Urban Circulation Network Construction Policy and Carbon Emission Performance: Evidence from the Layout of National Circulation Node Cities

A rational layout of circulation node cities and the construction of an efficient and coordinated urban circulation network are crucial for promoting green urban development. Investigating the effect of urban circulation network development on urban carbon emission performance and its underlying mechanisms can offer a theoretical foundation and empirical evidence for the evaluation and refinement of policies in circulation node cities. Based on the quasi-natural experiment of circulation node cities, this study utilizes a difference-in-difference (DID) model to evaluate the influence of urban circulation network construction on urban carbon emission performance and examine its operative mechanisms. The findings reveal that the development of urban circulation networks markedly improves urban carbon emission performance, a result demonstrated to be robust. The enhancement effect of such development is more substantial in central and western regions, non-resource-based cities, as well as small and medium-sized cities. Analyses of underlying mechanisms indicate that the construction of urban circulation networks primarily operates through green technology innovation to indirectly elevate urban carbon emission efficiency. Extended analysis confirms the objective existence of regional convergence in carbon emission performance. Although the development of urban circulation networks facilitates the advancement of carbon emission performance, its influence on accelerating regional convergence remains limited. The research conclusion helps to expand the understanding of the modern circulation system construction from a green and low-carbon perspective and provides policy reference value for achieving high-quality development.