Objectives Achieving high-quality development is a critical component to achieve sustainable development and build a beautiful China. High-quality development is a comprehensive term encompassing a variety of approaches, including innovative development, shared development, green development, open development and coordinated development. It plays an important role in promoting local sustainable development and improving human well-being. This initiative holds significant practical importance in promoting and implementing high-quality development of grassland cities.

Methods The study proposed a spatiotemporal evaluation system for the high-quality development of Hulun Buir City. The system was based on the deep integration of the entropy method, the entropy TOPSIS method, the coupling coordination model, and the grey correlation analysis model. It also included a coupled, coordinated development evaluation system, and a high-quality development driving factor correlation evaluation system, and analyzes the spatiotemporal gradient changes of high-quality development of pastoral cities.

Results (1) The high-quality development of Hulun Buir City showed a trend of "slow decline-steady improvement-rapid decline-continuous rise". The year 2018 signified a pivotal moment in the spatiotemporal evolution of the high-quality development in Hulun Buir City. (2) The coupling degree of the high-quality development of Hulun Buir City exhibited a trend of "rise-fall-rise-fall". The coordination degree and coupling coordination degree increased in overall fluctuation. In 2018, the impact on its coupling degree, coordination degree and coupling coordination degree was relatively large. (3) The coupling degree, coordination degree and coupling coordination degree of Hulun Buir City's innovation development and the other four sub-items continued to decline. Conversly, the coupling degree, coordination degree and coupling coordination degree between the other four sub-items demonstrated a continuous upward trend. (4) The high-quality development of Hulun Buir City was primarily influenced by the Engel coefficient, the number of employees in scientific research and technical service industries, the area of grassland planting and improvement tasks, the comprehensive grassland vegetation coverage and the number of foreign-invested enterprises.

Conclusions Green development plays a vital role in the high-quality development of pastoral areas. It is necessary to focus on grassland protection in pastoral areas, strengthen innovative development, and improve the coupling coordination level of shared development, green development, open development and coordinated development to promote high-quality development of grassland cities.