Effect of new energy demonstration city policy on urban land green use efficiency

The new energy demonstration city (NEDC) policy is an important measure for China to address resource and environmental issues and achieve the green transformation of the urban economy. Under the dual test of ecological and economic benefits, this study selects panel data from Chinese prefecture-level cities and uses the difference-in-differences method to investigate how the NEDC policy promotes the improvement of urban land green use efficiency (LGUE). Results show that: (1) the NEDC policy can significantly improve urban LGUE, and this result holds after a series of robustness tests. (2) The effect of the NEDC policy on urban LGUE varies depending on geographical location and resource endowments. The NEDC policy is more conducive to improving the LGUE in eastern regions and resource-based cities than in central and western regions and non-resource based cities. (3) The NEDC policy can affect urban LGUE through two channels: driving green technology innovation and promoting industrial structure optimization. Public environmental concern can generate a positive regulatory effect, amplifying the enhancement effect of the NEDC policy on LGUE. This study objectively evaluates the green development effect of the NEDC construction from the perspective of urban land use, which has important practical significance and reference value for the subsequent promotion and implementation of the NEDC policy and the green transformation of urban land use.