New results on peri-urbanization in Vietnam

Our research, Monitoring peri-urbanization in the greater Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area, was recently published in Applied Geography.  This research combines commune-level Vietnamese census information, dense time stacks of Landsat satellite data (1990–2012), and several spatial measures to quantify urbanization and peri-urbanization in the greater Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area from 1990 to 2012. The results indicate that 660.2 km2 of cropland was converted to urban uses (a near quintupling of urban land), while 3.5 million persons moved into the region, bringing the total population to nearly 12 million by 2012. The analysis also highlights the rapid, unplanned nature of peri-urban development: approximately one-third of new urban expansion occurs in areas >40 km from the core, with nearly 50% of population expansion occurring in communes classified as peri-urban.  Check out the full article at this site: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143622814001477.