How does new-type urbanization affect air pollution? Empirical evidence based on spatial spillover effect and spatial Durbin model.

Abstract

To alleviate the ecological and environmental problems caused by rapid urban development, China has formulated and implemented the new-type urbanization strategy. However, there is insufficient empirical research on the specific relationship between new-type urbanization and air pollution. Therefore, based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2018, this paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system of new-type urbanization using the five dimensions of population, economy, space, society, and green. The spatial Durbin model and the spatial mediating model are used to discuss the spatial effect, transmission mechanism, and regional heterogeneity of new-type urbanization on air pollution. The results show that China's air pollution mainly presents a spatial pattern of high-high agglomeration and low-low agglomeration, and there are spatial fluctuations. The construction of new-type urbanization significantly reduces local air pollution, and the industrial structure optimization, technological innovation, and energy structure adjustment are considered as important transmission mechanisms. However, under the fiscal decentralization and political tournament system in China, the policy implementation deviation may weaken the emission reduction effect of new-type urbanization, which is not conducive to regional environmental governance. From the sub-regional level, the impact of new-type urbanization on air pollution has regional heterogeneity. A robustness test confirms the reliability of our research conclusions. This study also proposes some policy suggestions that the government can utilize in grasping the policy focus of new-type urbanization construction to discover effective ways of controlling air pollution.