Synergistic development of construction land expansion and efficiency: A Chinese multi scale study
Yun Ye, Zhenjiang Li, WU Qun, Jian Wang
Abstract
China's economic growth has accelerated construction land development. Current research focuses on boosting land productivity sustainably and aligning it with urban growth patterns. This paper examines China's construction land expansion (2000–2020) from a micro-grid perspective, using a multi-scale approach to analyze spatiotemporal differences in construction land efficiency. It also explores factors shaping synergistic effects through temporal stratification and spatial partitioning. The results show that: (1) China's construction land expansion shows U-shaped dynamics, shifting from coastal to central and western regions, leading to converging regional development patterns. (2) With multiple growth poles emerging, regional development disparities are decreasing while construction land efficiency improves steadily. (3) Coordination levels evolve spatiotemporally, transitioning from low to medium-high synergy states. (4) Synergy index fluctuations correlate with regional differences in urban growth, investment, and workforce distribution. Integrated management of development factors is needed to enhance construction land effectiveness and control expansion. The study examines the agglomeration-scaling relationship between construction land expansion and efficiency metrics, revealing diverse responses, spatiotemporal variations, and scale-dependent effects. Factor decomposition provides new perspectives for sustainable and quality-driven land development, offering frameworks to balance sustainability and development quality. • Firstly, analyzing regional land development patterns and utilization effectiveness at micro-grid level across temporal and spatial dimensions. • Secondly, examine the spatiotemporal stratification of interaction mechanisms between land expansion and utilization efficiency. • Thirdly, assessing the spatial-temporal classification of coordination indices measuring land use efficiency-expansion dynamics. • Fourthly, exploring the driving mechanisms and geographical variations in the efficiency-expansion coupling relationship.