Urban growth management in the Pearl river delta: An integrated remote sensing and GIS approach

There has been worldwide concern about sustainable development since the publication of the Brundtland report in 1987. The importance of sustainable development was endorsed by the Rio earth summit in 1992, which led to preparation of Agenda 21 for the formulation and implementation of national strategies for sustainable development. Sustainable development is particularly important in regions that are undergoing rapid economic development, including, for example, the Pearl river delta and other regions in China and other parts of Asia. GIS and remote sensing are useful tools for the formulation, implementation and monitoring of urban growth within the context of a sustainable development strategy. This article attempts to demonstrate the application of the integration of GIS and remote sensing in urban growth management in the Pearl river delta by using them to monitor land development.