Spatiotemporal evolution and influencing mechanism of urbanization and ecological environmental quality between 2000 and 2020 in Henan Province, China

The coordinated development between ecological environmental quality and the urbanization process is key in enhancing regional sustainability. This study established a comprehensive regional spatiotemporal analysis and assessment framework that includes ecological environmental quality (EEQ) assessment, urbanization level (UL) evaluation, spatial correlation analysis, coupling coordination degree analysis, and impact factor analysis. Henan Province, China, was selected as the research area to comprehensively explore the spatiotemporal differentiation and influencing factors of the UL and EEQ from 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that during 2000–2020, the overall EEQ in Henan Province gradually improved with the average RSEI values increasing from 0.446 to 0.599, while the differences gradually diminished. During 2000–2020, the overall UL in the counties of Henan Province exhibited an upward trend. During 2000–2020, the coupling coordination degree values between EEQ and UL in the counties of Henan Province increasing from 0.469 to 0.580, approximately 89% of counties are exhibiting basic coordination or higher by 2020. The influencing factors of the coupling coordination degree between EEQ and UL in the counties of Henan Province varied significantly at different periods, with the demographic factor consistently acting as the prevailing determinant over the past two decades, its significance has been steadily increasing. And the economic factor shows a strengthening trend in its interaction with other factors. This research offers fresh perspectives and enhanced understanding for the comprehensive analysis of the coupled mechanisms between the regional ecological environment and urbanization.