Spatiotemporal Patterns of Urban Land Use Change in Typical Cities in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization. However, few studies have paid attention to urban land use dynamics, especially spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion and land use change, in this region. This research aimed to conduct a comprehensive study of urban land use change in Xishuangbanna, Yangon, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City, from 1990 to 2015. The analysis was based on land use maps derived from Landsat satellite products and employed urban expansion intensity, sector analysis, gradient-direction analysis, and landscape metrics. The results show Xishuangbanna, Yangon, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City all experienced dramatic urban expansion and land use change since 1990, with urban expansion intensities of 15.01, 5.26, 9.15, 1.56, 11.88 and 11.91, respectively. The landscape metrics analysis indicated that urban areas were always aggregated and self-connected, while other land use types showed trends of disaggregation and fragmentation. In the process of urban expansion, paddy and natural land use types were commonly transformed to built up area. The results further reveal several common issues in urban land use, e.g., land fragmentation and loss of natural land use types. Finally, the discussion on the relationship between government policy and land use change for these cities shows land reform and attitude toward foreign direct investments played important roles in urban land use change in GMS.