Empirical Study on the Carbon Reduction Effect of the “Industry–Space–Policy” Collaborative Paradigm: A Comparative Analysis of Nine Industrial Parks

Industrial parks serve as critical nodes in urban energy consumption and carbon emissions, posing substantial challenges to sustainable urban development. Yet existing research lacks systematic investigation into the synergistic effects of industrial restructuring, spatial configuration, and policy instruments on sustainability outcomes. This study addresses this gap by proposing and empirically exploring a “three-dimensional collaborative paradigm” encompassing the industry, space, and policy dimensions. Through comparative analysis of six low-carbon pilot parks and three traditional high-carbon parks, the researchers employed a carbon flow topology network accounting framework integrated with exploratory association analysis to examine emissions reduction mechanisms. The results indicate that parks implementing coordinated strategies across all three dimensions demonstrate substantially lower emission intensities compared to those pursuing single-dimensional approaches. Industrial symbiosis networks, spatial compactness through transit-oriented development, and integrated policy packages emerge as critical success factors for enhancing park-level sustainability. The study identifies industrial restructuring as a potential prerequisite for effective spatial transformation, with temporal sequencing playing a possible role in optimization outcomes. Given the limited sample size ( n = 9) and the exploratory design, all findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory. The synergistic mechanisms exhibit contextual variations across different park types and climatic conditions. This study’s primary contribution is the development of an integrated conceptual framework and a practical carbon accounting methodology; the empirical findings are illustrative and intended to guide future confirmatory research.