Abstract: Economic development leads to the changes of the land use structure. Through the study, the characteristics of the changes of the land use structure in the south of Jiangsu show that: First of all, the land use for city increases rapidly since 1980s. The land use for housing and infrastructure is the key reason for the change of the land use structure in city. And the land use for industry has become the second factor for the change of city’s land use structure. Secondly, the flourishing of the amount of towns and the increase of the town’s land use bring about tremendous changes of landscape in the south of Jiangsu. At present the main factor which leads to the change of the land use in towns is still the increase of the industrial land use. Finally, the increase of the traffic land and the decrease of the cultivated land are the main trends of the change of the land use in the south of Jiangsu since 1980s.

Key words: change of the land use structure, regional economic development, the south of Jiangsu