Can Transportation Infrastructure Construction Improve the Urban Green Development Efficiency? Evidence from China

Abstract

As an important policy tool for urban economic development, transportation infrastructure development can influence the environmental loads and economic performances of cities. Naturally, the following questions arise. In China, has the transportation infrastructure development improved the urban green development efficiency (UGDE)? Is the effect heterogeneous across cities? In this study, we constructed a theoretical model that included the residential utility and transportation infrastructure to analyze the influence path of the transportation infrastructure on the UGDE. Based on the panel data of China’s 268 prefecture-level cities covering the period 2011–2017, we adopted the all-factor nonradial directional distance function (TNDDF) method to measure the UGDE, and we then applied the panel data to investigate the impact of the transportation infrastructure on the UGDE. Overall, the increase in the traffic infrastructure remarkably enhanced the UGDE. Furthermore, the impact was heterogeneous across cities. The larger the city, the more obvious the promotion effect of the transportation infrastructure on the UGDE. The research conclusion of the study reminds us that we should make efforts on the supply side when building cities, placing transportation infrastructure construction on the same level as ecological environmental protection to achieve high-quality urban development.