The coupling coordination relationship and promotion path of green economic efficiency and urban land development intensity: based on the case study of 283 prefecture-level cities

The coordination and interaction of green economy efficiency (GEE) and urban land development intensity (ULDI) constitute a critical pathway toward achieving sustainable urban development. However, few studies have directly analyzed the coupling and coordinated mechanisms between GEE and ULDI, examining the coupling and coordinated relationship between GEE and ULD, and most have overlooked the interdependencies among the factors influencing their coordination. Focusing on 283 prefecture-level cities in China, this study constructs a comprehensive research framework, which includes analyzing interactive mechanisms between GEE and ULDI, evaluating the coupling and coordination degree between the two using a coupling coordination degree model, and identifying the driving factors and their configuration effects through the time-series qualitative comparative analysis (TSQCA) method. The results indicate that the coupling and coordination degree between GEE and ULDI in China increased from 0.479 in 2003 to 0.594 in 2019, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 1.34%, suggesting that China is currently in a transitional phase. The necessary condition analysis reveals that no single factor—whether governmental, market-based, or societal—constitutes a necessary condition for achieving high levels of coupling coordination. Five configurations promoting high coupling coordination and one configuration leading to non-high coupling coordination were identified. Based on these findings and the realities of Chinese cities, a Chinese paradigm of tripartite synergy among government, market, and society is proposed to promote the sustainable and coordinated development of GEE and ULDI.