The analysis of the relationship between regional resources and environment and human activities plays an important role in sustainable regional development. This study proposes the pressure–capacity–governance (PCG) model, an analytic framework for the assessment of the resources and environmental pressure (REP), carrying capacity (RECC) and governance (REG) levels over a large watershed scale, with the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as the study area. A limiting factor analysis is used to recognize the limiting factors of the regional RECC. The coupling analysis of resources and environmental pressure–capacity–governance identifies the regional potential and utilization direction. The research results are as follows. (1) The REP, RECC and REG levels of the YREB exhibit spatial differences. The REPs of the upper reaches are lower than those of the lower reaches, which does not match the RECC but matches the REG levels. (2) The proportions of unused land, water resources, and atmospheric environmental quality are the main limiting factors of the regional RECC. (3) The PCG analysis framework is used as the basis to divide the YREB into several subareas to analyse the resources and environmental potential carrying capacity and utilization direction of different types of region. This research may provide decision-making references for regional sustainable development at the large watershed scale.

As urbanization continues to accelerate worldwide, the consequential rise in CO₂ emissions has caused substantial environmental challenges. Urban regeneration has emerged as a promising approach to reducing carbon emissions and developing low-carbon cities. Even though both urban regeneration and carbon emissions reduction have been researched from various perspectives, a thorough review is still required to completely reveal their multifaceted relationship. Based on 231 papers published between 2001 and 2023, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to understand the overall trajectory and main focus of the existing research. Then, we qualitatively analyzed the main findings from bibliometric results in terms of key regeneration elements, specific regeneration strategies, research methodologies, as well as research trends and agendas. The results indicated that research in this field is gradually becoming more specialized and comprehensive. Buildings and energy have always been two key urban regeneration elements and research hotspots. Additionally, as a systematic project, reducing carbon emissions requires further exploration of other regeneration elements’ contributions and their interactions in the urban system, which needs the corresponding support of more specific regeneration strategies and research methodologies. These findings can advance the development of innovative and impactful pathways for low-carbon oriented urban regeneration, leading ultimately to sustainable cities.

Purpose: Recently, the concept of financial technology (FinTech) has attracted extensive attention from international organisations and regulators, in particular, how to achieve a “win–win” situation between financial institutions' FinTech innovation and effective regulation has become a hot topic. This study purposes to explore the evolutionary game relationship between FinTech innovation and regulation by constructing both static and dynamic earmarking game models.Design/methodology/approach: A simulation experiment was conducted using primary data obtained from a commercial bank in China.Findings: The results of the theoretical analysis of evolutionary game models were consistent with the corresponding simulation results, proving the validity of the proposed evolutionary game models. It was also found that the dynamic earmarking game model was more stable and effective than the static earmarking game model in promoting FinTech innovation and regulation. Furthermore, when the regulators utilised a dynamic earmarking mechanism, the evolutionary path of financial institutions and regulators' behaviour strategies took the shape of a spiral and eventually converged to a central point, indicating the existence of an evolutionary stable strategy and Nash equilibrium. Finally, because the behaviour strategies of financial institutions were mainly influenced by the regulators' policies, the regulators were inspired to adjust the corresponding regulation policies on FinTech innovation.Originality/value: This study bridges the knowledge gap in the existing literature on financial innovation and regulation, in particular by establishing evolutionary game models from the perspective of financial earmarking policies. Also, the case study for simulation experiments can gain a more intuitive insight into FinTech innovation and financial earmarking policies.

Effective land use contributes to sustainable urban development. However, there are various reports suggesting that urban land resources used mismatch to different extents in many Chinese cities. This study measures the degree of the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources from a supply–demand perspective, and a mismatching coefficient, namely land resource mismatch (LRM), is adopted as the measurement. The data used for the empirical analysis are from a sample of 35 cities in China. The empirical study shows the effectiveness of employing the mismatching coefficient LRM model in evaluating the degree of the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources. The research findings suggest the following: (1) Overall, the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources is significant in China in the form of either supply shortage or over-supply. (2) The degree of the mismatch phenomenon is different between different types of land, with the land for administration and public services showing more serious mismatching and the land for commercial and business facilities showing less mismatching. (3) There are significant differences both in the type and the degree of land use mismatch among different cities, which are contributed largely by the intensity of local government’s controlling and planning role on land resources and the maturity of applying market mechanisms. The results from this study can inform the government of the importance and necessity of adopting effective policy measures for mitigating the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources. The research method applied in this study can be applied in a larger context internationally for understanding the effectiveness of utilizing urban land resources.

Urbanization in China has resulted in serious conflicts. Landless peasants are resettled between urban and rural areas in transitional communities. where their rural lifestyles often lead to spatial conflicts. We proposed a conceptual model to provide theoretical guidance for the governance of spatial conflicts and the sustainable transformation of resettled communities. Using field observations and semi-structured interviews, we examined 10 resettled communities in Hangzhou, China. The use of grounded theory to code the interview texts yielded 71 initial concepts and 22 categories that we then refined into six main categories: community physical environment (e.g., quality of private housing), community communication environment (e.g., heterogeneity of community population), landless peasants’ risk perceptions (e.g., impacts on social psychology), community governance capacity (e.g., trust in community’s self-governing organizations), residents’ space perceptions (e.g., awareness of space rights), and space competition behavior (e.g., fighting for public space). Finally, we applied social combustion theory to construct a logical relationship between the core category and main categories. The results show that changes in the physical and communication environments are the root elements (“combustion substances”) of spatial conflicts; the driving factors are landless peasants’ risk perceptions and community governance capabilities; direct elements (“ignition temperature”) are residents’ space perceptions and space competition behavior. Strategies for sustained transformation in resettled communities should prioritize gradual transitions of community space, improve support mechanisms for landless peasants, optimize community governance mechanisms, and cultivate awareness of community rules. This study aids the understanding of the inner mechanism for the sustainable development of resettled communities and has implications for other countries and regions in similar contexts.