Is there a joint force between academic literature and policy measure in promoting low-carbon city

In addressing the dramatic increase in carbon emissions and the induced extreme climate events, academics and governments have promoted the development of low-carbon cities as an important strategy. However, the promotion will be effective if the academic studies and policy measures on low-carbon cities can form a joint force. This study examines whether the two types of instruments form a joint force in promoting low-carbon city development. The “attention” method and coupling coordination degree model are applied when conducting the study. The joint force is analysed from temporal and dimensional perspectives by proposing two parameters of synchronicity and concentricity. The empirical data were collected in the context of China from 1996 to 2022. The results reveal that policy measures and academic literature can form a joint force in promoting low-carbon city development. The degree of synchronicity between the two types of promotion instruments has increased during the research period, evidenced by the finding that synchronicity values across various dimensions in Phase 5 are two to four times higher than those in Phase 3. Policy measures appeared later than academic literature in promoting low-carbon cities, however, they have been leading the promotion of low-carbon city practices in later phases. The degree of concentricity joint force varies across different low-carbon dimensions. The highest value of concentricity appears in the energy dimension, whereas the lowest value is present in the green space carbon sink dimension. The results suggest the potential differences in focal priorities between academic literature and policy measures across different low carbon city dimensions. The study demonstrates the importance of a collaboration platform between the academic community and government departments in order to promote low-carbon city development.