Landscapes always change, as they are the expression of the constant interaction between natural and cultural forces in the environment. Applied to an urban/peri-urban case, changes are seen as a menace. By identifying the past urbanization patterns, policy makers and planners can gain better insight into the contributing factors that have resulted in the most problematic development patterns n...

This paper examines the spatiotemporal pattern of urbanization in Kathmandu Valley using remote sensing and spatial metrics techniques. The study is based on 33-years of time series data compiled from satellite images. Along with new developments within the city fringes and rural villages in the valley, shifts in the natural environment and newly developed socioeconomic strains between resident...

As land resources and ecosystems provide necessary materials and conditions for human development, land use change and ecological security play increasingly important roles in sustainable development. This study aims to reveal the mutual-influence and interaction between land use change and ecological security in Wuhan, based on the coupling coordination degree model. As such, it provides strat...

The interactions between urbanization with biodiversity and ecosystem services that take place defy simple generalizations. There is increasing evidence for the negative impacts of urbanization on biodiversity, most directly in the form of habitat loss and fragmentation. Recent forecasts suggest that the amount of urban land near protected areas is expected to increase, on average, by more than...

Global warming has obtained more and more attention because the global mean surface temperature has increased since the late 19th century. As more than 50% of the human population lives in cities, urbanization has become an important contributor for global warming. Pearl River Delta (PRD) in Guangdong Province, southern China, is one of the regions experiencing rapid urbanization that has resul...

This paper focuses on the spatio-temporal effects of urbanization on surface water resources in Wuhan, China. Specifically, the relationships between surface water bodies and their surrounding land use changes are discussed quantitatively by remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS). In this paper, surface water bodies and land use classifications in 1991 and 2005 are detected...

development disCourses on the tibetan plateau: urbanization and expropriation oF Farmland in dartsedo The term " development " defines the Chinese official discourse on Tibet and Tibetans. Officials speak of development in symbolic and practical terms as it serves the overall policy strategy towards Tibet. This paper examines the meaning of development in the context of encounters between gover...

Rapid industrial development and urbanization transfer more and more land away from agricultural production, threatening China’s capability to feed itself. This paper analyzes the determinants of land use by modeling arable land and sown area separately. An inverse U-shaped relationship between land use intensity and industrialization is explored both theoretically and empirically. The findings...