Work

Beyond expansion: impervious surface reversals in Zhengzhou, China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Urban land-use/cover change research has long neglected impervious surface (IS) reversals, resulting in an incomplete understanding of urban land transitions. Using Zhengzhou as a case, this research utilised annual Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI images (2000–2020) to extract 30 m-resolution IS percentage data. Based on this precise dataset, three IS change patterns were defined: IS expansion (ISEX), IS intensification (ISIN), and IS reversal (ISRE) to characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics and quantitatively examine their trends. Our study shows that the total IS area increased, while IS density decreased. ISIN contributed more to IS growth than ISEX, with both accelerating toward the southeast. A notable upward trend in the total ISRE area was observed, primarily clustered in core urban areas. Land use policies mainly influence the complex spatiotemporal variations in IS in Zhengzhou. Overall, accelerating IS growth dominates the megacity, but ISRE, critical for urban redevelopment under construction land inventory policies, should not be ignored.

Source: Journal of Land Use Science

DOI: 10.1080/1747423x.2026.2668410

Authors: Yan Yan, Weige Zhang, Sun Qian, Yunfeng Hu, Yuanzheng Li

Institutions: Luoyang Normal University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Henan University of Economic and Law

Language: English

Topic: Land Use and Ecosystem Services

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province