Land-use Change and its Factors in the Suburban 4 Counties of Tianjin City, China

Abstract

In China, built-up areas are expanding rapidly into suburban agricultural fields due to recent economic growth. To understand land-use changes and its factors, we carried out a case study in the suburban four counties of Tianjin City. We examined land-use changes between 1995 and 2002 through digital map preparation and GIS analysis, and verified these changes in the field by interviews. We found that urban land uses and factories have been expanding into the peripheral dry and rice fields, which were basically approved by the local government. Agricultural land diversification was also observed in the two different forms that were large-scale export-oriented farmlands and small-scale patches to supply vegetables and fishes for the local market.