Exploring the coupling coordination and key factors between urbanization and land use efficiency in ecologically sensitive areas: A case study of the Loess Plateau, China

• Exploring the coordination characteristics of UR and ULUE based on CCD model and GWR model. • Constructing a comprehensive evaluation index system of urbanization and land use efficiency. • Analyzing the multi-level key factors of CCD between UR and ULUE in the Loess Plateau. • Providing a case study for urban planning and urban large-scale construction engineering in ecologically sensitive areas. With the acceleration of rapid urbanization and industrialization, the contradictory relationship between urbanization construction and urban land use becomes increasingly prominent. Exploring the complex dynamic relationship between urbanization (UR) and urban land use efficiency (ULUE) is conductive to new-type urbanization construction and ecological environment protection. The urbanization subsystem consists of four aspects, including demographic urbanization, economic urbanization, spatial urbanization, and social urbanization. ULUE was measured by SBM model, the coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) and geographically weighted regression model (GWRM) were adopted to explore the CCD and its spatial effect of thirty-nine cities in the Loess Plateau from 2010 to 2019. The empirical results showed that there was a significant imbalanced development difference of CCD between UR and ULUE, the comprehensive development of urbanization subsystem lags the urban land use efficiency subsystem, and the hot spots are concentrated in the northwest areas and the cold spots are concentrated in the south areas. Additionally, urban carbon emission, population density, and total fixed asset investment have significant negative spatial effects on CCD, urban road construction has positive spatial impact on CCD. These findings and conclusions can provide decision-making information reference for urban planning and urban large-scale construction engineering in ecologically sensitive areas.