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AbstractConcerns about opportunistic behaviors by governments and their failure to recognize local needs are significant issues with place-based policies. In China’s aid program targeted at Xinjiang, rather than solely relying on fiscal transfers and centralized decision-making, there was encouragement for the involvement of state-owned enterprises and direct cooperation between aid providers and recipients. While these arrangements have helped the program succeed in addressing concerns related to place-based policies and have contributed to economic growth in recipient areas, there are potential negative impacts on the local environment, leading to what is termed as a pollution heaven scenario. Analyzing of data from 72 ethnic cities in China using a difference-in-differences approach, we demonstrate that the program resulted in notable increases in local GDP and PM2.5 concentrations, accompanied by expansion of polluting industries. This study is pertinent to ongoing discussions in place-based policy research and offers policy insights both domestically and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapid urbanization drive, marked by extensive urban renewal projects, necessitates a meticulous examination of their transformational impact on the human settlement environment (HSE) across urban landscapes. This study investigates the impact of China's urban renewal progress on the spatial–temporal changes in the HSE from 2009 to 2019, using data from 40 prefecture-level cities in the Yangtze River Delta. Our findings reveal an overall positive relationship between the spatio–temporal evolution of urban renewal and the HSE, suggesting that urban renewal projects have had a beneficial impact, particularly following the announcement of China's New Urbanization policy in 2014. However, the extent of this positive impact varied among different areas, with more significant improvements observed in core cities and economically developed areas. Additionally, our study uncovered significant variations in how urban renewal influenced the HSE over time. We found that the primary influencing factor shifted from material renewal to industrial renewal. These findings offer valuable insights for improving the HSE during urban renewal processes, both in China and other regions undergoing rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]