China’s construction industry has neglected sustainable development to a certain extent while developing rapidly. The current research on the sustainable development of the construction industry is relatively single-dimension and lacks multi-dimensional integration research. This paper integrates the five dimensions of Green, Opening, Sharing, Innovation, and Coordination, and addresses these issues by introducing an integrated framework combining the coupling coordination degree model, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and obstacle degree model. This framework dissects the factors influencing sustainable growth during a pre-pandemic period, offering a foundational understanding of the dynamics before the pandemic. Findings reveal a nuanced development landscape: although the overall coupling coordination level remains low, there is a clear positive trend toward greater synergy between economic expansion and sustainable practices. The spatial analysis highlights distinct disparities, with Chengdu forming “High–High” clusters and the southwestern region showing “Low-Low” clusters. Key obstacles include insufficient coordination, limited resource sharing, and inadequate innovation, with carbon emissions, labor productivity, and green infrastructure as critical challenges. This paper bridges the gap in systematic research on sustainability in the construction industry. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders and advocate for enhanced sectoral coordination and innovation, providing a road map for fostering a more sustainable and resilient construction industry globally.
Wan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.