Urban Land Expansion Dynamics and Drivers in Peri-Urban Areas of China: A Case of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou Metropolis (1985–2020)

China has seen a transition from impulsive industrial development-driven urban expansion to urban planning and government control since the start of the 21st century. Urban planning attempts to ensure the sustainable development of cities and the rational use of land resources. The dual-track urbanization process does, however, often result in a significant gap between planning and actual development. This paper contends that a comprehensive dual-track urbanization research perspective is better suited for investigating urban sprawl in peri-urban areas in post-reform market economy-active regions. Taking Xiaoshan District, the peri-urban area of Hangzhou, China, as a case study, this research utilizes land use raster data from 1985, 2000, 2010, and 2020 to identify the dynamic changes in urban construction land and examines the driving elements through the logistic regression model. Based on the results, the mechanisms of market-incented and government-controlled impacts on urban expansion are explained. This study aims to (1) analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of Xiaoshan’s urban expansion during 1985–2020; (2) compare the compositional characteristics of three types of urban growth (edge growth, infilling, and leapfrog development) in each phase of Xiaoshan; (3) identify the natural environment, accessibility factors, and socioeconomic aspects that promote Xiaoshan’s urban expansion in 2000–2020; (4) discuss Xiaoshan’s dual-track urbanization from four perspectives: regional development, private business, government control, and major events. This study advanced our knowledge of the driving mechanisms of urban land expansion in small towns, from peri-urban areas to metropolitan sub-centers, and, thus, has important implications for Chinese urban planning and the management of metropolitan suburbs, especially those located in the Yangtze River Delta