Spatial Patterns of Urban Expansion in Chinese Cities

Population data is crucial for human-nature interactions. Gridded population data can address limitations of census data in irregular units. In China, rapid urbanization necessitates timely and accurate population grids. However, existing datasets for China are either outdated or lack recent census data. Hence, a novel approach was developed to disaggregate China’s seventh census data into 100-m population grids. The resulting dataset outperformed exising LandScan and WorldPop datasets.