Potential flood hazard due to urban expansion in the karst mountainous region of North China

Since China’s economic reform in 1978, the cities of China have experienced rapid expansion and urbanization, thereby profoundly transforming the spatial pattern of urban land use in the karst regions, particularly in the urban mountainous area within city, and urbanization has had and continues to have a negative impact on urban mountain area in cities of China. With the rapid development of urbanization and civilization in these regions, environmental degradation has been increasingly serious, especially in the urban karst mountain area, thereby resulting in the destruction and breakage of urban hills that induce serious natural hazard, i.e., flood hazard.