Abstract
Improving ecological well-being performance (EWP) is the essential requirement of green transformation development and ecological civilization construction. With the help of a network DEA model and threshold panel regression model, this study evaluated urban ecological well-being performance to explore the evolution process, impact, and optimization path of urban ecological well-being performance in the Yangtze River Delta from 2001 to 2017. The findings are as follows: (1) The ecological well-being performance of all cities in the region had been steadily improving since 2001, most cities had realized the transformation from a low performance level to a higher performance level, and there was an obvious spatial mismatch between urban economic development level and ecological well-being performance. (2) A regional urban ecological well-being performance development mode was constantly optimized, sustainable urban development ability was improved, and the number of high-high (HH) mode cities was gradually increasing while the number of low-low (LL) mode cities was gradually decreasing. (3) Under the influence of threshold variables of population density, industrialization level, and environmental regulation, the impact of urbanization on ecological well-being performance had different threshold characteristics. Economic growth, industrialization, and government macro-control had significantly negative restraining effects, while consumption level, industrial structure upgrading, energy efficiency, and technological innovation had significantly positive driving effects.