Dynamic change analysis of urban sprawl based on remote sensing and GIS — A case study of Jiangning, Nanjing, China

Over the past 30 years, urban development in China has been remarkable. Land development and consumption have been out of control and have kept expanding out of order, especially to marginal areas of some metropolises. Therefore, dynamic change monitoring of urban sprawl is necessary. Taking Jiangning District, Nanjing City as a research area, this paper demonstrates the dynamic change of urban sprawl by Landsat MSS/TM data. Furthermore, three-dimensional indicators are considered based on the actual situation of urban sprawl in Jiangning in order to better reflect the nature of sprawl. The result indicates that the trend of urban sprawl is significant. From 1979 to 1988, the phenomenon of disorder and scattered construction was obvious in Jiangning; from 1988 to 1997, sprawl is more significant in the process of suburbanization. Leapfrog development is significant; from 1997 to 2003, the land became fragmented, resulting in a broken landscape.