Urbanization has significant effects in densely populated China. The increasing extent of urban built-up areas and the associated land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) are among major factors in considerations for resources and environmental management, in particular in ecologically fragile regions such as the western China. To better understand the urbanization process of the Xi'an-Xianyang urban areas, we documented land cover changes between 1988,1995, and 2006 using Landsat remote sensing data, identified the socioeconomic factors driving the changes, and revealed the spatial pattern of change between the two cities. The research indicates that LULCC between the three time periods involved major transitions of land from agriculture to urban classes. Urban land cover of the Xi'an - Xianyang region increased during 1988 ～ 2006, while the agriculture and forest lands decreased. Analyses of socioeconomic data suggest that the change of household size, such as reduced number of occupants per household, has been a significant factor that affected urban land expansion. This involves the increased demands of the amount of land and materials and promoted the urbanization process.%土地利用与土地覆被变化是影响资源和环境的一个重要因素.选择正在进行一体化建设的西安-咸阳城区为典型区域,以1988年、1995年、2006年三期Landsat遥感影像数据为基础,分析该地区土地利用转变规律,并对驱动因素进行讨论.研究结果表明:①1988～2006年,该地区土地利用发生了巨大变化,其中城市用地快速增加,农业用地明显减少;②西安市的城市化进程大于咸阳市,尤其是西安市的东北与西南地区,发展迅速;③人口增长、政策驱动和经济发展,是土地利用变化的主要驱动因子,由于每户人口数不断减少,户数大幅增加,户均住房面积要求提高,是土地利用变化的主要原因.
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