Beijing, 28 March 2017: UNEP-IEMP researcher Cao Hui recently conducted a research on ‘land-use pattern change of typical cities in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)‘ analyzing six typical cities –Xishuangbanna, Yangon, Vientiane, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City.
Being the earliest and most effective regional cooperation mechanism of China, GMS holds a special significance in China’s regional strategy. The research addresses various challenges faced in the development of the Subregion that need to be jointly addressed by the countries concerned.
The results of the research are as follows:
1) There is an obvious urban expansion in the typical cities in the past decades, but paddy shows a decreasing trend in the cities except Xishuangbanna.
2) Among the typical cities, Bangkok has the biggest built-up area and proportion, while Phnom Penh and Xishuangbanna has the smallest built-up area and proportion respectively. Outlying is always the dominant urban expansion type and urban sprawl is a common phenomenon in these cities.
3) Driving forces of urban expansion in the typical cities were also explored, especially policy factors, such as land laws, governments’ attitudes towards foreign investment and environment laws.
4) Land fragmentation and the decreasing natural land-use types are a common phenomenon in typical cities of GMS. Urban expansion also leads to urban sprawl, environmental deterioration, traffic congestion and the increase in flood risks.
The study classified maps of the cities using satellite images; incorporated multiple tools to characterize urban expansion and land-use pattern change.
It is envisaged that the results of the land-use pattern change of typical cities would not only help policy makers in regional cooperation and urban planning, but also provide useful information for further exploration of ecological environment or natural resources under the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative and ‘Lancang-Mekong Cooperation’ mechanism.