Urbanization has caused significant impacts on the environment. Therefore, quantifying the urban growth pattern and its change is essential for monitoring and assessing urbanization and its ecological consequences. The primary objective of this research
is to quantify different urban growth types. The change dynamics have been explored in Guangzhou, a fast growing region in south China. To address these objectives, multitemporal remote sensing data and GIS are used to quantify infilling, edge-expansion, outlying urban growth types, and to characterize the longterm trends and patterns of urban growth.