Evaluating High-Quality Development in the Construction Industry via the Matter–Element Extension Method: A Case Study of 11 Cities in Zhejiang, China

China’s construction industry is facing increasing pressure for transformation and upgrading, with high-quality development becoming an essential goal. However, the precise definition and evaluation criteria for high-quality development remain ambiguous. Against this backdrop, this study focuses on 11 cities in Zhejiang province to explore the connotations of high-quality development in the construction industry and establishes an evaluation index system for assessing it. This study employs the entropy weight method and matter–element extension method to evaluate the high-quality development levels of the construction industry across these cities. The empirical results reveal that the development of the construction industry in Zhejiang province is uneven across cities, with significant potential for overall improvement. This study validates the proposed index system and evaluation model while supplementing empirical evidence; it also enriches the literature and provides both theoretical and technical support for advancing the construction industry’s transition toward high-quality development.