Abstract

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization. However, few studies have paid attention to urban land use dynamics, especially spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion and land use change, in this region. This research aimed to conduct a comprehensive study of urban land use change in Xishuangbanna, Yangon, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City, from 1990 to 2015. The analysis was based on land use maps derived from Landsat satellite products and employed urban expansion intensity, sector analysis, gradient-direction analysis, and landscape metrics. The results show Xishuangbanna, Yangon, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City all experienced dramatic urban expansion and land use change since 1990, with urban expansion intensities of 15.01, 5.26, 9.15, 1.56, 11.88 and 11.91, respectively. The landscape metrics analysis indicated that urban areas were always aggregated and self-connected, while other land use types showed trends of disaggregation and fragmentation. In the process of urban expansion, paddy and natural land use types were commonly transformed to built up area. The results further reveal several common issues in urban land use, e.g., land fragmentation and loss of natural land use types. Finally, the discussion on the relationship between government policy and land use change for these cities shows land reform and attitude toward foreign direct investments played important roles in urban land use change in GMS.

Highlights

  • Under the increasing trend of globalization, over half of the world’s population (54%) lives in urban areas and most urbanized regions are distributed in Northern America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe

  • Upland field, which was mainly distributed in central Menghai town in the west of Xishuangbanna, increased from 290.44 km2 in 1990 to 777.19 km2 in 2015

  • Orchard in Bangkok and annual crops in Ho Chi Minh City showed a decreasing trend, whereas rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna expanded more than 3200 km2

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Summary

Introduction

Under the increasing trend of globalization, over half of the world’s population (54%) lives in urban areas and most urbanized regions are distributed in Northern America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. Africa and Asia remain mostly rural, with only 40% and 48% of their respective populations living in urban areas. Africa and Asia are going to experience faster urbanization in the near future [1]. The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which includes Cambodia, China (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, covers 2.6 million square kilometers and has a combined population of around 326 million. Since the 1990s, GMS has experienced rapid economic growth, which has led to significant urban development and land use change

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