Introduction
Urban spatial areas have expanded in an accelerated speed
during the last five decades, and rates of urban population
growth are higher than the overall growth in most countries
because urban areas are the locus of economic activity and
transportation nodes (Masek et al., 2000). Expanded urbanized
areas encroached on surrounding valuable natural lands
such as paddy fields, forestlands, or wetlands (Xu et al.,
2000). Urban areas are dominated by built-up lands with
impervious surfaces, and therefore the conversion of the
nature lands into these impervious built-up lands may have
significant impacts on the ecosystem, hydrologic system,
biodiversity, and local climate which can result in the negative
aspects such as the urban heat island phenomenon.
The study of urban spatial expansion and the resultant urban