The construction land expansion and the influence of site factors of the Pearl River Delta, China

Landsat TM images of the Pearl River Delta taken in 1988, 1998 and 2006 are used to explore the Construction land Expansion and the Influence of Site Factors. The expansion shows the characteristics of gathering on plains and along major roads and coastlines in both periods from 1988 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2006. Several site factors, including landscape types and the distance from roads, coastlines, or the city center, had significant impacts on the expansion of construction land, influencing the direction, scale and intensity of the expansion. The site factors serve as important natural and spatial indicators of construction land expansion, describing tendencies to expand to locations in suburbs, plains and areas near roads or coastlines.