Abstract: Taihu Basin in Jiangsu province is an area with concentrated towns within the Yangtze River Delta, with the rapid development of urbanization in the country driven by industrialization. The proportion of population out of agriculture is quite high there and latent townsfolk becames more and more. Main environmental problems there are: plantation has reduced, bearing power of the environment has fallen; water pollution became serious and environmental capacity has decreased; contamination from industry in towns is in high consistence; and ecological risk after urbanization has increased. Urbanization in South Jiangsu is under a fastigium now, the programming of new towns with ecological rule and economic rule should be made based on the characteristics of environment change during the process of urbanization. Land management and environment management should be intensified; the course of urbanization should be sped up, and the increasing mode of industrial economy in the villages and towns should be changed.

Key words: South Jiangsu region, process of urbanization, environmental characteristics