The Core–Periphery Patterns in Land-Use Benefits: Spatiotemporal Patterns and Driving Mechanisms in the Chengdu–Chongqing Urban Agglomeration

In the context of new-type urbanization and high-quality development, this study aims to construct a multi-objective synergistic land-use mechanism to tackle the “growth-equity-ecology” trilemma in the Chengdu–Chongqing Urban Agglomeration (CCUA). By building an economic–social–ecological benefit evaluation index system and applying TOPSIS with entropy weighting, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, and the spatial Durbin model (SDM), we systematically explore the spatiotemporal patterns of land-use benefit synergies and their driving mechanisms. The results reveal the following: (1) From 2015 to 2023, CCUA’s land-use CCD generally improved but showed marked core–periphery polarization. Chongqing’s economic agglomeration worsened regional gaps, while Sichuan’s intra-regional policies boosted internal balance; cross-jurisdictional collaboration eased border disparities but failed to stop overall polarization. (2) Spatial clustering identified hotspots in Chongqing’s main urban and suburban areas and cold spots in eastern Sichuan, reflecting the coexistence of factor agglomeration and cross-border policy synergy. (3) Road network expansion directly hindered CCD, and neighboring ecological protection triggered resource-competition spillovers, emphasizing the key role of cross-regional governance in balancing the “ecology-development” trade-off. This study puts forward spatially differentiated strategies and cross-jurisdictional coordination mechanisms to optimize land-use structures and advance sustainable development in urban agglomerations.