Abstract
Most of the world’s cities are concentrated in coastal areas. As a special geographical component of the coastal system, island urban spatial expansion is the outcome of interactions between city development and the physical environment. This paper takes Xiamen Island, located in Southeastern China, as an example to analyze island urban spatial expansion and its determinants by combining an analysis of the literature on urban development policies, urban overall plans, population growth and industrial development, with geographical information analysis using historical maps and remote sensing photographs. Firstly, we reviewed the history of the Xiamen City development during the last 100 years, which can be divided into four periods: the embryonic modern city and early development from 1908 to 1949; administrative boundary expansion and infrastructure development from 1950 to 1979; special economic zone construction and rapid urbanization from 1980 to 2003; and Bay City construction since 2003. The dynamic changes to the coastline, island shape, built-up area, transportation, administrative division, and major land use type conversion which occurred during approximately the past 100 years were analyzed and the characteristics of the island urban spatial expansion were concluded: early expansion from a central point, followed by expansion along a section of coastline, and expansion from the coastline inland. Secondly, we discussed the potential determinants of island urban spatial expansion including administrative division adjustment, urban master planning revision, industrial development, topographical factors, coastal area reclamation, transportation expansion, and population growth. Finally, the effects of each potential determinant on island urban spatial expansion were concluded. Island urban spatial expansion is the result of a synthesis of natural and socio-economic factors which are not independent but interacting. Built-up area expansion is the major driver of island land cover and land use changes. By this paper, we hope to provide a scientific reference contributing to the rational understanding of island and coastal sustainable urbanization in China, and the world beyond.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brueckner J K, 2000. Urban sprawl: Diagnosis and remedies. International Regional Science Review, 23(2): 160–171.
Cicin-Sain B, Knecht R W, 1998. Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management: Concepts and Practices. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Conway T M, Lathrop R G, 2005. Modeling the ecological consequences of land-use policies in an urbanizing region. Environmental Management, 35(3): 278–291.
Darla K M, Cynthia C, Abigail M Y, 2005. Land use policy and landscape fragmentation in an urbanizing region: Assessing the impact of zoning. Applied Geography, 25: 121–141.
de Oliveira L A, 2003. The seafront area, on the Island of Santa Catarina: Appropriation and configuration in the expansion of the city of Florianopolis. Journal of Coastal Research, 19: 509–515.
Ewing R, 1997. Is Los Angeles-style sprawl desirable? Journal of the American Planning Association, 63(1): 107–126.
Fang C L, Lin X Q, 2009. The eco-environmental guarantee for China’s urbanization process. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 19(1): 95–106.
Foley J A, DeFries R, Asner G P et al., 2005. Global consequences of land use. Science, 309: 570–574.
Gong J Z, Liu Y S, Xia B C, 2009. Spatial heterogeneity of urban land-cover landscape in Guangzhou from 1990 to 2005. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 19(2): 213–224.
He C Y, Shi P J, Chen J et al., 2005. Process and mechanism of urbanization in Beijing area. Acta Geographica Sinica, 57(3): 363–371. (in Chinese)
Lin T, Xue X Z, Cui S H et al., 2009. Study on landscape pattern changes in islands under stress of rapid urbanization. Marine Environmental Science, 28(1): 87–91. (in Chinese)
Lin T, Xue X Z, Huang J et al., 2008. Assessing egret ecological safety in the urban environment: A case study in Xiamen, China. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 15(4): 383–388.
Lin T, Xue X, Lu C Y, 2007. Analysis of coastal wetland changes by using “DPSIR” model: A case study in Xiamen, China. Coastal Management, 25(2/3): 289–303.
Liu Y S, Wang L J, Long H L, 2008. Spatio-temporal analysis of land-use conversion in the eastern coastal China during 1996–2005. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 18(3): 274–282.
Liu W D, Tan R P, 2009. Evaluation system and control mechanism of urban sprawl: A case study of Hangzhou. Acta Geographica Sinica, 64(4): 417–425. (in Chinese)
Long Y, Han H Y, Mao J Z, 2009. Establishing urban growth boundaries using constrained CA. Acta Geographica Sinica, 64(8): 999–1008. (in Chinese)
Novak A B, Wang Y Q, 2004. Effects of suburban sprawl on Rhode Island’s forests: A landsat view from 1972 to 1999. Northeastern Naturalist, 11(1): 67–74.
Ortiz-Zayas J R, Cuevas E, Mayol-Bracero O L et al., 2006. Urban influences on the nitrogen cycle in Puerto Rico. Biogeochemistry, 79(1/2): 109–133.
State Oceanic Administration, Ministry of Civil Affairs, the General Staff, 2003. Protection and Utilization of Uninhabited Islands Regulations. State Oceanic Administration issued a document No.10, Beijing. (in Chinese)
Writing Group of the National Report on Island Resources, 1996. A Comprehensive Survey of the National Report on Island Resources. Beijing: China Ocean Press. (in Chinese)
Xue X Z, Hong H S, Charles A T, 2004. Cumulative ecological impacts and integrated coastal management: The case of Xiamen, China. Journal of Environmental Management, 71: 271–283.
Yang W H, 2000. Islands in China. Beijing: China Ocean Press. (in Chinese)
Yeh A G, Wu F L, 1996. The new land development process and urban development in Chinese cities. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 20(2): 330–353.
Yu X J, Ng C N, 2007. Spatial and temporal dynamics of urban sprawl along two urban-rural transects: A case study of Guangzhou, China. Landscape and Urban Planning, 79(1): 96–109.
Zhang L Q, Wang H Z, 2006. Planning an ecological network of Xiamen Island (China) using landscape metrics and network analysis. Landscape and Urban Planning, 78(4): 449–456.
Zhu J J, Cui B S, Yao H R et al., 2006. Landuse changes and expansion effects caused by road construction in longitudinal range-gorge region. Journal of Natural Resources, 21(4): 507–514. (in Chinese)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Foundation: Knowledge Innovation Programs of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.KZCX2-YW-450; No.07l4121d10, National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40901243; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China, No.2010J05100
Author: Li Xinhu (1978–), Associate Professor, specialized in urban geography, GIS spatial analysis and environmental
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, X., Lin, T., Zhang, G. et al. Dynamic analysis of urban spatial expansion and its determinants in Xiamen Island. J. Geogr. Sci. 21, 503–520 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-011-0860-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-011-0860-7