Based on remote sensing image data for 1995, 2003, 2010, and 2015, the different growth patterns of impervious surfaces in China's cities of Wuhan, Changsha, and Nanchang over the past 20 years were studied using classical linear spectral analysis VIS model, ArcGIS hotspot analysis, and least squares linear modeling. The results show that The impervious surface areas (ISAs) of the three cities increased obviously, showing a regular pattern of expansion. The impervious surface rate of Wuhan, Changsha and Nanchang in the greenbelt surrounding area has reached 8.9%, 7.9%, and 7.4% respectively, which are close to the internationally recognized early warning level of 10%-20%. The three cities' ISA growth from the old city to the surrounding area gradually spread, which the city of Wuhan has broken through the greenbelt by "sporadic" increasing and the cities of Changsha and Nanchang are from the "point + line" to "surface" ISA growth pattern transition stage, also presents the breakthrough greenbelt trending. Because of the influence of city development stage and historical conditions, impervious surface growth in Wuhan arises mainly from the sporadic growth of suburban areas. Expansion in Changsha and Nanchang is mainly due to "axis + block filling" extension growth of newly developed areas. Road investment, zoning policy, urban planning control, fixed assets investment, real estate investment, population growth, and water penetration technology are the main factors that affect the impervious growth of the three cities, but the sensitivity of each factor differs among the cities. For Wuhan, the priority policy for reducing the ISA rate is to control the out greenbelt space, which can be strengthened via a rural construction planning permission system. Secondly, applying advanced technology to the greening transformation of the old city, reducing the density of real estate construction and infrastructure investment, optimizing the population density distribution, and balancing the city population with the city ecology can also alleviate the ISA growth trend. For Changsha and Nanchang, the primary method to controlling ISA increasing is to control the undeveloped areas in the inner greenbelt zone. The guiding principles of "precise controlling new area", "preventive controlling the suburbs", and "enhanced controlling the old area" should be applied to avoid expanding the ISA pattern. On the other hand, it is important to improve ISA by including smart urban and rural planning, increasing the rate of green space planning, balancing the population of districts, advocating the profit priority construction of urban infrastructure, and accelerating the use of advanced permeable materials and construction technologies.