Assessing the alignment of land consolidation policies with the Sustainable Development Goals: A case study of China

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires mechanisms that translate global objectives into context-sensitive local policies. Land consolidation connects land governance, spatial planning, and sustainable development, yet systematic frameworks for evaluating its alignment with the SDGs remain limited. Guided by Fit-for-Purpose (FFP) principles, this study develops an SDG-oriented framework based on the Policy Modeling Consistency (PMC) index. It first applies content analysis to extract land-consolidation measures from a national policy. It then establishes a multidimensional mapping between policy measures and SDG targets through expert consultation, constructing an indicator system covering social, economic, ecological, spatial, and managerial dimensions. Differentiated weights based on provincial development orientations and indicators of local policy innovation are incorporated to reflect the FFP principles of purpose-driven, fit-to-context, inclusiveness, and flexibility. Using 26 provincial-level administrative units in mainland China as empirical cases, the results reveal significant interprovincial variation in SDG alignment. Spatial and managerial dimensions performed strongly, while the social dimension showed a relatively high mean but considerable variation. Economic alignment was weaker, and the ecological dimension recorded the lowest mean and greatest variation. Cluster analysis identifies three policy types, including institution-led, spatial and social response-dominant, and multi-dimensional synergistic advancement. This study extends FFP from project suitability assessment to SDG-oriented policy text analysis and proposes a transferable evaluation paradigm for land governance and broader spatial planning research.