The impact of urban sprawl on green total factor productivity: A spatial econometric analysis in China

• Published in: Frontiers in environmental science Vol. 11
• Main Authors: Liu, Shucheng, Wu, Peijin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Frontiers Research Foundation 24-02-2023; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Cities; Consumption; Data envelopment analysis; Econometrics; Economic analysis; Economic development; Economic growth; Efficiency; Elasticity; Empirical analysis; Environmental science; Geographic information systems; green total factor productivity; Impact analysis; Land area; landscan population statistics; Lighting; Literature reviews; nighttime lighting data; Population (statistical); Population characteristics; Population density; Population dynamics; Population growth; Population statistics; Productivity measurement; Remote sensing systems; Spatial analysis; spatial durbin model; Statistical analysis; Sustainable development; Urban areas; Urban sprawl; Urbanization; China
• ISSN: 2296-665X; 2296-665X
• DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1095349

The rapid expansion of Chinese cities has led to serious urban productivity and eco-environment changes, and has therefore attracted considerable international academic attention. The main objective of this study is to investigate the theoretical mechanisms and practical effects of urban sprawl on green total factor productivity (GTFP), in order to provide a reference for optimizing the spatial layout of cities and promoting high-quality economic development. Realistic urban land area and population characteristics are extracted using DMSP/OLS and NPP/VIIRS nighttime lighting data, and LandScan global population dynamics statistics to measure the urban sprawl index. GTFP is measured using a super-SBM model that considers undesirable output. Based on the panel data of Chinese cities from 2006 to 2020, a spatial Durbin model was constructed to carry out the empirical analysis. The results show that, overall, urban sprawl in China is detrimental to its own GTFP, while contributing to the GTFP of neighboring cities. The impacts of urban sprawl vary markedly across cities of different sizes and across regions.