Spatial And Temporal Evolution Of The Pudong New Area, Settlement

Based on the settlement information provided by Pu Dong Di Ming Zhi (浦东地名志Gazetteer of Pudong District) and various gazetteers of related counties and towns, the author attempted to reconstruct the distribution of settlements at Pudong District by GIS technology, with the aid of modern large scale maps of this area. The article threw light on the characteristics of temporal-spatial reformation of the settlements structure, and analyzed the impulse of certain change.The Ming and Qing Dynasties saw a rapid development of this area. Continuance of immigrations forced the increasing of settlements, especially in the Qing Dynasty. During the early years of Republic of China, the increasing of settlements tended to slow down, together with extending of their sizes. Since 1949, the number of settlements has been decreasing due to the expanding urbanization.According to the topography, the growth of settlements was starting at the hinterland of Pudong District and gradually expanding towards the seaboard. In a sense, development of the early settlements at the hinterland depended on the watercourse network and economic condition. For the seaboard, the expansion of settlements was determined by the extension of coastline. Along the banks of the Huangpu River, the opening of treaty port greatly influenced the information process. In addition to urbanization and industrialization, the factors of natural disaster and wars were also considered in this research.