新疆维吾尔自治区作为中国西部战略屏障和向西开放的重要窗口，评估其城市化发展状况对于全国改革发展大局和“一带一路”发展战略具有重要意义。相较于传统研究，夜间灯光遥感已被证明能够对人类活动强度和地区综合发展水平进行更客观、空间尺度更灵活、覆盖范围更广的监测。因此，本文利用2000~2020年长时序夜间灯光遥感数据，采用标准差椭圆、时间序列分解以及夜间灯光发展指数等方法，从空间格局与时序演化上综合分析了21世纪以来新疆城市化进程。结果显示，2000年至2020年新疆城市化发展整体呈现向西南方向扩张的趋势，南疆地区发展速度强劲；21世纪以来新疆城市化演化过程可分为缓慢发展期(2007年之前)、波动增长期(2008~2014年)和加速上升期(2015年之后)三个阶段；新疆城镇地区及大部分地市的社会发展愈趋均衡，而乡村地区仍处于快速发展的差异化阶段。总体而言，21世纪以来新疆城市化进程处于快速且均衡发展的状态。

Objective: As Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is a strategic barrier and also an important platform of opening-up to western region, assessing its urbanization is critical to promote the national reform strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative. Different from the traditional studies, Nighttime light (NTL) remote sensing has the capacity of monitoring the intensity of human activities and the level of comprehensive development with a more objective perspective, more flexible spatial scale and wider coverage. Method: This study adopted a time-series of NTL remote sensing data from 2000 to 2020, and designed a three-part research framework including standard deviation ellipse, time series decomposition, and Night Light Development Index to fully understand the spatio-temporal evolution of Xinjiang’s urbanization in the 21st century. Result: The results indicated that from 2000 to 2020, the urbanization in Xinjiang presented a trend of expansion to the southwest with a better urbanization in the southern Xinjiang. We also found three evolution stages of Xinjiang’s urbanization: slow development (before 2007), volatile growth (2008-2014), and rapid development (after 2015). Meanwhile, the urbanization process in urban area is much more harmonious than that in rural area. Conclusion: In general, Xinjiang is under a rapid and balanced urbanization currently.