Urban sprawl in provincial capital cities in China: evidence from multi-temporal urban land products using Landsat data

The onset of global urbanization has led to a population shift from rural to urban areas and the expansion of urban development;.Urban land areas are growing at faster rates than their populations in most parts of the world;.The urban sprawl process refers to dispersed land development characterized by low-density,unplanned,and uneven patterns of growth during urban expansion.This process can result in inefficient use of land resources contradictory to the principle of sustainable development;.Additionally,urban sprawl has various environmental,economic,and social consequences,including the following:loss