Description:
To investigate the factors that influence the quality of urban water environments during the urbanization process and their interactions, this study examines Chinese cities that have experienced rapid urbanization over the past two decades, using an improved analytic hierarchy process. After constructing an index system that reflects the pressure on water quality from the urbanization process and completing weight distribution, a relationship model was established between the non-compliance rate of urban water quality and the urbanization process index. To describe the relationship between factors more objectively, urbanization factors were divided into positive and negative components based on their impacts on water quality, and the two indices of economic development and daily environmental protection input among the influencing factors of water environment quality were adjusted nonlinearly. Model parameters were determined using relevant data from Zunyi City from 2003 to 2019, and the model was verified using relevant data from Harbin City from 2011 to 2019. The root-mean-square errors of the model for Zunyi and Harbin were 0.093 and 0.096, respectively, indicating good accuracy and universality of the model. By decomposing the model elements, the main factors affecting the quality of urban water environments were further discussed. These findings can provide a scientific basis for guiding the management of urban water environments and the development process of emerging cities