Does the Upgrading of Development Zones Improve Land Use Efficiency under the Net-Zero Carbon City Goal? Prefectural-Level Evidence from Quasi-Natural Experiments in China

Jinguo Rao, Xiaosong Zhang and Duanqiang Zhai ()
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Jinguo Rao: ZJU-STEC Urban Development and Planning Innovation Joint Research Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Xiaosong Zhang: ZJU-STEC Urban Development and Planning Innovation Joint Research Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Duanqiang Zhai: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-22

Abstract: Given the challenges of restricted land resources and net-zero carbon city initiatives, it is crucial to seek a balance between intensive land use and carbon neutrality during the construction of development zones. By incorporating net-zero carbon balance into the land use efficiency evaluation system and utilizing a quasi-natural experiment based on the 2009 provincial development zone upgrading policy, this study investigates the policy’s impact on urban land use efficiency under the net-zero carbon city goal. The study finds that the upgrading of provincial development zones significantly enhances urban land use efficiency, while exhibiting the dual effects of reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon sinks. Mechanism analysis reveals that the upgrade policy improves land use efficiency by enhancing land-use and environmental regulations, optimizing resource allocation, and fostering green technological innovation. Heterogeneity analyses show that the policy effect is more significant in eastern and central cities, with the impact being strongest in central cities. Additionally, the impact of upgrading to a national high-tech development zone is greater than that of upgrading to a national economic development zone. This article provides insights into how to use industrial policies effectively to achieve intensive land use and high-quality development while aiming for carbon neutrality.

Keywords: development zones; land use efficiency; net-zero carbon cities; carbon neutrality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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