The Use of Spatial Metrics and Population Data in Mapping the Rural-Urban Transition and Exploring Models of Urban Growth in Hanoi, Vietnam

The process by which cities (or urban areas) expand over time has remained a key focus for geographers, ecologists and other scientists interested in urban phenomena for decades. This study investigated the use of spatial metrics and population data for defining and mapping rural-urban transition zones in Hanoi and exploring urban growth models. The analysis showed that in 2010, about 30% of communes within Hanoi could be defined as rural, 38% as peri-urban and 32% as urban. The peri-urban communes showed a greater level of landscape fragmentation and a higher pace of population growth than rural communes. The urban landscape of Hanoi in 2010 shows characteristics of both transportation corridors and dispersed sites models—the two least eco-friendly models of urbanization. This study provides an effective method for mapping such rural-urban transition and identifies forms of urbanization in places where other socio-economic data sources are limited. This is particularly useful for planners and development agencies that require reliable methods for collecting and analysing data, which can enable them to assess variables along the rural-to-urban continuum.