Spatial and temporal distribution of expressway and its relationships to land cover and population: A case study of Beijing, China

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation 20060400496；Chinese Academy of Sciences KZZD-EW-08；National Scientific and Technological Support Projects of China 2011BAJ07B01-2<p class="FR_field"> The interaction between urban transport, land cover change and the <span class="hitHilite">distribution</span> <span class="hitHilite">of</span> population is a typical manifestation <span class="hitHilite">of</span> the urbanization process. As high-grade road, <span class="hitHilite">expressway</span> plays a significant role in promoting resource circulation and economic development. Based on the road <span class="hitHilite">distribution</span>, land cover and population census data, this study specifically probed the relationship between the expressways and the land cover and population <span class="hitHilite">of</span> Beijing. The results show that: (1) as the distance from an <span class="hitHilite">expressway</span> increases, the amount <span class="hitHilite">of</span> built-up land gradually decreased, and the transfer <span class="hitHilite">of</span> land cover near the <span class="hitHilite">expressway</span> was more intensive and frequent when compared with that <span class="hitHilite">of</span> the whole city; (2) In 2010, a district that was less than 3 km from both sides <span class="hitHilite">of</span> the <span class="hitHilite">expressway</span> and which occupies one-quarter <span class="hitHilite">of</span> the entire city had concentrations <span class="hitHilite">of</span> 42% industrial land, 58% <span class="hitHilite">of</span> settlement land, and 76% transportation land <span class="hitHilite">of</span> the entire city; (3) As for Beijing, the population density was positively correlated to road density, and population density declined with a corresponding increase in buffer distance; (4) The ring area between the Fifth and the Sixth Ring Road featured the greatest density <span class="hitHilite">of</span> expressways and the most dramatic changes in both land cover and population. According to our study, there&#39;s a positive interactive feedback relationship between the expressways, land cover and population <span class="hitHilite">of</span> Beijing. Also, due to the concentration <span class="hitHilite">of</span> population, industry and transport system around the expressways, special attention should be paid to environmental pollution and the inhabitants&#39; health in this area. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).