An assessment of urbanization sustainability in China between 1990 and 2015 using land use efficiency indicators

The sustainability of China’s rapid urbanization is of significance in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Here we integrated Earth observation and census data to estimate the relationship between land, population and economic domains of urbanization in 433 cities over 25 years using land use efficiency indicators. We find that the rise in ratio of land consumption to population growth rates (LCRPGR) was paralleled by a decline in ratio of economic growth to land consumption rates (EGRLCR). LCRPGR and EGRLCR of cities in Northeast China showed an abnormal and intense dynamics compared to other regions, suggesting that the northeastern region is more vulnerable to socioeconomic and environmental changes. The spatial expansion of superlarge cities in Central China may be unrestrained and should be the focus of strengthened regulations now and in the near future. The resource-dependent cities faced severe challenges for more effective actions of both economic transformation and population migration. Nonetheless, the gap of land use efficiency indicators between different income groups of the cities has been narrowed between 1990 and 2015, indicating that the evolution of urbanization in China is heading toward a more sustainable and coordinated process.