What the study found
The study found that urban green development capacity, used here as a measurable proxy for urban sustainability, increased steadily in Qingdao from 2014 to 2023. It also found substantial differences among 24 coastal cities in eastern China in 2023, with the top cities scoring nearly twice as high as those at the lower end.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that the findings suggest urban sustainability is associated with a coupled interaction among capital, technology, performance, and institutional coordination rather than with linear economic expansion alone. They also say the study provides a quantitative tool for measuring and benchmarking urban sustainability capacity and offers empirical support for differentiated sustainability transition pathways in coastal and transition-economy cities.
What the researchers tested
The researchers built a multidimensional assessment framework covering economic development, technological innovation, green transformation performance, and green coordination capacity. They used the entropy weight–TOPSIS method, a ranking approach that combines weighted indicators, to analyze Qingdao longitudinally from 2014 to 2023 and to compare 24 coastal cities in eastern China in 2023.
What worked and what didn't
Qingdao’s composite score increased from 0.25 in 2014 to 0.81 in 2023, with faster growth after 2020 following structural and policy adjustments. Cities with stronger technological innovation intensity and institutional coordination consistently outperformed others. The abstract does not report which specific interventions worked best beyond those associations.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe the limitations of the study in detail. It also focuses on Qingdao and 24 coastal cities in eastern China in 2023, so the findings are specific to that region and time frame.
Key points
- Qingdao’s green development capacity score rose from 0.25 in 2014 to 0.81 in 2023.
- Growth in Qingdao accelerated after 2020 following structural and policy adjustments.
- Across 24 coastal cities, the highest sustainability capacity levels were nearly twice the lowest.
- Cities with stronger technological innovation intensity and institutional coordination scored better.
- The study used an entropy weight–TOPSIS framework to measure and compare urban green development capacity.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Green development capacity rose in Qingdao and varied widely across cities
- Authors:
- Guang Qi Wang, Wei Chen, Yonghong Ma, Jianhui Yin
- Institutions:
- Harbin Engineering University, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin Engineering University, Northeast Forestry University
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-26
- DOI:
- 10.3390/su18052238
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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