Quantifying the Speed, Landscape Pattern Changes and Its Driving Factors of Shenzhen China

¹ School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People’s Republic of China
² School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, People’s Republic of China

^† These authors contributed equally.
^* Corresponding author’s e-mail: chenyh299@mail2.sysu.edu.cn

Abstract

Urban expansion has always been a topic of great concern. The purpose of this study is to explore land use change and the types of urban expansion in Shenzhen from 1995 to 2015, and to indicate the driving factors of this change, so as to provide a paradigm for other similar studies. By analysing the landscape expansion index and the correlation coefficient between urban area and various factors in Shenzhen, the following conclusions are obtained: 1) The main changes of land use types are the decrease of cultivated land and the increase of urban land. The land cover type changed most dramatically from 2000 to 2005, and the urban land transformed from cultivated land and grassland occupied most of the area. 2) Analysis shows that during the 20 years from 1995 to 2015, the main expansion type is edge-expansion. In detail, during the period from 1995 to 2010, the proportion of infilling has been increasing, while that of the outlying has been decreasing. After 2010, the urban area of Shenzhen increased slightly. Besides, according to the landscape expansion index, Shenzhen experienced dramatic urban expansion from 2000 to 2005. 3) Education and population growth are the main factors of urban growth in Shenzhen, which is reflected in the strongest correlation between university enrolment rate and urban area.