利用航片、城市平面图及城市用地调查等资料，分析了苏锡常地区城镇用地扩展和结构变化特点，发现苏南地区城镇用地扩展及土地利用结构变化呈现为以下特征：大城市用地扩展速度由80年代前的缓慢发展转变为80年代后的快速发展，其主导因素是新区开发建设；其用地结构变化以居住及公建性用地扩展占用地扩展的第一位，工业用地扩展由80年代前第一位退居第二位。县城镇的用地发展基本与大城市相同，但其发展速度快，工业用地扩展居次的时间也比大城市迟。小城镇的大量兴起和小城镇用地的大规模扩展造成苏南乡村景观巨变，其主因是乡镇企业的异军突起；目前用地扩展居主导地位的仍是工业用地的扩展。交通用地的扩大及耕地面积的减少是苏南区域用地景观80年代以来的变化主流。

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.