Urban Spatiotemporal Dynamics Based on Impervious Surface Data

A Case Study of Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Abstract

In this study, for mapping and capturing the spatial distribution and changes in the urban dynamics of Tokyo Metropolitan Area, the variation of impervious surface area was derived from Landsat multispectral imageries of the last three decade periods (1987~2017). The results indicated that Tokyo and its surrounding area exhibited typical internal urban land transformation and outward urban expansion during the previous three decades. The account of the impervious surface area showed the typically spatial pattern from the highly dense area in the downtown to the low-density area on the outskirts. In the urban center, low-density urban areas decreased, and high- and moderate-density urban areas increased, with significant growth of urban impervious surface. Urban expansion in Tokyo and its surrounding area possessed different features in various directions and was affected by multiple driving factors in different years.