Abstract: Based on the aerial imagery and ancient literature data, the spatial data analysis method was used to study the dynamic evolution of urban spatial morphology in Zhangye City from 1949 to 2012. The results show that: The city has changed from slow development to rapid development, and the land intensive utilization rate has increased. The relationship between city and water is from far to near, from passive to interactive, the urban ecological function of the water system is increasingly prominent, and the water environment has been given more rich connotations. Based on the goals of sustainabledevelopment and water ecological construction, in the future, Zhangyeshould renovatethe river system, construct the water ecological security pattern, repair and protect the urban wetland and strengthen the ecological green space construction to create the water culture characteristic, and to promote sustainable development.

Key words: Zhangye, spatial form, Heihe river system, water environment