In the process of China’s high-quality economic development, the logistics industry has become one of the pillar industries of the national economy. In recent years, China’s logistics industry development has achieved significant results. The data show that the volume of express business grew from 31.28 billion pieces in 2016 to 83.36 billion pieces in 2020, and the revenue of express business reached 879.5 billion yuan. In addition, the added value of China’s logistics industry reached 415.17 billion yuan in 2020. All these fully illustrate that the logistics industry plays a pivotal role in improving people’s lives, promoting employment, and driving national economic growth. New urbanization is a kind of advanced stage in urbanization, with the basic characteristics of conservation and intensification, industrial interaction, ecological livability, urban–rural integration and harmonious development [1]. Nowadays, the development of urbanization is at high speed, and according to the relevant data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the urbanization rate in China has increased from 17.6% in 1978 to 63.9% in 2020. There is a forecast that China’s urbanization rate will reach 70.12% in 2030, which will far exceed the level of other regions in the world in the same period [2]. The development of the logistics industry and urbanization has given rise to several environmental problems, such as greenhouse gas emissions, fossil and other energy consumption generated by the logistics industry [3], the depletion of natural resources and pollutant emissions caused by urbanization [4]. In fact, there is a dynamic correlation between the logistics industry, new urbanization and the ecological environment that promotes and restricts each other. On the one hand, the continuous development of urbanization has given rise to a large amount of logistics demand in the region, which provides the impetus for the development of the logistics industry in the region. On the other hand, the logistics industry has an important impact on the city’s economy, culture and social life by ensuring the supply of social production and life [5]. In addition, green development is the mainstream development approach today, representing the new development concept of sustainable development. Facing the ecological problems and economic development needs in the context of the environment, the traditional rapid urbanization and industrial development can no longer be met. Both the development of the logistics industry and the construction of new urbanization should follow the concept of green and sustainable development. Thus, it is significant to realize the coordinated development among the logistics industry, new urbanization and ecological environment.

TIn this context, the harmony between human activities and sustainable development has become a critical academic issue in the study of the “coupled” relationship between humans and nature. The term coupling originates from physics, referring to the physical relationship between two or more elements [6]. Similarly, in economics, coupled coordination refers to the relationship between two or more systems interacting with each other, and this coupling evolves, showing a progression from uncoordinated to coordinated [7]. Systems theory assumes that an integrated system consists of several subsystems, which are interconnected and interact with each other to optimize the system as a whole ultimately [8]. The coordination of urban sustainable development systems has been a hot research topic [9]. A review of reveathe relevant literature reveals that coupled coordination degree models have been widely used in the study of the relationship between urbanization and the ecological environment, such as the coupling between urbanization, resource and environmental systems [10], and the coupling between tourism, urbanization and ecological environment systems [11]. However, the relationship between the logistics industry, new urbanization and ecological environment is rarely studied from the perspective of coupling and coordination. Therefore, the exploration of the relationship between these three is the weak link of the current study. Under the premise of considering the ecological environment, making full use of the factor gathering ability and industrial linkage effect of the logistics industry to promote urbanization and realize the positive interaction and coordinated development of the three systems is the key to the sustainable development of the region.

