Abstract: The purpose of this paper was to probe into spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of production-living-ecological functions(PLEFs) of urban space to improve urban high-quality development. A coupled coordination degree model, spatial analysis method and geographic detection model were employed. The study area was the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The results showed that: (1) On the whole, the coupling and coordination level of urban space PLEFs showed a trend of “inverted U”,implying agradual development in to fluctuations and stability; (2) There was obvious spatial differentiation in the coupling and coordination level of the PLEFs, showing a pattern of “high in the east and low in the west”, and the areas with high coupling and coordination levels were mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration, with a gradient of decreasing towards the surrounding areas centered atprovincial capitals; (3) The dominant factors affecting the coupling and coordinated development of PLEFs were the level of economic development, urbanization and environmental governance.This study suggested that the advantages of the “polarization effect” of central cities and their spatial spillover effects be given full attention to promote the coupling and coordinated development. The results can provid a basis for urban space optimization and regional high-quality coordinated development.