Study on the Effectiveness of Environmental Regulations and Its Spatial Spillover in China’s High-Quality Human Habitat Cities

High-quality human habitat cities in developing countries are facing new urban environmental problems as a result of the significant resource footprints of wealthy urban populations in the process of rapid urbanization. These areas are desperate for solutions to the coexistence of old and new pollutants, as well as inorganic and organic compounds. The authors of this study propose a comprehensive framework and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of environmental regulation in high-quality human habitat cities for a state-of-the-art path of improving environmental governance and optimizing environmental policies in these regions. This paper aims to analyze the effectiveness of environmental regulation and its spatial spillover in cities with high-quality human habitats. The results reveal that environmental regulation has a marginal effect on such cities, and local governments in the area have a race to the bottom in environmental governance. This study not only contributes to the promotion of an evaluation framework for examining the effectiveness of existing environmental regulations but also makes policy recommendations for adapting to the changing ecological environment in high-quality human habitat cities in developing countries.