Coupling Coordination of Urbanization and Ecological Systems
Summary
Coupling coordination of urbanization and ecological systems examines how the processes of city expansion and ecosystem integrity interact, mutually constrain and ultimately harmonise. Urbanisation brings economic growth, infrastructure development and demographic concentration, while ecological systems provide essential services such as air and water purification, biodiversity support and climate regulation. Achieving coordinated development requires integrated indicator frameworks, dynamic models and spatial analysis to measure the degree of synchronisation between urban growth and environmental health. Research has revealed typical patterns—ranging from U-shaped to S-shaped trajectories—reflecting initial environmental degradation followed by recovery as urban systems mature and adopt green technologies. Global case studies underscore regional disparities, with developed agglomerations often exhibiting higher coupling coordination than less-developed regions. Practical applications of this work include guiding land-use planning, optimising green infrastructure investments and formulating adaptive governance strategies to ensure resilient, sustainable urban futures.
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Coupling Coordination of Urbanization and Ecological Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in coupling coordination of urbanization and ecological systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Coupling coordination degree: A quantitative measure of the synchronised development between urbanisation and ecological subsystems, reflecting the balance of mutual influence and relative advancement.
Environmental Kuznets Curve: A theoretical hypothesis describing an inverted U-shaped relation between environmental degradation and economic or urban development stages.
Remote sensing ecological index (RSEI): A composite metric derived from satellite data that integrates indicators such as vegetation cover, land surface temperature and moisture to assess ecological quality.
Nighttime difference index (NTDI): A remote-sensing-based indicator capturing spatial variations in human activity intensity by combining night-time light imagery with population density information.
References
- The coupling curve between urbanization and the eco-environment: China’s urban agglomeration as a case study. Ecological Indicators (2021).
- Spatiotemporal and Multiscale Analysis of the Coupling Coordination Degree between Economic Development Equality and Eco-Environmental Quality in China from 2001 to 2020. Remote Sensing (2022).
- Exploring the Relationship between Urbanization and Ecological Environment Using Remote Sensing Images and Statistical Data: A Case Study in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Sustainability (2020).
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