PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2006, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (6): 138-147.doi: 10.11820/dlkxjz.2006.06.016

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial- tempor al Changes of Urban Spatial Morphology at the Nor thern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains

ZHANG Yufang1,2, YANG Degang1, ZHANG Xiaolei1, MA Wenhong1,2, ZHANG Hongyuan1,2   

  1. 1. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, China|
    2. Graduate School, CAS, Beijing 100039, China
  • Received:2006-04-01 Revised:2006-11-01 Online:2006-11-25 Published:2006-11-25

Abstract:

Urban spatial morphology is an important aspect in the huge and complex urban system. The essential rule of urban development and change cannot be understood via qualitative description, so quantitatively researching urban spatial characteristic has significant practice meaning for urban management and planning. Based on remote sensing, GIS and Landsat TM/ ETM digital images, this paper analyzes the spatial- temporal changes of urban spatial morphology at the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang during the period from the late 1980s to the late 1990s by computing compact rations and fractal dimensions of the urban form as well as the types of urban land expansion. The results are as follows: (1) The spatial- temporal changes of urban spatial morphology at the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains belong mostly to compact and regular ones. (2) The average compact rations are 0.541 and 0.525, and the mean fractal dimensions are 1.2399 and 1.25 respectively for 1990 and 2000. The type of urban land expansion of 7 cities out of the 8 in the study area is 'extension'from 1990 to 2000. It was found that the shapes of cities in the study area tended to be less compact and more fragmentized. Generally, a more compact city has more advantages than a less one; so changes in the forms of the study area are considered being in a bad way. Shapes of several cities have been drastically changed during the period from 1990 to 2000. Fukang, Miquan and Shihezi are cities with high increment in fractal dimensions and high decrease in compact rations. Urban spatial morphology of them is more compact and regular. However, it is another case in Kelamayi, Kuytun and Urumqi. And (3) Another important finding is that there is a power function relationship between the compact and the fractal dimension of urban spatial morphology, which is only a qualitative deduction before.

Key words: compact ratio, fractal dimension, the northern slope of the Tianshan ountains, type of urban land expansion, urban spatial morphology

CLC Number: 

  • P283