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Description
Achieving sustainable urban development is a critical pathway for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Klopp and Petretta, 2017), and the implementation of effective and sustainable policies is essential to achieving this objective (Lowe et al., 2022). In this context, China has launched a series of the Urban Green Action (UGA) plans, such as the Eco-Garden City, the National Forest City, the Park City initiatives. These plans include a number of policies and corresponding indicator systems designed to provide nature-based solutions to the socio-environmental challenges associated with rapid urbanization (de Jong et al., 2016). However, research suggests that in China's top-down governance system, rapid policy changes are often key drivers of urban change and development (Jia et al., 2020). While previous studies have extensively explored the implementation effects of the China UGA policies (Zhang et al., 2021, Wang and Cheng, 2024), there remains a lack of in-depth analysis on whether rapid evolution of these policies impacts the long-term sustainability of SDGs.
To address this gap, the study examines the relationship between dynamic changes in UGA policies and sustainability urban development. Specifically, it evaluates the sustainability of these policies by analyzing their effects before and after implementation. The study focuses on addressing two key research questions: 1) Are there differences in SDGs-oriented sustainable urban development at different stages of UGA policy implementation? 2) To what extent can these differences be attributed to shifts in the three sub-three UGAs polices, namely the Eco-Garden City, the National Forest City action and the Park City initiatives?
Using Hangzhou City as a case study, this study quantitatively analyzes the impacts of the three sub-three UGAs on the SDGs across three implementation phases (2005-2009, 2013-2017, and 2019-2024). An indicator system aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN-SDGs) framework was constructed, featuring 21 indicators across three dimensions of economy, society and ecology. Propensity Score Matchin (PSM) and Difference-in-Difference (DID) models were employed to systematically assess how shifts in the sub-UGAs influenced the sustainable development of Hangzhou City.
The findings reveal the following: 1) Overall, Hangzhou’s coherence in sustainable development has improved significantly between 2005 and 2024, reflecting the positive role of the three sub-UGA policies in promoting the city's long-term development. 2) Notable improvements in social and ecological indicators were observed after 2008, suggesting a strong correlation between UGA policy shifts and progress towards the SDGs; 3) Although rapid changes in UGA policies have had complex impacts on long-term SDGs progress, the continuous improvement and enrichment of indicator systems have contributed to improvements in social indicators and the balanced development of economic and ecological dimensions.
The study reveals the dynamic relationship between policy changes and urban development, highlights the importance of developing coherent and long-term effective policies, and provides valuable insights for refining the implementation strategies of UGA plans to enhance urban sustainability.
References
Jia, M., Liu, Y., Lieske, S.N., et al. (2020) Public policy change and its impact on urban expansion: An evaluation of 265 cities in China. Land Use Policy, 97: 104754.
de Jong, M., Yu, C., Joss, S., et al. (2016) Eco city development in China: addressing the policy implementation challenge. Journal of Cleaner Production, 134: 31–41.
Klopp, J.M. and Petretta, D.L. (2017) The urban sustainable development goal: Indicators, complexity and the politics of measuring cities. Cities, 63: 92–97.
Lowe, M., Adlakha, D., Sallis, J.F., et al. (2022) City planning policies to support health and sustainability: an international comparison of policy indicators for 25 cities. The Lancet Global Health, 10 (6): e882–e894.
Wang, Z. and Cheng, K. (2024) “Urbanization, Urban Greening, Planning Policies in China.” In Dong, G.-H., Yang, B.-Y. and Yu, Y.-J. (eds.) Green Space and Human Health in China. Singapore: Springer Nature. pp. 223–248.
Zhang, Y., Zhang, T., Zeng, Y., et al. (2021) Designating National Forest Cities in China: Does the policy improve the urban living environment? Forest Policy and Economics, 125: 102400.
| Keywords | Policy effect; the Urban Green Action; Sustainable development goals; Hangzhou |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
