Study on the Coupling and Coordination Relationship Between Urban Living Environment and Economic Development

The coordinated development of urban human settlements and the economy is a crucial indicator for assessing regional development and is essential for achieving sustainable high-quality development. Therefore, urban planning and management need to introduce scientific concepts to achieve a win–win situation for both the economy and the environment. (1) Background: Since the reform and opening up of China’s economy, it has undergone rapid development and urbanization. However, the improvement of human settlements has not kept pace. Some regions pursue economic development while neglecting environmental construction. To achieve a win–win situation for both the economy and the environment, urban planning and management need to incorporate scientific concepts. (2) Methods: This paper adopts a literature analysis method to construct a coupling coordination model and evaluate the level of coupling coordination between urban human settlements and economic development in 31 provinces and cities in China from 2011 to 2021. (3) Results: The level of coupling coordination has gradually increased year by year, but there are significant regional differences, with the East outperforming the West. Spatial analysis reveals a positive spatial correlation, indicating that provinces with similar development levels tend to cluster together. (4) Conclusions: The degree of economic outwardness, industrial structure, and residents’ income and consumption system are the main internal obstacles, while economic strength, urbanization, technological innovation, and human capital are positive external factors.