tempo-spatial patterns of land use changes and urban development in globalizing china a study of beijingtempo-spatial土地利用变化和城市发展的模式在中国全球化的研究.pdf

Sensors 2007, 7, 2881-2906 sensors ISSN 1424-8220 © 2007 by MDPI /sensors Full Research Paper Tempo-Spatial Patterns of Land Use Changes and Urban Development in Globalizing China: A Study of Beijing 1 2 3 4 2 Yichun Xie , Chuanglin Fang , George C.S. Lin , Hongmian Gong and Biao Qiao 1 Department of Geography and Geology, Eastern Michigan University, 205 Strong Hall, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, USA 2 Institute of Geographic Science Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A Datun Road, Anwai, Beijing 100101, China 3 Department of Geography, Room 301, Hui Oi Chow Science Building, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong 4 Department of Geography, Hunter College – CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: yxie@, Tel: +1 734 487-0218, Fax: +1 734 487-6979 Received: 5 November 2007 / Accepted: 19 November 2007 / Published: 20 November 2007 Abstract: This study examines the temporal and spatial changes in land use as a consequence of rapid urban development in the city of Beijing. Using a combination of techniques of remote sensing and GIS, the study identifies a substantial loss of plain dryland and a phenomenal expansion of urban construction land over the recent decade. Geographically, there is a clear shifting of urban construction land from the inner city to