2. Relationship between Logistics Industry and New Urbanization

The research on the relationship between these two can be roughly divided into two categories. One category explores the influence of one party on the other, while the other is to evaluate the degree of coordinated development between the two. For the former, scholars have found that the impact of the logistics industry on new urbanization is manifested in promoting population urbanization and driving employment. Wang et al. analyzed the impact of logistics on urbanization in special hardship areas, in which the role of road mileage in the development of population urbanization was significant ^[12][13]. Chhetri et al. used principal component analysis and spatial autocorrelation models to analyze relevant data from Australia and found that there were spatial clusters of logistics employment in the west and south of Melbourne ^[13][14]. While the impact of new urbanization on the development of the logistics industry is mainly reflected in efficiency improvement and technological innovation. Zhang used a DEA model to investigate the impact of new urbanization on logistics productivity and found that new urbanization significantly improves logistics productivity by improving transportation networks and unleashing the consumption potential of the population ^[14][15]. Wolpert and Reuter showed that urbanization has led to a near saturation of road infrastructure, which can prompt urban logistics to respond to the challenges through innovative approaches ^[15][16]. For the latter, the research perspectives and conclusions are more diversified. For example, the interaction between the logistics industry and urbanization is elaborated from the perspective of supply chain urbanization ^[16][17]. Some studies have explored the degree of coupling between the two and the hysteresis phenomenon from the perspective of coupling and coordination ^[17][18]. Among them, Pu et al. analyzed the spatio-temporal coupling and evolution mechanism of urban logistics spreading and urbanization in China and concluded that the degree of correlation between the two showed the change of uncorrelated-negative–positive correlation, and the level of coupling and coordination was continuously improved ^[18][19]. Before conducting the coupling and coordination analysis, the construction of an evaluation index system was the key. Wu constructed a logistics subsystem from three aspects: logistics capacity, development scale and demand situation, and a new urbanization subsystem from four aspects: economic, demographic, social and ecological to evaluate the coupling and coordination relationship between the two ^[19][20]. In addition, there is also a study showing that the development of China’s logistics industry and urbanization construction have a co-integration relationship and can achieve good synergistic interaction ^[20][21].

3. Relationship between New Urbanization and Ecological Environment

The discussion on the relationship between the two can be divided into theoretical and empirical aspects. In terms of theoretical research, since Howard (1898) first proposed the concept of the “idyllic city” ^[21][22], many scholars have researched the mechanism of coordinated development of urbanization and the ecological environment and put forward relevant theories. For example, the “Northam curve” ^[22][23], “environmental Kuznets curve” ^[23][24] and “pressure-state-response” model ^[24][25]. In China, there is, the “social-economic-natural complex ecosystem” theory ^[25][26], “urban ecological library” ^[26][27], “sustainable urban development” theory ^[27][28] and “coupling magic square” theory ^[28][29]. These have greatly enriched the theoretical results between new urbanization and ecological environment and laid the foundation for empirical research. In terms of empirical evidence and research themes, they mainly include the following: first, urbanization has a negative impact on the ecological environment, such as water pollution ^[29][30], atmospheric pollution ^[30][31] and the reduction of regional diversity ^[31][32]; secondly, urbanization has a positive impact on the ecological environment, which is manifested as the improvement of the ecological environment ^[32][33][33,34]; thirdly, the impact of urbanization on the ecological environment is characterized by stages; that is, the direction and degree of impact on the environment change at different development stages of urbanization ^[34][35][35,36]. The evaluation of the coordinated development of new urbanization and the ecological environment is mostly measured by the degree of coupling coordination. Ariken et al. established the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) to study the coupling of urbanization and eco-environmental systems in the urban areas of the Yanqi basin, and the results showed that there is a moderate imbalance in the development of the two systems in the study area ^[36][37]. In fact, one problem in a system can directly or indirectly affect another system, eventually leading to the imbalance or even collapse of the whole system’s development. For example, due to rapid urbanization and population growth, the ecological environment deteriorates, the carrying capacity of ecological factors decreases and scarce resources make the cost of production and living increase, which eventually leads to a slowdown in the pace of urbanization ^[37][38]. For modern smart cities, their main concerns include the maintenance of ecosystems through pollution reduction and efficient use of resources, in which policies and broad citizen participation must be considered ^[38][39].

