Where is a pathway to sustainable development? Coupling coordination analysis of the human–environment system: An empirical study of 295 Chinese cities

The coupling coordination of human–environment system (HES) is conducive to achieving the UN 2030 sustainable development goals. This study constructs the evaluation system of HES to analyze its spatial–temporal variation and influencing factors based on the panel data of 295 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2019. From our results, the coupling coordination degree of HES in China has experienced an increasing trend from 2007 to 2019, but the overall level is relatively low, with increasing regional disparities. Industrial upgrading, infrastructure, industrialization, technological innovation are main factors affecting the coupling coordination of HES, and their influence degree have significant spatial heterogeneity. What’s more, the effects of social service, investment, and technological innovation have spatial spillover effect. The transformation of traditional industries and the realization of ecological product value are important paths to promote the coupling coordination of HES. Technological innovation and good infrastructure provide fundamental guarantees. The targeted policies should not only consider key influencing factors, but also take into account the spatial heterogeneity and spatial spillover effect of influencing factors.