Local and telecoupling coordination degree model of urbanization and the eco-environment based on RS and GIS: A case study in the Wuhan urban agglomeration

With the development of globalization, telecoupling (socioeconomic and environmental interactions between distant places) is proposed as a relatively new concept. On this basis, the coupling of urbanization and the eco-environment (UE) has a new definition: local and telecoupling. However, previous studies quantifying the coupling coordination of UE are limited in that they ignore telecoupling. In light of this research gap, the study proposes an improved evaluation framework for local and telecoupling coordination of UE based on RS and GIS. First, urbanization level and eco-environmental quality are assessed objectively by the improved compounded night light index (ICNLI) and the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), respectively. Then, the local and telecoupling coordination degree model (LTCCDM) is proposed to quantify the local and teleoupling coordination of UE. Finally, an empirical analysis of the Wuhan urban agglomeration (WUA) from 2008 to 2018 is conducted. The results indicate that: (1) The framework can objectively and quantitatively evaluate the coupling coordination of UE in line with reality. (2) The urbanization level and eco-environment quality both show an upward trend with a core-peripheral spatial pattern. (3) The WUA has undergone development from uncoordinated to coordinated. Corresponding recommendations are provided to promote regional sustainable development.