Urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE) has emerged as a pivotal metric for gauging sustainable urban development. As cities continue to expand and industrialize, balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship presents an escalating challenge. Recent research by Zhang and Cao (2025) explores the nuanced role of policy tools in enhancing ULGUE across China’s diverse regions, offering a comprehensive analysis of how different policy mixes affect urban green use outcomes. Their findings illuminate the complexity of sustainable urban land management and provide a roadmap for policymakers striving to optimize land use in an environmentally responsible manner.
In their investigation, Zhang and Cao employed fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), a sophisticated methodological approach that captures configurational effects and the interplay between different policy mechanisms. This analytic technique is particularly well-suited to understanding complex causality in policy environments where single interventions rarely operate in isolation. By applying fsQCA to provincial data, the researchers could discern patterns and pathways through which various combinations of policy tools synergize to improve ULGUE.
One of the standout revelations of this study is the pronounced regional disparity in ULGUE performance across China. The efficiency with which urban land is used for green purposes exhibits a clear east-to-west gradient, where eastern provinces generally outperform their western counterparts. This suggests underlying socio-economic and infrastructural disparities, reflecting varying capacities and governance styles across regions. Such spatial heterogeneity underscores the necessity of region-specific policy formulations instead of a uniform national approach.
China’s land redevelopment policies are multifaceted and employ a triad of policy tools: supply-based, environment-based, and demand-based tools. Intriguingly, the research highlights an uneven reliance on these instruments. Environment-based tools, which typically encompass regulations and standards aimed at protecting ecological assets, have seen the most government support and deployment. In contrast, demand-based tools that actively engage market and stakeholder demand for green urban spaces remain underutilized, potentially signaling missed opportunities for leveraging public participation and private sector dynamism in green urban transformation.
Crucially, the study dispels the notion that any single policy tool type alone could sufficiently improve urban land green use efficiency. This points to the essential role of integrative policy frameworks where complementary tools work in concert. The synergistic effects of deploying multiple policy instruments simultaneously can yield enhanced outcomes that exceed the sum of their individual impacts. Such a finding challenges policymakers to move beyond siloed initiatives toward more holistic, multi-dimensional policy architectures.
The analysis identified four distinctive models of policy tool configurations conducive to high ULGUE: environment-demand synergy, supply-environment synergy, supply-demand synergy, and holistic synergy. Each model represents a unique pathway through which policy instruments can align their objectives and mechanisms to foster green urban land use. These archetypes provide actionable templates for urban planners and authorities seeking to customize their policy mixes based on local conditions and development goals.
Delving deeper into regional characteristics, Zhang and Cao observed significant variation in how land redevelopment policy tools are combined across provinces. Both supply-side policy tools (such as land provision and infrastructure development) and environment-based regulations consistently functioned as foundational supports for improving ULGUE, albeit with regionally contingent differences in effectiveness. This nuanced understanding advocates for bespoke policy tailoring to harness local strengths and address contextual barriers effectively.
Notably, the holistic synergy model—an integrative approach that melds supply-based, environment-based, and demand-based tools—demonstrated broad adaptability across different development stages and geographic settings. This suggests that while regional customization is crucial, a balanced, comprehensive policy mix capable of dynamic adjustment represents the most resilient strategy for sustainable urban land management.
The researchers emphasize that advancing ULGUE through policy configurations is not a static endeavor but one necessitating continual refinement and responsiveness to evolving urban realities. This involves not only periodic policy recalibrations but also the establishment of monitoring systems to evaluate implementation outcomes and feedback mechanisms to ensure learning and adaptation.
Despite these illuminating insights, the research acknowledges inherent limitations. The dataset covers only thirty Chinese provinces, constraining the generalizability of findings at the international scale. Future comparative studies incorporating diverse global urban contexts could provide valuable validation and broader theoretical generalizations regarding policy tool synergies and land green use efficiency.
Furthermore, while grounded in policy tool theory, the analytical framework may omit emerging or hybrid policy instruments now gaining traction, such as digital governance platforms or participatory urban design initiatives. Expanding theoretical models to incorporate such innovations could enrich future explorations and capture the dynamic policy landscape surrounding sustainable urban development.
Methodologically, the exclusive use of fsQCA centers the investigation on identifying causal configurations and explanatory patterns but does not quantitatively estimate the marginal effects of individual policy tools. Integrating complementary methods like econometric regression or simulation modeling in subsequent research could yield a more granular understanding of cause-effect relationships, enhancing the robustness and practical utility of policy recommendations.
This study by Zhang and Cao thus crystallizes the complexity and interdependence inherent in orchestrating urban land green use efficiency. It underscores the inadequacy of singular policy solutions and illuminates the potential for diverse and adaptive policy tool frameworks to steer urban environments toward sustainability. As urbanization pressures intensify globally, the insights from China’s experience offer valuable lessons for cities worldwide grappling with the imperative to reconcile growth with environmental stewardship.
The implications extend beyond policymaking to urban planning, environmental management, and economic development sectors, advocating for cross-disciplinary collaboration. The recognition that multiple policy levers must be harmonized encourages integrated governance approaches, including stakeholder engagement, technological innovation, and regulatory reform.
As urban landscapes evolve, the importance of tailored, evidence-based, and flexible policy architectures will only grow. Zhang and Cao’s contributions provide an indispensable compass for navigating these complexities, promoting a deeper understanding of how targeted policy mixes can transform urban land use patterns to foster greener, more sustainable cities.
In conclusion, crafting effective urban land green use policies demands a sophisticated appreciation of regional diversity, policy synergy, and dynamic adaptation. The four identified synergistic policy models offer versatile frameworks capable of guiding the transition to more sustainable urban futures. Policymakers and urban managers equipped with these insights can more confidently design interventions that maximize environmental benefits without compromising developmental aspirations.
Ultimately, this research reaffirms the transformative power embedded in finely tuned policy combinations. As cities worldwide strive to meet sustainable development goals, the ability to configure diverse policy tools in complementary and adaptive ways will be central to unlocking their potential for greener urban transformation. Zhang and Cao’s study marks a significant advance in this endeavor, charting pathways toward more efficient, resilient, and sustainable urban land uses.
Subject of Research: Urban Land Green Use Efficiency and Policy Tool Configuration in China
Article Title: Different pathways, same goal: configuring different types of policy tools to improve the urban land green use efficiency
Article References:
Zhang, S., Cao, X. Different pathways, same goal: configuring different types of policy tools to improve the urban land green use efficiency. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 1571 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05958-7
Image Credits: AI Generated
