Land change science has recently emerged as a fundamental component of global environmental change and sustainability research. Land changes(land use and/or land cover) in urban areas, especially the conversion of cropland and forest land to urban uses, is one of the most
important forms of global environmental changes. Since the mid-20th century, many American metropolises have experienced dramatic growth, which was dominated by a suburbanization process with new development spreading outward from the urban core towards suburbs and exurbs. While urban development has always been viewed as a sign of the regional economic prosperity, the emerged low density and leapfrog builtup land patterns in suburban and exurban areas have begun to undermine environmental sustainability. Monitoring land changes in urban areas can support decision making in urban planning and resource management. The advances in remote sensing and geospatial information techniques offer a promising framework to monitor land changes in urban
areas.