关键词: 城市形态, 扩展强度, 景观指数, 空间动力学, 苏锡常

Abstract:

The authors performed a quantitative study on characteristics of urban expansion in the Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities (SWC) by means of quadrant analysis and buffer analysis with Landsat MSS/TM/ETM images acquired in 1979, 1991, 2001and 2006. The results indicated that the spatial pattern of urban growth behaved certain regularity in the last 30 years. Expansion intensity index of the three cities showed a highly coherence with circle radius, and the peak of expansion intensity moved gradually from the inside out with time. Combined with experimental analysis for major growth axis, it is suggested that SWC region might present incomplete filling and axial development. The expansion pattern exhibited an alternating process that the complete cycle of diffusion-aggregate-diffusion was not observed in the whole city in 1976-2006. It was also found that urban expansion intensity index was quite different in different directions at different time. Various development zones which were initiated and located by the government played an important role in driving new urban growth. In Suzhou city, the eastern industrial park and southern districts lead the whole expansion process. In Wuxi, the expansion of all directions was relatively balanced.owing to the private economy development. In contrast, the urban expansion of Changzhou showed a multi-polarization trend which flocked to northern high-tech industrial zones and eastern industrial zones. A number of alternating development axes emerged as a result of the top-to-bottom control on urban development in the city.

Key words: urban pattern, expansion intensity, landscape index, space dynamics, Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou (SWC) cities