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Exploring Determinants of Urban Form in China through an Empirical Study among 115 Cities

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  • Man Yuan

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
    Hubei Engineering and Technology Research Center of Urbanization, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Yan Song

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
    Department of City and Regional Planning, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Liang Guo

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
    Hubei Engineering and Technology Research Center of Urbanization, Wuhan 430074, China)

Abstract

This study aims to analyze and explain the factors that influence the urban form of Chinese cities through an empirical analysis of a cross-sectional dataset of 115 cities in 2000 and 2010. Four spatial metrics, including population density, a contiguity index, a fractal dimension index, and a shape index, are used to quantify urban form. The paper compares urban form across four economic zones and across cities of different sizes. Ordinary least square and first-difference regression models are used to analyze the determinants of urban form. The results show that urban sprawl in China is characterized by decreased population density and greater irregularity and complexity of urban built-up areas. Metrics, such as Gross Domestic Product, population, transportation costs, and economical structure are associated with urban form in different ways, and urban expansion based on large-scale industrialization and real estate development is unsustainable in the new era.

Suggested Citation

  • Man Yuan & Yan Song & Liang Guo, 2018. "Exploring Determinants of Urban Form in China through an Empirical Study among 115 Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3648-:d:175052
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Carlos Bueno-Suárez & Daniel Coq-Huelva, 2020. "Sustaining What Is Unsustainable: A Review of Urban Sprawl and Urban Socio-Environmental Policies in North America and Western Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-36, May.
    2. Xu, Gang & Zhou, Zhengzi & Jiao, Limin & Zhao, Rui, 2020. "Compact Urban Form and Expansion Pattern Slow Down the Decline in Urban Densities: A Global Perspective," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Song, Weize & Yang, Wenqing & Wang, Na & Wang, Can & Li, Zheng & Ou, Yifu & Zhang, Xiaoling, 2024. "How does industrial transformative process shape the spatial dynamics of urban development?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Shijie Li & Chunshan Zhou & Shaojian Wang & Shuang Gao & Zhitao Liu, 2019. "Spatial Heterogeneity in the Determinants of Urban Form: An Analysis of Chinese Cities with a GWR Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-16, January.
    5. Chaosu Li & Yan Song & Li Tian & Wei Ouyang, 2020. "Urban Form, Air Quality, and Cardiorespiratory Mortality: A Path Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-14, February.

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