A research team led by Associate Professor Zhang Weishi from the Faculty of Geography at Tianjin Normal University (TNU) has made significant progress in the study of urban sustainable development goals. The team proposed a measurement methodology for assessing regional equity both within and among cities, providing policy recommendations for narrowing regional equity gaps. The findings were published in the journal "Environmental Impact Assessment Review" under the title "Assessing the effectiveness of SDGs implementation in reducing intra-urban spatial inequality: A spatiotemporal heterogeneous modeling in China."
Since their introduction, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become a crucial international consensus for promoting coordinated economic, social, and environmental development. China has developed multi-level and differentiated local practices in this process. However, whether the implementation effectiveness of local governments has truly reduced intra-urban development disparities remains a critical question that urgently requires answers. To address this practical context, the research team systematically examined the policy performance of local governments in implementing SDGs and its impact on urban spatial equity.
The research results indicate that while the advancement of SDGs has improved the balance of urban development to a certain extent, its effects demonstrate significant stage-based and regional variations. In some areas, policy-driven effects are more pronounced, whereas in economically developed cities or those experiencing significant population outflow, the impact remains relatively limited. This finding suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient. More tailored policy combinations are needed in the future to achieve more inclusive urban sustainable development.This paper provides new empirical evidence for understanding the practical pathways of local governments in the global sustainable development agenda, offering valuable references for subsequent policy optimization.
Figure 1. The impact of SDG policy implementation and its spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics.
Associate Professor Zhang Weishi is the first author of the paper. Assistant Professor Xu Ying from Central University of Finance and Economics is the corresponding author. TNU is the primary institutional affiliation. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 72471173, 72504297, 72104178), the Tianjin Natural Science Foundation General Program (Grant No. 25JCYBJC00010), and the Central University of Finance and Economics Research Project (XMXZ2507).
Paper link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2025.108118
By He Jierui
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