Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Driving Factors of Urban Green Space in Texas (2001–2021): A Multi-Source Geospatial Analysis

This study investigates the changes in urban green space coverage across 254 counties of varying types in Texas from 2001 to 2021, aiming to explore the spatial patterns of green space transformation and its socioeconomic driving factors. By analyzing Landsat remote sensing data and building type datasets, combined with land use transition matrices, GIS spatial statistics tools, and regression analysis of population and GDP data, this study comprehensively examines the green space change patterns of different urban types. The results indicated significant differences in green space changes across different types of cities: (1) Urban areas with higher populations and rankings, as well as their surrounding regions, show a more pronounced trend of green space converting into built-up urban areas, particularly the expansion of medium and low-density areas. (2) In contrast, green space changes in smaller cities and rural areas occur at a slower pace. Further analysis reveals that the transformation of green spaces is primarily driven by residential land development, with about 39% of green space in high-density urban areas and over 65% in medium and low-density areas being replaced by residential land. (3) The regression analysis results indicate that population growth and GDP growth are the main driving factors for green space changes, explaining up to 86% and 84% of the green space changes, respectively. These findings provide important theoretical support and practical guidelines for urban green space conservation, planning, and sustainable development policies.