Effects of Hierarchical City Centers on the Intensity and Direction of Urban Land Expansion: A Case Study of Beijing

Daquan Huang, Xin Tan, Tao Liu, Erxuan Chu and Fanhao Kong
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Daquan Huang: School of Geography, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Xin Tan: School of Geography, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Tao Liu: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Erxuan Chu: School of Geography, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Fanhao Kong: School of Geography, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: Worldwide urban spatial expansion has become a hot topic in recent decades. To develop effective urban growth containment strategies, it is important to understand the spatial patterns and driving forces of urban sprawl. By employing a spatial analysis method and land use survey data for the years 1996–2010, this study explores the effects of hierarchical administrative centers on the intensity and direction of urban land expansion in a Beijing municipality. The results are as follows: (1) land development intensity and expansion speeds are both affected significantly by the municipal and district and county centers where the governments hold a lot of administrative, public, and economic resources. (2) The distances to the administrative centers are determinant factors for the direction of urban land expansion. Except for several subregions adjacent to the municipal center, the closer the area is to an administrative center, the more likely it is that the expansion direction points toward the center. (3) The spatial patterns of urban land development are shaped jointly by governments at different levels, and transportation lines also play a role in remote areas. These findings are expected to have consulting value for future policymaking on urban land use and management in mega-cities, especially those with strong local government powers in other transition economies and developing countries.

Keywords: urban land sprawl; expansion direction; administrative centers; decentralization; Beijing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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