Abstract
Analyzing spatiotemporal characteristics of the historical urbanization process is essential in understanding the dynamics of urbanization and scientifically planned urban development. Based on historical urban area maps and remote sensing images, this study examined the urban expansion of Shenyang from 1910 to 2010 using area statistics, typology identification, and landscape metrics approaches. The population and gross domestic product were analyzed as driving factors. The results showed that the urban area of Shenyang increased 43.39-fold during the study period and that the growth rate has accelerated since the 1980s. Three urban growth types were distinguished: infilling, edge-expansion, and spontaneous growth. Edge-expansion was the primary growth type. Infilling growth became the main growth type in the periods 1946–70, 1988–97, and 2004–10. Spontaneous growth was concentrated in the period of 1997 to 2000. The results of landscape metrics indicate that the urban landscape of Shenyang originally was highly aggregated, but has become increasingly fragmented. The urban fringe area was the traditional hot zone of urbanization. Shenyang was mainly located north of the Hun River before 1980; however, the south side of the river has been the hot zone of urbanization since the 1980s. The increase of urban area strongly correlated with the growth of GDP and population. Over a long time scale, the urbanization process has been affected by major historical events.
Highlights
50% of the human population (3.3 billion) lived in urban areas in 2008, and this number is expected to reach 5 billion by 2030 [1]
Analyzing the shift in the urban growth hot zone has some useful implications for urban planning and modeling [24]
All the newgrowth urban areas before 1980 in Shenyang occurred in the zones around the pre-growth urban patches before 1980, which are located north of the Hun River
Summary
50% of the human population (3.3 billion) lived in urban areas in 2008, and this number is expected to reach 5 billion by 2030 [1]. The urban area plays an important role in the regional economy as the spatial unit where most economic activities occur. Both the scale and rate of this urban expansion are extraordinary. The first urban transition took place in Europe and North America from 1750 to 1950, when the urban population of these places increased from 15 million to 423 million. The second urban transition (1950–2030) is happening largely in Africa and Asia, and it will increase their urban population from 309 million to 3.9 billion in only 80 years [3,4]
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