The Yangtze River Delta, as a flagship region spearheading China’s economic expansion, offers a rich context to investigate the coupling coordination between regional integration and urban land’s green efficiency. Regional integration, which entails the seamless economic, social, and infrastructural connectivity among cities, is often posited as a catalyst for shared prosperity. However, its impact on urban sustainability parameters, particularly the efficiency of land use that factors in ecological considerations, is less explored. This study steps into this knowledge gap by employing an enhanced gravity model—a method typically used to quantify interaction potentials among urban nodes, effectively capturing the multifaceted flow of people, goods, capital, and information across different cities.

Significantly, the research broadens traditional efficiency analysis by integrating environmental variables into a super-efficiency Slack-Based Measure (SBM) model. This sophisticated modeling technique not only computes the relative efficiency of urban land utilization but also accentuates green efficiency aspects. Green efficiency here refers to the maximization of economic output using urban land resources while minimizing environmental impact, a cornerstone of sustainable urban planning.

Chronologically, the study maps the trend of both regional integration and urban land utilization green efficiency from historical data spanning several years. Remarkably, findings indicate a synchronized upward trajectory for these two facets, underscoring how progressive intercity collaboration goes hand in hand with more efficient and environmentally responsible land use. This Concordance illuminates a positive feedback loop, where enhanced infrastructural and economic links drive economies of scale and innovation, which then contribute to greener urban development practices.

Delving deeper, the analytic framework employs coupling coordination models—a tool borrowed from system dynamics—to gauge the extent and quality of interrelation between these two domains. The results reveal a substantial strengthening of coupling coordination across the Yangtze River Delta cities, characterized by notable spatial clustering. This clustering suggests that geographic proximity and intercity cooperation intensify mutually beneficial dynamics, amplifying positive outcomes for both economic integration and sustainable land utilization.

Equally illuminating are the factors identified as key drivers or impediments to this coupling coordination. Industrial structure upgrading emerges as a pivotal force, highlighting the role of transitioning towards higher value-added and less environmentally taxing industries in fostering regional synergy and green land use. Concurrently, economic scale—the size and mass of economic activity within cities—suggests that bigger urban centers can leverage their assets to achieve better integration and land use efficiency, likely owing to richer resource pools and innovation capabilities.

External accessibility, including transportation networks and logistical connectivity, also plays a crucial role. Efficient access to regional and national hubs helps cities tap into broader economic and environmental benefits by facilitating smoother flows of goods and people, reducing redundancies and unnecessary land consumption. Government intervention, encompassing policy frameworks, planning regulations, and subsidies, is another critical enabler, underscoring the importance of coordinated governance in fostering and managing coupled growth sustainably.

Intriguingly, the research points to the contrasting effect of excessive road area within urban settings. While roads are necessary for connectivity and mobility, surplus road infrastructure appears to hinder the coupling coordination relationship. This paradox highlights the potential downsides of indiscriminate expansion of road networks, which can lead to urban sprawl, increased carbon emissions, and lowered land use efficiency, thereby dampening the environmental gains from integration.

Spatial econometric modeling enriches the analysis by accounting for spatial dependencies—geographic spillovers and interactions—among cities within the regional system. This approach surfaces nuanced spatial heterogeneity in how factors influence the coupling coordination, suggesting location-specific policy interventions. For instance, metropolitan cores may require different strategies than peripheral cities to optimize their integration and green land use profiles.

The policy implications stemming from this comprehensive study are profound. To harness the full potential of regional integration for sustainable urban development, policies must emphasize industrial upgrading, enhance economic scales through strategic investments, and bolster external accessibility with sustainable transport systems. At the same time, deliberate control over urban infrastructure expansion, particularly road networks, is necessary to prevent adverse effects on land use efficiency.

This research stands as a clarion call for integrated regional development paradigms that transcend traditional economic objectives and embed environmental stewardship into the core planning and governance models. The Yangtze River Delta’s evolving experience serves as a blueprint for other urban agglomerations globally that aspire to reconcile growth with sustainability.

By systematically analyzing the coupling coordination relationship, this work bridges disciplinary divides between regional economics, urban planning, and environmental science, leveraging advanced quantitative models to deliver actionable insights. The study’s methodological rigor combined with its policy relevance exemplifies how data-driven approaches can illuminate complex urban phenomena and guide sustainable futures.

As urbanization accelerates worldwide, the delicate balance between fostering economic ties and preserving ecological viability becomes increasingly precarious. This study not only delineates this balance in the context of one of China’s most influential urban regions but also advances the conceptual and methodological tools necessary to replicate such analyses elsewhere.

