Characterizing Sprawl Development in Urban China: A Perspective from Urban Amenity

Urban sprawl in China presents unique characteristics that differ from those commonly studied in Western contexts, an aspect not fully explored in previous studies. Therefore, taking Wuhan, Hubei as an example and integrating population data, remote sensing data, and POI data, this research offers a perspective on sprawl development in urban China. By incorporating population, urban land use, and urban amenities, this study measures their dynamics to classify urban spaces and employs spatial regression models to identify the characteristics of sprawl development with spatial effects controlled. It further applies geographically weighted regression to examine the underlying spatial heterogeneity. The findings indicate that population growth and urban land expansion do not align perfectly, and further exploration identifies the various trends of sprawl development in urban core and periphery areas. On the other hand, some suburban areas show compact development trends, but the growth of local amenities may be limited due to the historical sprawl development legacies. Regression results reveal specific characteristics of this sprawl development. Key findings include the following: (1) shaped by the triple process of sprawl development of urban renewal, suburbanization, and rural revitalization, Wuhan shows a significant core-periphery structure with the trend of polycentricity; (2) overcrowding in central urban districts is the primary driver of sprawl development; (3) most traditional suburbs in Wuhan have emerged as a consequence of rapid urbanization with a legacy of sprawl development; (4) spatial heterogeneity across urban spaces highlights the necessity for locally tailored approaches to regulating sprawl development.