmental regulation on GTFP in the whole basin, upstream region, middle region and downstream region. The results show that the intensity of environmental regulation in the Yellow River Basin increases gradually, which is the highest in the lower reaches, followed by the middle reaches; spatially, the intensity of environmental regulation shows a certain aggregation trend. The green economic growth is realized in the whole basin, and the green technology progress effect is the driving factor of GTFP. The GTFP distribution in the upstream region is relatively concentrated, showing a slow upward trend. The distribution of GTFP in the middle reaches is discrete, and the annual difference is large. In the downstream region, it shows a trend of decline first and then increase. Environmental regulation promotes GTFP in the whole basin, upper, middle and lower reaches, accompanied by certain spatial differences. The Yellow River Basin breaks through the cost effect brought by environmental regulation and triggers technological innovation, thereby enhancing GTFP; the “Porter hypothesis” has been verified in the Yellow River Basin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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Review

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23 pages, 3880 KiB

Open AccessReview

China’s Hydropower Resources and Development

by Ling Xiao, Jing Wang, Binglin Wang and He Jiang

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 3940; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15053940 - 21 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2594

Abstract

Hydroenergy is developed due to its low-cost and near-zero pollution emission properties; therefore, the efficient management of hydroenergy is an important goal of sustainable development for any nation, especially for China, since it owns the most abundant water resources around the world. Developing hydroenergy is not only an effective response to the energy crisis but also a positive way to cope with climate change in China. Nevertheless, research on hydroenergy in China is still not comprehensive. This study reviews hydroenergy development in China by combining its geographical characteristics and hydroenergy reserves. The general condition of hydropower development including large- and medium-scale hydropower stations and small hydropower development is presented. This article illuminates the potential problems and existing challenges in China’s hydropower development and relevant exploitation suggestions are provided for hydropower development in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Governance and Ecological Sustainability)

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