Evolution Of Urban Spatial Morphology In Core Areas Of Pearl River Delta: 1979-2008

Since open policy in 1978, Pearl River Delta has undergone a rapid development. It has not only triggered quick economic growth, but also induced the transformation in regional spatial structure and morphology. The change of land use and land cover objectively records the activities which human beings alter the spatial characteristics of earth surface, and is able to redisplay the temporal and spatial dynamic process of landscape of earth surface, thus providing real-time and effective informational resources for the research of urban and regional problems. With the development of RS and GIS technology in application fields, the combination of both technologies has become the powerful mean of researching on urban land use morphology and its evolution. This makes it possible to summarize the process of urban space and its mode in Pearl River Delta in 30 years after open policy as well as to explore the dynamism of urban spatial evolution.This paper extracts seven special subject information maps on the urban build areas in Pearl River Delta core area in 1979, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2008, which is sourced from MSS and TM/ETM+ satellite images with the support of RS and GIS. By researching on the temporal and spatial evolution of urban land use and its morphology in different scales, this paper reviews the general characteristics and spatial process of the evolution of urban spatial morphology in core area of Pearl River Delta in 30 years after open policy. Moreover, this paper conducts case studies in typical cities in core area of Pearl River Delta, namely Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan and Shenzhen, and then summarize and compare the mode of urban spatial morphology evolution in these areas.In order to explain the dynamism of the development and significant transition of urban spatial morphology in core area of Pearl River Delta in different phases, this paper analyzes from the perspective of government behavior, exploring the influence of policy change on urban space. Viewing the local government as different benefit groups, this paper starts from the incentive dynamism of fiscal separation and land property profit, and then analyzes respective development goals and competition-cooperation relationship of local governments and their interventions on urban spatial morphology with the means of urban planning.The research result reveals: Central government, as a supply main body, hold the tempo and direction of reform and open in the framework of decentralization through macro policies such as urban development policy, Huji institution, land and housing institution and so on. The local governments in the core areas of Pearl River Delta take urban planning as the main regulated means to interfere the development process of land use and urban spatial morphology in the institutional arrangement of central government. Under the influence of these government behaviors and their according economic change, the urban spatial morphology in core areas of Pearl River Delta shows different combination of four basic expansion ways, that is spot spattered sprawl, axes radiation, sectoral expansion and infill growth. In general, it shows a dynamic process from spot sprawl to the emergence of linear space, and finally to high density development zone and metropolitan area.