Revealing the Driving Mechanism of Urban Development Based on the 3D Building Morphological Changes in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region

Since the late 1970s, during the period of reform and opening-up, China has emerged as one of the fastest-urbanizing countries in the world. The high speed of urbanization and three-dimensional (3D) morphological changes in urban buildings may lead to significant urban challenges, including air and light pollution, the urban heat island effect, and strained human-land relationships. It is therefore crucial to elucidate the pattern of urban 3D morphological change and to investigate the factors that influence these changes. This study proposed a novel method of filtering new buildings using the ALOS and GBH building height data, combined with statistical data and panel data, focusing on spatial-temporal variations and their driving factors of 3D building morphological changes between 2002 and 2020 for 11 prefecture-level cities and 2 municipalities in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region. Our findings indicate that the 3D morphological change mechanisms of the same types of cities in the BTH region are similar. The total population negatively impacts the height of newly constructed building areas, and the optimization of the industrial structure positively influences the height of newly developed land. Based on our findings, we propose actionable recommendations to foster sustainable urban development in the BTH region.