Land Use Changes and Characteristics of Spatial Structure on County-Level Urbanization: A Case Study of Huidong County, Guangdong, China

We analyzed land use changes and the characteristics of spatial structure in the progress of urbanization from 1991 to 2006, specifically, Huidong County of Guangdong Province. Based on the three temporal Landsat TM images during the study period, land use data of the area were obtained using the maximum likelihood classification method; and the structure of urban spatial development, central, transitional and peripheral regions were delimited. Land use characteristics of the three zones were analyzed respectively. Singular and synthetic land use dynamic degrees, urbanization level and intensity were computed. The results showed that land use changes and spatial urbanization have undergone great changes during different periods; spatial intensity appears as many nuclei and homocentric in the county; land use intensity decreased gradually from the central zone to peripheral zone. Different zones of urbanization intensity have different spatial character.