Urbanization and its impact on environmental quality in Shanghai

The processes and characteristics of urbanization in Shanghai, focusing on the land use and land cover (LULC) change, and its impacts on local environmental quality were analyzed based on the historical land use data, meteorological station data, social statistical data and vegetation NDVI data. With rapid urban sprawl, a large amount of cultivated lands has been replaced with building lands around urban areas and towns of Shanghai. Urbanization has resulted in the increase of air temperature, precipitation, hot days and rainstorm days, and the decrease of vegetation NDVI in Shanghai. Urbanization has also placed a heavy burden on the urban atmosphere and water quality and environmental sanitation.