自從1987年在WCED中被提出，永續發展的觀念已經成為一個熱門的跨領域研究議題。在永續發展指標的發展方面，應用於評估永續建築如林憲德（2003）、永續社區如永續西雅圖（1998）、永續都市如黃書禮等（1997）、永續國家如美國永續發展指標SDI（1996）、甚至全球永續性如OECD（1993）及UNCSD（1995）。由空間尺度之屬性觀之，發現缺乏「區域」尺度的永續發展指標。
本研究旨在展示區域尺度的永續發展指標建立之過程，以期健全各空間層級的永續發展指標―以植被指標為操作實例，並以台南地區為實證範圍，利用航遙測影像進行影像分類，並用地理資訊系統之空間統計作為空間分析的方法。
因此，本研究主體共分為三個部份：一、回顧永續發展相關文獻，依時間序列，從空間層級、生態面指標、植被指標、研究方法、資料來源等作分析，以歸納出適用於區域尺度的永續發展植被指標；二、利用航遙測影像建立台南地區的永續發展植被指標；三、以地理資訊系統（GIS）空間分析，檢視台南地區永續發展植被指標的永續性，並據此做一評估台南地區永續發展之結論。

Sustainable development has become a multi-discipline issue since it was first proposed in 1987 WCED. Sustainability indicators have been developed and applied to measure the sustainability of building ( H.T. Lin, 2003), community ( Sustainable Seattle, 1998), city ( S.L. Huang et al., 1997), nation ( SDI, 1996), and global ( OECD, 1993; UNCSD, 1995) sustainable development. As human settlements characterize multi-scale spaces, the sustainability indicator is then spatial-scale matter. However, examining the development of sustainability indicators, there are absences of the sustainability indicators in the scale of “region” area.
This study aims at establishing the region-scale vegetation indicator for fulfilling the hierarchy of sustainability indicators and uses Tainan region of Taiwan as the study area. This study applies remote-sensing images by image classification, and use GIS spatial statistic analysis as analyzing approach.
The study mainly composes of three phrases that it firstly revises the development of sustainability indicators from the dimension of spatial-scale, ecological indicator compellation, measurement compellation, research method, and data source by time order which was proposed to generalize and induct the issue in developing region-scale vegetation indicator. Secondly, apply satellite images by image classification to establish the indicator for Tainan region of Taiwan. Finally, apply GIS spatial analysis examining the indicator to conclude the vegetation measure for sustainable development in the areas of Tainan region of Taiwan.

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