How does urban land use impact green total factor productivity? Evidence from 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China

The green use of urban land plays a crucial role in the high-quality development of regional economy. Meanwhile the green total factor productivity is considered an important indicator for measuring high-quality economic development. Based on panel data for 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2003 to 2018, Spatial Durbin Model and Panel Threshold Model are used in this paper to analyze the impact of urban land scale endowments and land economic endowments on green total factor productivity. The results show that: (1) the green total factor productivity of cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt ranges from 0.164 to 1.209, which is more than half of the cities achieved growth, and the average value fluctuated up and down during the study period; (2) the expansion of urban land scale significantly inhibits green total factor productivity, while GDP per unit land area promotes green total factor productivity; (3) the spatial correlation exists in urban land use and green total factor productivity, and there is heterogeneity in this impact among regions; (4) there is a threshold effect between urban land use and green total factor productivity, and the effect differs depending on which variables are considered (environmental regulations, average wage, and population density); and (5) under the regulation of urban population density, the influence of the urban land economic benefit on green total factor productivity changes from inhibition to promotion, showing a U-shaped relationship. Finally, we provide some policy suggestions for optimizing land use structures and improving land eco-economic efficiency of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.