Abstract:Comprehensively assessing the open eco-economic system is an important issue for the regional sustainable development. To get rid of the shortcomings of general ecological footprint model such as the irrational assumption of system closeness and spatial exclusivity, we proposed a modified ecological footprint model by using emergy theory and method, in which flux calculation and human labor services were incorporated. Although the regional consumption and carrying capacity of the ecological footprint was still analyzed according to the supply and demand in the modified ecological footprint model, it emphasizes import and export of regional resources, the openness of regional socioeconomic system, and incorporation of human labor services. To validate the proposed model, we computed the ecological footprint and carrying capacity with statistical data of Shenzhen City in 2006. The results show that per capita potential ecological carrying capacity in Shenzhen City was about 48.08ghm2, and there existed a 3.60ghm2 per capita ecological deficit in biological production account that needs to be offset by imports, but a 3.14ghm2 per capita ecological surplus in industrial product account that can be used for exports. The per capita net ecological carrying capacity in 2006 was about 4.87ghm2, which contributes to the development of other regions. Human resource of Shenzhen City can offer 5.20ghm2 per capita ecological carrying capacity in 2006, which is important to ensure the sustainability of socioeconomic system. Developing advanced high-technology, low-energy consumption and cleaner industry, producing goods of higher emergy transformation rate, and promoting the energy hierarchies of native products are important approaches to regional sustainable development. The modified model solved some deficiencies in general ecological footprint model, by paying more attention to all the elements of eco-economic system but only the ecological components. So, it can be employed to comprehensively assess sustainability of regional eco-economic system.