Development intensity of land resource is closely linked with the living environment of human being.Controlling development intensity of land resource rationally is an important way to improve land use efficiency and environmental quality.Taken the Yangtze River Delta as an example,which is one of the rapid economic development regions and plays an important role in our country,this paper discussed the features and influencing factors of development intensity of urban land resources.The development intensity of land resource is measured by the proportion of municipal district construction land to the total land area.Using GIS software and the quantitative model,the spatial distribution characteristic and its influential factors of development intensity of land resource based on 16 cities panel data during 1996-2008 was analyzed.Firstly,a variation characteristic of development intensity of land resource was analyzed,by calculating change rate and mapping development intensity of land resource of 16 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region.The results indicated that,in general,development intensity of land resource had a tendency to increase in the Yangtze River Delta region during the time of studied.There were obvious differences among cities about development intensity of land resource.It had the feature of geographical agglomeration features,and had formed the higher development intensity of land resource area with Shanghai and Hangzhou as its center,and it was also consistent with the economic growth pole of the Yangtze River Delta region.Then,in this paper,influencing factors of the development intensity of land resources in Yangtze River Delta were discussed theoretically and empirically,such as economy,urbanization,industrial structure adjustment,administrative division,and land management policy.Theoretical hypothesis was formulated through theoretical analysis,and empirical test was performed based on 16 cities panel data during 1996-2008.Result showed that there was significant positive correlation between economic growth,urbanization,industrial structure and development intensity of land resource.Urbanization had the strongest effect on industrial structure,followed by industrial structure adjustment,the last was economic growth.But the effect of industrial structure adjustment on development intensity of land resource had the obvious difference in different stages.There was significant negative correlation between administrative division and development intensity of land resource.It was related with the current urban management in China in transformation period and the conclusion would be changed with system innovation.The land management policy had little reverse effects on development intensity of land resource.In future,only by transition of economic growth pattern,execution of the land management policies and urban planning,suitable urbanization and urban industry layout can make development intensity of land resource to maintain a reasonable level.In this study,some reference will be given for sustainable utilization of urban land in the Yangtze River Delta region.