Assessing Variations in River Networks Under Urbanization Across Metropolitan Plains Using a Multi-Metric Approach

Zhixin Lin, Shuang Luo, Miao Lu, Shaoqing Dai and Youpeng Xu ()
Additional contact information
Zhixin Lin: School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China
Shuang Luo: School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Miao Lu: State Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China
Shaoqing Dai: School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
Youpeng Xu: School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Urbanization, characterized by rapid construction land expansion, has transformed natural landscapes and significantly altered river networks in emerging metropolitan areas. Understanding the historical and current conditions of river networks is crucial for policy-making in sustainable urban development planning. Based on the topographic maps and remote sensing images, this study employs a multi-metric framework to investigate river network variations in the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou metropolitan area, a rapidly urbanized plain with high-density river networks in the Yangtze River Delta, China. The results indicate a significant decline in the quantity of rivers, with the average river density in built-up areas falling from 2.70 km·km −2 in the 1960s to 1.95 km·km −2 in the 2010s, along with notable variations in the river network’s structure, complexity and its storage and regulation capacity. Moreover, shifts in the structural characteristics of river networks reveal that urbanization has a weaker impact on main streams but plays a dominant role in altering tributaries. The analysis demonstrates the extensive burial and modification of rivers across the metropolitan plains. These findings underscore the essence of incorporating river network protection and restoration into sustainable urban planning, providing insights for water resource management and resilient city development in rapidly urbanizing regions.

Keywords: river network; fluvial geomorphology; main stream; tributary; urbanization; metropolitan area (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/10/1994/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/10/1994/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:10:p:1994-:d:1764909

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().