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Stats & Facts - Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport

Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture lies along Lancang-Mekong River and connects China and Lower Mekong countries [39]. Since reform and opening up policies were implemented, this region has undergone dramatic urban expansion as a result of rapid urban expansion; moreover, land use patterns have seen drastic shifts due to forestation and rubber plantations, leading to environmental impactful effects [40, 41].

Studies on Xishuangbanna have been undertaken, yet most have focused on specific issues like rubber plantations [39, road network impact and biodiversity. As a result, our understanding of the changes to land use patterns as a result of urban expansion remains incomplete.

This research investigates the urban development of three key urban areas in Xishuangbanna: Jinghong city proper, Menghai county town and Mengla county town. To detect urban land and analyze its growth dynamics we utilised Landsat and Terrain Modeling System (TMS) satellite images for detection purposes.

Radar graphs and quantitative land use maps were utilized to examine the spatial-temporal growth of three urban areas. Furthermore, we measured interannual changes in overall land use along four urban-rural gradients.

According to our data, we can see that Jinghong's urban area expanded primarily along southwest and northwest directions, where many major buildings such as Jinghong Theater and Xishuangbanna Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction were constructed. Menghai county town also expanded in this way with buildings such as outpatient hospital building as well as Menghai Cinema being added within this zone.