planned districts of Taiwan are located in this region with extensive economic activity and infrastructure development that make the region vulnerable to natural hazards from extreme climate events. The region is characterized by a mixed urban–rural landscape(Fig. 2D), but agriculture (paddy rice, dry cultivation, fruit tree,and aquaculture) has decreased by nearly 20% over the period from 1971 to 2006. During that same period, built-up land cover increased by nearly 44%. The changes of land use and land cover throughout the study area during the past 40 years reflect the industrial transformation and economic growth of Taiwan.