Exploring the Dynamic Evolution and Drivers of the Coupled Coordination Relationship of Carbon Emission Efficiency and Economic Benefits in Construction Land Development

In the pursuit of sustainable urban development, construction land development (CLD) not only carries the important mission of promoting economic growth but also needs to actively respond to the environmental requirements of reducing carbon emissions. However, there is a tension and balance between these two objectives. This study explores the evolution characteristics and influencing mechanisms of the synergistic relationship between carbon emission efficiency and economic benefits of CLD based on the undesirable slacks-based measurement, coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, Tapio decoupling model, spatial convergence model, and interpretable machine learning techniques. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The CCR between CEE and economic benefits of CLD in China shows the characteristic of “improvement-stability-local decline”, and it is higher in the eastern region than in the central and western regions. (2) The decoupling of carbon emission efficiency (CEE) and economic benefits of CLD between 2003 and 2023 shows diverse trends in different provinces and time scales in China. (3) China’s eastern region are consistent with σ-convergence and β-convergence, and the gap in the level of inter-regional coupling co-ordination has narrowed. On the contrary, the central and western regions do not pass the σ and β-convergence tests, and the regional equilibrium needs to be improved. (4) In descending order of influence on CCR, they are ownership structure, urban construction land per capita, energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product, energy structure, industrial structure, and foreign trade investment intensity.