Spatial correlation network of urban construction land allocation and carbon emission reduction coupled with high-quality economic development

Promoting sustainable urban development is a shared responsibility and an ongoing pursuit for all nations. The key challenge lies in balancing resource-environmental constraints with socio-economic development. This study examines three interlinked and pressing issues: urban construction land allocation, carbon emission reduction, and high-quality economic development. Using data from 284 Chinese cities during 2007-2021, this study combines the coupling coordination model with social network analysis to address the previously overlooked system integration and spatial correlation networks in existing research. The main results indicate that urban construction land allocation, carbon emission reduction, and high-quality economic development constitute an interconnected system driven by the interactions among population, land, industry, and energy. However, the overall coupling coordination degree remains low. Their spatial correlations transcend geographic proximity and administrative boundaries, forming an interwoven and multi-directional network. The network is dominated by international metropolises, economic centers, manufacturing cities, provincial capitals, and resource-rich regions. National economic engines and transportation hubs act as intermediary nodes. External connections among subgroups gradually surpass intragroup communications, with core subgroups exhibiting strong siphon effects but limited radiation effects. These findings reveal the potential for system integration within the land-carbon-economy nexus and depict the intercity correlation networks to address significant externalities. It is suggested that optimizing spatial flows and the structure of population, land, industry, and energy can strengthen mutual reinforcement and minimize trade-offs in the coupling system. Cities with different network roles should undertake specific functions such as radiation, siphoning, and transmission to achieve effective urban synergetic development.