Research on Evaluation and Driving Factors of Sustainable Development of Chinese Sub-Provincial Cities Based on Public Participation

The main body of this paper focuses on the status and planning of the sustainable construction of Chinese sub-provincial cities. Twelve evaluation indicators are selected through the three supporting subsystems of economy, society and environment, and weights are given according to the selected indicators. The city’s sustainable development indicators for 15 sub-provincial cities from 2013 to 2017 and horizontal comparisons in various years (mainly 2017) are aimed at a reasonable ranking. The results of this study are as follows: 1) The final research results are more in line with the current state of economic construction in China’s sub-provincial cities; 2) The gap between China’s sub-provincial cities in sustainable development level is larger, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have higher overall levels. The overall level in Xi’an and Harbin is the weakest; 3) Since 2013, the sub-provincial cities have had a sustainable development level that first increased and then decreased, and the regional differences have gradually decreased; 4) The coefficient of variation helps us understand the different factors on the level of sustainable development. The impact of public ratings will help us understand the level of sustainable development from a public perspective.