Sustainable Transformation Evaluation and Obstacle Factor Analysis of Mature Coal Resource Cities: A Study Using Jinzhong City as an Example.

Transformation and development performance evaluation and obstacle factor research are standard and important bases for measuring the transformation of mature resource cities. Based on the connotation of transformational development, this paper presents the selection of indices for the construction of a measurement index system that covers four aspects: economics, people's well-being, resources, and the ecological environment. Taking Jinzhong City as an example, this study measures the implementation effect of sustainable development planning in resource cities and applies the entropy-weight TOPSIS method and obstacle degree model to evaluate its transformation and development performance and diagnose obstacle factors from 2007 to 2020. The results are as follows: (1) Jinzhong City has made remarkable achievements in transitional development. In the past 14 years, transformation performance has increased from 0.260 to 0.711, and there has been a change from the fair transformation stage to the good transformation stage. (2) The transformational development of Jinzhong City presents two phases: the initial exploratory phase (2007~2013) and the steadily improving phase (2014~2020). The four systems differ significantly in their drive for transformational development in the two stages. (3) The main obstacle factors for the transformation and development of Jinzhong City show stage differences. However, as a whole, economic development and the ecological environment were the main obstacle factors constraining the transformation and development of the city. Hence, it is essential for mature coal resource cities to improve transformation in the future and construct a long-term mechanism for sustainable development, cultivating continuous alternative industries and improving the ecological environment and the security of people's livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]