Research on the Coordinated Development of Population–Resources–Environment (PRE) Systems: An Empirical Analysis from Jiangsu Province, China

Abstract

As the population size and urbanization increase, the relationships within the population–resource–environment (PRE) systems are becoming tenser. Determining how to achieve the harmonious development of PRE systems is currently an important issue faced by society. This paper uses Jiangsu province in China as an example of constructing a coordinated development evaluation index system for PRE systems. Using the coefficient of the variation coordination method, we examined the comprehensive evaluation scores of PRE systems in Jiangsu province from 2000 to 2020 to explore its intersystem coordinated development evolution status and analyze its constraints. The results show that: (1) the overall evaluation scores of PRE systems in Jiangsu are on the rise; (2) the overall coordinated development degree of Jiangsu has undergone obvious changes in stage and is currently in the stage of coordinated development; (3) there are obvious spatial differences in the overall coordinated development degree of Jiangsu, and the overall trend is gradually changing from “low in the south and high in the north” to “high in the south and low in the north”; and (4) the population urbanization rate, environmental management effectiveness, and regional development imbalance, restrict the coordinated development of PRE systems in Jiangsu.