Measurement and distribution characteristics of urban green productivity: based on fuzzy rough set and spatial autocorrelation analysis

While accelerating the green transformation of cities is the key to achieving China’s dual carbon goal, the fundamental role of productivity in urban green development is often ignored. To address this, the green development statuses of 285 cities in China from 2008 to 2019 are analyzed from the perspective of green productivity. The fuzzy rough set and entropy weight methods are used to construct a measurement system of urban green productivity and clarify its distribution and spatial autocorrelation characteristics. The results indicate the following. (1) The urban green productivity measurement system accounted for urban economic development, urban environmental quality improvement, urban energy efficient utilization, urban social security, and urban health. (2) During the period from 2008 to 2019, the overall level of urban green productivity in China never exceeded 0.5, which put it in the shaping stage. (3) The overall distribution of green productivity shows ‘individual prominent, most contiguous’ spatial distribution characteristics, and the urban green productivity levels in different regions were ordered: eastern > central > western > northeastern. (4) Urban green productivity exhibited spatial autocorrelation characteristics. This study suggests that cities carry out physical examination and radiation strategies to improve the level of green productivity and achieve sustainable urban development.