LAUSR

Abstract Low-carbon city development plays a critical role in the sustainable development of a country, especially to those new emerging economies such as China. The Chinese government recognizes the leading role of national policy system in facilitating the low-carbon city development. Meanwhile, positive effects are derived from the implementation of national policies. This study critically analyzed various policies promulgated during 2010–2019 by the Chinese government. A multi-dimensional framework is developed in this study to better understand the policies related to low carbon city development in China. These state-level policies are classified into six aspects: planning guidance, building energy conservation, industrial development regulation, energy industry development and energy mix, economic measures, and supervision measures. The evolution of these policies is examined in this study. Results show that national policies play a significant role in guiding low-carbon development of cities while the practicability of these national policies is improved. In addition, the development of low carbon city clusters is actively promoted by the Chinese government and linked to other strategic initiatives such as “The Belt and Road”. These findings help to better understand the national policy landscape of low carbon city development in China, as well as providing useful references to the policy making in other countries.