Industrial transformation efficiency and sustainable development of resource-exhausted cities: a case study of Daye City, Hubei province, China

Exploring the synergistic relationship between industrial transformation efficiency and urban sustainable development level has scientific reference value for the sustainable development of resource-exhausted cities (RECs). Taking Daye City in China as an example, this paper used the DEA and EWM models to measure the industrial transformation efficiency (ITE) and urban sustainable development level (USDL) of Daye City, and described the synergistic relationship between the ITE and the USDL by using the Haken model and regression analysis. Results show that: (1) The ITE of Daye City showed the evolution of "first decrease and then increase" from 2000 to 2019. Among them, pure technical efficiency played a greater role in promoting the comprehensive efficiency level. Long-term redundant input and insufficient output are the main reasons for ineffective or low transformation efficiency in some years. (2) With the steady rise of urban sustainable development level, the urban transformation of Daye City has experienced a transition from the disordered state of "low level, efficiency decreases" to the ordered state of "high level, high efficiency". Thus, this study finds the existence of "U curve" between the ITE and the USDL. (3) As the order parameter of urban development system, the promoting effect of ITE on the USDL in Daye City was gradually strengthened. A timing skew in stages is observed in the synergistic promoting effect of the ITE and the USDL. (4) The industrial transformation process of RECs is influenced by external environment, government function efficiency, financing efficiency, macroeconomic development level, science and technology support and so on. RECs should tend to find the combination of ITE and USDL to form the comprehensive efficiency promotion mechanism of administration, service, technological progress and financing.