Are smart cities advancing green development? A comprehensive analysis in China

Smart cities constitute a pivotal model for urban development and serve as a significant impetus for advancing urban sustainability. However, the question of “are smart cities promoting green development” is rarely studied. This study addresses the question through a comprehensive analysis. Firstly, a super-efficient Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model that incorporates undesirable outputs was employed to measure green development efficiency (GDE). Secondly, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of GDE were analyzed using the Global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) index, Dagum Gini coefficient, and Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis. Additionally, a panel Tobit regression model was established to explore the factors influencing GDE. 123 smart cities in China from 2009 to 2020 were employed as a case study. The results indicate that GDE generally exhibits an upward trend over time, primarily driven by efficiency and technology changes. Simultaneously, regional disparities are observed in GDE, with hypervariable density being the primary source of these differences. Spatially, a notable expansion of areas with high GDE was observed. Finally, smart cities could promote green development through the influencing factors such as industrial structure, opening-up, scientific and technological development, government intervention, and informatization. The developed comprehensive methods could be used to measure and analyze green development performance across various domains worldwide.