Investigation of the relationship between economic growth and mismanaged construction waste: Evidence from 268 cities in China

Developing countries face the unprecedented environmental protection challenges associated with urban regeneration and economic development. These challenges are particularly evident in managing the vast quantities of construction waste (CW) generated by new building construction and demolition at an urban scale. Capturing the dynamic relationships between CW and urban economic development is a key step in addressing the imbalance between the two and in exploring effective management strategies. This study innovatively uses urban-level data to analyze the non-linear relationship between CW and economic development, while verifying the applicability of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in the context of CW management. By exploring both short-term and long-term equilibrium effects using data from selected Chinese cities, the study investigates the heterogeneity among four agglomerations through hybrid panel econometric methods. Subsequently, quantitative data analysis is conducted to uncover the socioeconomic drivers of CW generation and to explore their unidirectional causality relationships. This approach not only provides crucial evidence for developing a strategic framework for CW management, but also extends the applicability of the EKC hypothesis to the domain of CW.