A study on the urban spatial expansion in Fuzhou, Fujian using the SLEUTH model

摘要

To relieve the environmental and social problems accompanying the rapid urban growth, the SLEUTH urban growth prototype model was migrated from UNIX into Windows to simulate the urban growth patterns in the Fuzhou metropolitan area during 1989 to 2003, and then predict the future growth by 2020.The historic datasets required for the model were derived from the remote sensing images (Landsat TM data in 1989 and 1996, ETM+ data in 2000; and SOPT data in 2003)by using remote sensing and Geographic Information System technologies. Two specific scenarios of different urban growth policies were designed to simulate the spatial patterns of urban growth. The first scenario represents a growth with restriction only on water bodies. The second scenario depicts a controlled growth with additional protections on grass-covered lands and agriculture area. The results show that in contrast to the first scenario, the second scenario well controls the build-up area under the area planned in current urban development policies, and is predicted to lead to more sustainable urban development with less loss of resource lands.