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Understanding the relationship between resource environment carrying capacity (RECC) and urbanization quality (UQ) is of great significance for the new urbanization strategy. Different from previous studies which mainly focused on the coordination degree between urbanization and RECC, this study explores the environmental Kuznets curve relationship between UQ and RECC pressure by considering the nonlinear relationship between systems. The 11 sub-regions in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China are selected as the study area. Results show that: (1) All 11 sub-regions witness UQ growth during the survey period of 2005–2017, among which Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang take the three top positions. (2) The levels of RECC in the 11 sub-regions follow a gradual increasing trend from 2005 to 2017. Shanghai has the highest RECC value, and Guizhou province has the lowest RECC. (3) Except for Zhejiang, the other three sub-regions downstream of the Yangtze River present an N-shaped relationship between UQ and RECC pressure. The relationship for the three midstream regions presents a U shape, while that for upstream regions is either a U shape or an inverted N shape. These findings provide a valuable reference for governments to formulate effective measures for promoting the coordination of UQ and RECC in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Moreover, new insights for conducting research on the relationship between UQ and RECC in other economic systems on a global level are given. [Display omitted] • EKC model is used to examine the relationship between UQ and RECC. • All 11 sub-regions of the YREB witness an upward trend both for UQ and RECC. • RECC has a coercive effect on UQ in the downstream regions of the YREB. • RECC plays a supportive role in the UQ development of the upstream regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]