The Yangtze River Delta, with its dynamic urban nodes interconnected through economic, social, and infrastructural arteries, highlights the transformative power of regional integration when harmonized with green urban development goals. This dual advancement is critical for meeting China’s ambitious environmental targets and ensuring that urban land resources contribute positively to long-term economic and ecological resilience.

In conclusion, the study showcases that advancing urban land utilization green efficiency alongside regional integration is not merely a theoretical ideal but an achievable policy objective, contingent on strategic planning, targeted interventions, and continuous monitoring of spatial dynamics. The findings underscore the imperative for policymakers to adopt sophisticated analytical tools and embrace a holistic vision of urban development that reconciles growth with sustainability.

This landmark research not only contributes to academic discussions but also provides a practical roadmap for urban administrators, planners, and policymakers aiming to achieve synergistic development in complex urban regions. Ensuring efficient, green, and coordinated urban growth remains paramount as cities worldwide navigate the challenges of the 21st century.

Subject of Research: Regional integration and urban land utilization green efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta region of China.

Article Title: Exploring the coupling coordination relationship and influencing factors between regional integration and urban land utilization green efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta, China.

Article References:
Zhang, Y., Gao, T., & Sun, Y. Exploring the coupling coordination relationship and influencing factors between regional integration and urban land utilization green efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 1660 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05923-4

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This research emerges against the backdrop of the YRD’s pivotal position as a strategic economic corridor and a hub of manufacturing, technology, and finance. The region’s heterogeneous development levels, marked by powerful metropolitan cores and less-advanced peripheries, present an ideal canvas to explore how foreign investment quality shapes local resilience to shocks. Through comprehensive spatiotemporal data analysis across cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hefei, the authors trace the evolution of FDI quality, the rise of new quality productive forces—entities characterized by advanced innovation and productivity—and the resulting economic resilience outcomes.

Central to the study’s revelations is the identification of a U-shaped relationship between FDI quality and both new quality productive forces and economic resilience. Initially, FDI quality exerts a suppressive effect, potentially due to adaptation lags or incompatibilities between foreign technologies and local industrial structures. However, as integration deepens and absorptive capacities improve, the influence becomes positive and amplifies resilience. This insight marks a departure from simplistic linear models and calls for a reevaluation of how foreign investments are harnessed over time within regional development strategies.

The mediation role of new quality productive forces emerges as another critical mechanism. These productive forces act as transmission channels linking FDI quality to economic resilience, suggesting that innovation and productivity enhancements derived from foreign capital are instrumental in buffering economic systems against volatility. Notably, this mediation effect exhibits regional heterogeneity: in the more developed Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, full mediation is observed, whereas in Anhui, a less developed province, the relationship displays partial mediation and a transient inverted U-shape, reflecting local structural challenges.

Temporal disaggregation of the data further illuminates the evolving nature of these dynamics. While FDI quality appeared to dampen economic resilience during the 2009–2017 period—perhaps reflecting the global financial crisis aftermath and early-stage integration challenges—its role pivoted to a positive contributor between 2018 and 2022, coinciding with intensified innovation ecosystems and policy reforms. This temporal shift underscores the importance of adaptive governance and sustained capacity building in maximizing the benefits of foreign investment quality.

Spatial analysis uncovers nonlinear spillover effects that add layers of complexity to regional development interactions. Neighboring regions benefit from positive externalities when the local technological absorptive capacity is low, indicative of knowledge diffusion and technology transfer mechanisms. However, as technological disparities widen and marginal returns on knowledge spillovers diminish, these benefits are supplanted by siphoning effects. Enhanced factor mobility—facilitated by improved infrastructure—further exacerbates such siphoning, where core cities attract resources at the expense of peripheral areas, resulting in an inverted U-shaped impact of local FDI quality on neighboring regions’ economic resilience.

These empirical patterns challenge traditional spillover theories and demand more nuanced conceptual models that incorporate absorptive capacity thresholds, diminishing returns, and mobility-induced resource reallocation. The spatial Durbin model employed in this research permits such a sophisticated evaluation, capturing both direct and indirect effects with temporal granularity. This methodological innovation represents a significant advancement in unpacking the complex interplay among FDI, innovation, and resilience.

