THE GREAT URBAN SPRAWL IN CHINA: A STUDY OF WUHAN URBAN LAND EXPANSION BETWEEN 1996 AND 2014

Abstract

Based on a systematic review of current literature, this thesis proposed a research framework to specifically investigate China’s urban sprawl through addressing the critical role of the location and institution in driving dynamic spatial patterns within the urban structure. Additionally, by applying the research framework to the case of Wuhan, the thesis analysed the spatial-temporal patterns and determinants of urban sprawl in Wuhan between 1996 and 2014. Supported by the remote sensing images, GIS techniques, and landscape ecological indices, urban sprawl patterns in Wuhan are found to first locate around the peri-urbanization area and then spread to suburban districts along transportation corridors in multi-directions during the study period. The uncontrolled sprawling patterns go beyond the planned growth patterns and are correlated well with the institutional arrangements on land development and geospatial factors such as topography and transportation, which are finally confirmed by the empirical analysis of urban sprawl determinants.