Metropolitan cities can serve as laboratories of sustainable development by experimenting with innovative sustainability programs while leveraging the advantages of metropolitan areas. With the importance of cities’ sustainability efforts, scholars have increasingly explored what factors motivate local governments to implement voluntary sustainability programs by focusing on internal government and community characteristics. However, what is missing in the previous discussion is whether city governments respond to sustainability efforts by other government entities, especially neighboring local governments. Drawing on institutional and policy diffusion theories, we analyzed the sustainability programs of 251 suburban cities in 66 metropolitan areas. We find that suburban cities are likely to consider sustainability efforts of central cities in the same metropolitan area when determining the extent to which they implement their sustainability programs. However, they are not necessarily responsive to sustainability efforts of nearby suburban cities. Our research sheds light on how local governments’ sustainability policy decisions are affected by their relationships with other local governments. It also provides policy implications for the important role of central cities in facilitating collective sustainability efforts in metropolitan areas.

中文翻译：

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中心城市对大都市区可持续发展努力的溢出效应

通过试验创新的可持续发展计划，同时利用大都市区的优势，大都市可以作为可持续发展的实验室。随着城市可持续发展努力的重要性，学者们越来越多地通过关注政府内部和社区特征来探索是什么因素促使地方政府实施自愿性可持续发展计划。然而，之前的讨论中缺少的是市政府是否对其他政府实体，尤其是邻近地方政府的可持续发展努力做出回应。借鉴制度和政策扩散理论，我们分析了 66 个大都市区 251 个郊区城市的可持续发展计划。我们发现，郊区城市在确定实施可持续发展计划的程度时，可能会考虑同一大都市区中心城市的可持续发展努力。然而，他们不一定对附近郊区城市的可持续性努力做出反应。我们的研究揭示了地方政府的可持续发展政策决定如何受到它们与其他地方政府的关系的影响。它还为中心城市在促进大都市区集体可持续性努力方面的重要作用提供了政策启示。我们的研究揭示了地方政府的可持续发展政策决定如何受到它们与其他地方政府的关系的影响。它还为中心城市在促进大都市区集体可持续性努力方面的重要作用提供了政策启示。我们的研究揭示了地方政府的可持续发展政策决定如何受到它们与其他地方政府的关系的影响。它还为中心城市在促进大都市区集体可持续性努力方面的重要作用提供了政策启示。