Urban land and sustainable resource use: Unpacking the countervailing effects of urbanization on water use in China, 1990–2014

Abstract

Despite substantial attention paid to the environmental outcomes of urbanization, explanations and evidence have been surprisingly mixed. Drawing on political economy arguments and the ecological modernization theory, this study addresses the gap in the literature by conceptualizing urbanization as an intertwining process of population concentration and land use intensification, and examines how these two dimensions influence water use at the local level. Panel data for total water use, per capita water use, and water use efficiency are analyzed using random effects and fixed effects panel regression models for 286 Chinese cities from 1990 to 2014. The findings suggest that population concentration and urban land use have countervailing effects on water use and per capita use, while both improve water use efficiency. The results confirm the inner tussle within urbanization, and imply that cities with smaller population size and intense land use show potential for sustainable water use.