The observed spatial clustering of FDI quality, productive forces, and resilience across the YRD reflects entrenched regional disparities. The core metropolitan cities consistently outperform others, attributable to stronger innovation infrastructures, higher levels of human capital, and more mature industrial ecosystems. Meanwhile, secondary cities and less-developed areas show relative balance but lag on absolute growth metrics, indicating persistent challenges in achieving balanced regional development. This spatial heterogeneity calls for tailored policy interventions recognizing local contexts rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

From a theoretical standpoint, the study extends economic geography and regional development literature by elucidating nonlinear interdependencies and mediating mechanisms underpinning resilience formation. The identified U-shaped and inverted U-shaped relationships illuminate dynamic phases of development where the effects of external investments evolve from disruptive to developmental or vice versa. This challenges static assumptions and encourages dynamic policy design that adapts to changing regional capacity and market structures.

Policy implications are profound and multifaceted. The research advocates for spatially differentiated foreign investment policies, especially emphasizing customized strategies for lagging subregions such as Anhui Province. By facilitating targeted integration of foreign capital within local value chains, these policies can address entrenched developmental gaps and foster sustainable, inclusive growth. Moreover, the centrality of new quality productive forces as mediators highlights the necessity of nurturing innovation ecosystems through enhanced collaboration among industries, academia, and research institutions.

Furthermore, the evidence points to the importance of coordinated institutional frameworks and resource allocation mechanisms. Integrated governance approaches that align institutional policies with optimized resource distribution can simultaneously drive quality economic growth and regional equity. Core cities’ radiating influence can be harnessed effectively through metropolitan area development, while proactive policy dividends can empower less-developed regions to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Enhancing regional coordination mechanisms within the YRD is vital for facilitating factor mobility and knowledge spillover while mitigating siphoning effects.

Increasing support for innovation-driven development is imperative, requiring systemic enhancements in enterprises’ independent innovation capabilities and mechanisms for technology absorption from high-quality foreign investment. Establishing collaborative innovation systems spanning industry, universities, and research institutes can sustain industrial transformation and boost resilience. Governments are urged to not only increase policy support but also build resource-sharing platforms and optimize the flow of innovation factors toward new productive forces.

Diversification of resilient economic development pathways is another strategic pillar. Refinement of industrial policies, talent development aligned with market demands, and improved education-industry integration together form the backbone of robust economic systems capable of absorbing shocks. Such approaches are critical for balancing development across the YRD and maximizing the cumulative advantage of urban agglomerations centered around powerhouse cities like Shanghai and Nanjing.

The study’s findings shape a vision for the future of regional economic governance in the YRD and beyond. Aligning policies with urban characteristics, promoting inter-city collaboration, and integrating innovation, industrial, and capital chains can leverage complementary advantages and foster resource sharing. This integrated approach promises not only to enhance economic resilience but also to elevate the global competitiveness of the region in an increasingly uncertain and interconnected world.

Importantly, this research affirms the necessity of temporal and spatial contextualization in understanding complex economic phenomena. Policymakers, scholars, and practitioners must recognize that the impact of FDI quality and innovation is neither static nor uniform but varies across places and over time. Embracing such complexity enables more effective interventions that support sustainable development trajectories aligned with local needs and capacities.

In sum, the study by Lv, Lian, and Hua offers an incisive, data-rich exploration of the multifaceted roles of foreign investment quality, innovation, and spatial diffusion in shaping economic resilience within one of China’s most dynamic regions. By integrating sophisticated spatial econometric techniques with rich longitudinal data, it establishes new conceptual and empirical benchmarks for regional economic development research. The implications resonate deeply with global debates on managing foreign capital, fostering innovation, and building resilient economic systems in the face of rapid technological change and geopolitical uncertainties.

This research not only enriches academic discourse but also provides a strategic roadmap for policymakers aiming to orchestrate balanced and quality growth in multi-polar urban regions. The interplay between local capabilities, innovation ecosystems, and investment quality revealed herein underscores the critical importance of adaptive governance and coordinated regional planning for sustainable development in the 21st century.

Subject of Research: Foreign direct investment quality, new quality productive forces, and economic resilience in the Yangtze River Delta region, analyzed via spatial and temporal dimensions with empirical spatial Durbin modeling.

Article Title: The relationship between FDI quality, new quality productivity forces, and economic resilience in China’s Yangtze River Delta region: insights from an empirical spatial Durbin model.

Article References:
Lv, H., Lian, Y. & Hua, X. The relationship between FDI quality, new quality productivity forces, and economic resilience in China’s Yangtze River Delta region: insights from an empirical spatial Durbin model. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 1083 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05436-0

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