长江三角洲是中国人口和经济总量最大的城镇密集区，生态适宜的城市增长模式研究具有典型意义。本申请项目立足城市-生态交叉研究前沿，在城市空间增长模式方面，通过重建长三角50余城市近30年空间增长过程，研究城市尺度上的扩展形态与类型，通过观测10-12个新扩展区，研究街区尺度上的用地模式；在生态影响方面，基于植被生物量在生态系统功能中的关键作用，通过长三角地区原位观测数据，以生物量为指示指标，定量分析植被与城市空间增长的相互作用与关联机制，综合运用空间统计、预案设计和情景分析手段，提出低生态影响的城市空间模式和优化途径。主要研究内容包括：长三角地区城市空间增长模式识别；长三角地区植被生物量及对城市增长的响应；城市扩展类型的植被生物量损失评估；城市用地模式与生物量的关联机制；典型城市空间增长模式优化与调控。本项目探索城市空间模式的生态表达，可丰富城市空间理论，并指导可持续城市空间规划实践。

In the context of global environmental change and urbanization, research of urban spatial structure has been extended to involve contents of sustainability. The Yangtze River Delta region is the most intensive region in population and total economy in China. Conflict between development and environment protection is sharp. With cases of YRD cities this proposal will investigate ecological effects of urban growth and explore the sustainable urban growth pattern. The methodology of in situ observation, remote sensing, spatial analysis and mathematical statistical methods will be integrated and adopted in the research. At the aspect of urban growth pattern, the key processes of urban expansion in the past 30 years will be reconstructed for about 50 cities with the remote sensing and GIS technologies, to identify and measure the major urban growth models. Also we will select 10 to 12 blocks from the cities to measure their land use pattern. At the aspect of ecological effects, vegetation biomass is selected as the key indicator based on references. Its spatial heterogeneity in the YRD and variation in the 30 years will be studied with the method of combining remote sensing survey and field observations. With the cases of cities and blocks we will discuss the biomass response to urban growth pattern, analyze the quantitative relationships between urban morphology and structure index and the vegetation biomass, demonstrate the controllable variables of urban growth patterns in relation with ecological effects, and demonstrate the optimized urban growth pattern aiming at dynamic equilibrium of regional biomass, in order to provide the scientific basis for urban planning and urban land management policy-making. The research result should facilitate clarifying the ecological significance of urban growth pattern, enriching and improving the urban space theory.