Based on multi-temporal remote sensing images, we observed
a rapid urban expansion in Beijing during the period of 1972e2010.The urban land increased by 209% from 861 km2 to 2666 km2.
Physical, socioeconomic, and neighborhood factors significantly
affected urban expansion, among which socioeconomic factors
were the most important driving factors, except for during the
period of 1972e1984. The relative importance of the driving factors
varied over time along with the urbanization process. The magnitude
of the unique effects of physical factors and neighborhood
factors declined while that of socioeconomic factors increased
along with the urbanization process. This study extended our
understanding of urban expansion in that the effects of the driving
factors on urban expansion change along with the urbanization
process. In addition, based on the findings in this study, we suggest
that effective urban planning and management should be implemented
to prevent the mountainous areas from being urbanized
and to control urban sprawl in Beijing.