Anthropogenic environmental impacts substantially threaten the sustainable development of cities and counties. This paper offers an original assessment of the role played by population, economic growth and technology change in the evolution of local air pollution and soil sealing, using the STIRPAT approach. The analysis covers the development of 367 German counties and autonomous cities (NUTS 3 level) between 1990 and 2020. Results indicate that the development of NOx emissions and soil sealing is clearly related to car ownership, number of houses and regional population for all counties. In contrast to, environmental impacts related to GDP per capita, share of industrial manufacturing and urban density depend on the types of regions. Finally, results show non-linear (EKC) dynamics regarding the impacts of population and GDP per capita on NOx emissions. Environmental policies need to take care about the settlement structures and the level of relevant variables.

中文翻译：

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人口、富裕程度和城市化对当地空气污染和土地转型的影响 – 德国地区的区域 STIRPAT 分析


人为环境影响严重威胁着市县的可持续发展。本文使用 STIRPAT 方法对人口、经济增长和技术变革在当地空气污染和土壤密封演变中的作用进行了原始评估。该分析涵盖了 1990 年至 2020 年间德国 367 个县和自治市（NUTS 3 级）的发展情况。结果表明，NOx 排放和土壤密封的发展与所有县的汽车拥有量、房屋数量和区域人口明显相关。与人均 GDP 相关的环境影响相反，工业制造业的份额和城市密度取决于区域的类型。最后，结果显示了人口和人均 GDP 对 NOx 排放影响的非线性 （EKC） 动态。环境政策需要关注定居点结构和相关变量的水平。