The current environmental management of Yangtze River Economic Belt is still deficient in many aspects，including insufficient initiative and creativity，absent or imperfect mechanism for coordinated environmental protection，inadequate practical regional cooperation，and lack of urban coordination and driving force between urban clusters. Institutional mechanism is the key to the green development and better environmental management of Yangtze River Economic Belt，so it is necessary to build an environmental performance management system that enhances organizational leadership，mobilizes all shareholders，stimulates endogenous motivation，and adapts to integrated watershed management. Further，systematic assessment and constraint diagnosis of environmental performance management at the city level is an important link and way to improve environmental performance management and environmental quality for the green development of Yangtze River Economic Belt.