4. Relationship between the Logistics Industry and Ecological Environment

Most scholars tend to disagree about the relationship between the two from environmental regulation, low carbon and the relationship between environment and logistics performance. In terms of environmental regulation, there is more research discussing it as one of the factors influencing the development of the logistics industry. However, the conclusions obtained are not the same due to the inconsistent selection of research methods and measurement indicators. Some scholars believe there is a positive relationship between environmental regulation and logistics industry development, which is reflected in policy incentives and green technology innovation ^[39][40][40,41]. Zhang et al. used carbon emissions from the logistics industry and the value-added of the logistics industry as an environmental regulation indicator and found that the degree of environmental regulation has a significant contribution to logistics efficiency ^[41][42]. Another group of scholars holds the opposing view that there is a negative impact of environmental regulation on the development of the logistics industry, which is manifested in terms of additional costs, leading to the rise of enterprise management and administration costs and the difficulty of balancing technological innovation with the improvement of the production level ^[42][43][43,44]. As for low-carbon logistics, it mainly includes research on the problems and coping strategies of logistics industry development in the low-carbon context ^[44][45][45,46] and the research of incorporating carbon emissions into the evaluation system of logistics efficiency ^[46][47][47,48]. In addition, some scholars have also used coupled coordination models to study the relationship between regional logistics and ecological environment coordinated development from a low-carbon perspective. Zhou evaluated the coordinated development of regional logistics and ecological environment complex systems from input and output and resource and environment levels, respectively ^[48][49]. Bao and Li constructed a coupled index system of carbon emissions, energy consumption and the ecological environment to analyze the degree of coordinated development of carbon emissions in the logistics industry and ecological environment in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region ^[49][50]. Regarding the relationship between environment and logistics performance, Lu et al. constructed the Environmental Logistics Performance Indicator (ELPI) using data from a sample of 112 countries to assess the overall performance of these sample regions in terms of green transport and logistics practices ^[50][51]. Xu constructed a system of indicators for environmental policy and eco-logistics performance to test the mechanisms of their effects ^[51][52]. The growing research on the relationship between logistics development and the ecological environment is helpful for future research.

5. Relationship between the Logistics Industry, New Urbanization and Ecological Environment

There are relatively few studies on the coordinated development of the composite system constituted by these three, and some studies take carbon emissions as the entry point to analyze the dynamic relationship between logistics industry growth, urbanization and carbon emissions ^[52][53][54][53,54,55]. Gong and Zhu analyzed the impact of the logistics industry network construction on urbanization development in a low-carbon economy. They concluded that the interaction between the development of the low-carbon logistics industry and urbanization construction forms a feedback system, and the development of a low-carbon logistics industry can deploy urban functions and reduce its impact on the environment ^[55][56]. In addition, some scholars have also explored the relationship between the three from other dimensions. Guo et al. researched the relationship between air pollutant emissions, logistics services and urban population growth ^[56][57]. Shee et al. empirically investigated the stratified impact of smart logistics on the sustainability dimensions (i.e., environmental, social and economic) of smart cities. Their empirical results indicate that smart logistics have an immediate positive impact on the smart city environment, which, in turn, has a positive impact on social and economic performance ^[57][58]. Cao argues that the problems of exhaust, noise and traffic congestion caused by logistics have a negative impact on the urban environment, and, therefore, an effective mechanism for evaluating the sustainability of the urban logistics industry is necessary ^[58][59]. SBy reviewing the related literature, we can find that scholars have provided fruitful research results on the relationship between the logistics industry, new urbanization and ecological environment. This is reflected in the continuous enrichment in the definition of relevant concepts and the design of the evaluation index system, as well as the diversification of research perspectives. However, a few points still need to be further expanded, which are summarized as follows: First, from the perspective of research, for the two systems, scholars focus on the influence of one party on the other. In fact, as two independent and interconnected systems, their relationship is not only one-way but also a two-way interaction. Secondly, from the research content, relevant research focuses on analyzing the relationship between the two systems, while there is a lack of studies exploring the coupled and coordinated development of the logistics industry, new urbanization and ecological environment as a whole. In practice, urbanization requires large amounts of human, material and financial resources, which the logistics industry can provide. At the same time, this process will inevitably impact the environment. This shows that the logistics industry, new urbanization and ecological environment are not isolated, and dealing with the relationship between the three is an important issue facing China in achieving sustainable development ^[59][60]. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is one of the most dynamic and potential core areas in China’s economic development pattern. During the rapid development of industry and urbanization, the ecological environment has been damaged to varying degrees, and uncoordinated development has occurred among the three. Therefore, studying the relationship between the logistics industry, new urbanization and ecological environment in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is crucial. Given this, this paper constructs an evaluation index system for the logistics industry-new urbanization-ecological environment system on the basis of relevant study results. It also uses comprehensive evaluation models, coupling the coordination degree model and exploratory spatial data analysis methods to research the comprehensive development level, dynamic coupling and coordination of the three systems in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, as well as the spatial variability and development trend of their coupling and coordination levels. This extends and complements the existing related research and is expected to provide a theoretical basis and decision-making reference for the coordinated and sustainable development of the logistics industry, new urbanization and ecological environment in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.