An empirical model of intrametropolitan land-use changes in a Chinese city

Compared with numerous modelling exercises dedicated to continuous population and employment density and land price, the models developed directly from discrete land-use data are relatively few. This is particularly problematic in the context where dynamic land conversions are taking place. The emerging geographical information technology opens the possibility for using land parcel - related information from remote sensing and urban aerial photographs. This paper is an attempt to provide an empirical model of nested multinomial logit (NMNL) for understanding intrametropolitan land-use changes in a Chinese city. The model derives its explanatory variables from contextual measurements of a land parcel through GIS operations. It demonstrates the usefulness of the integration of conventional econometric analysis with new information technology.