Abstract: The urban residential building area was measured by shadow length method based on information extracted from the QuickBird remote sensing images, and the spatial distribution characteristics of the city population were analyzed according to the social and economic statistics. The distribution of the population in different districts within the Third-Ring Road of Shenyang was uneven in 2015, and the spatial distribution of potential population within the area presented a typical circle structure. The district’s potential population decreased in sequence of Tiexi, Shenhe, Huanggu, Yuhong, Heping, Dadong, and Dongling, and the district’s potential population density decreased in sequence of Tiexi, Heping, Shenhe, Huanggu, Yuhong, Dadong, and Dongling. The potential population density was higher in the west than in the east, and higher in the south than in the north. The spatial distribution of residential buildings and population were closely related to the natural condition, economy and infrastructure. The construction of infrastructure in both Tiexi District and city center should be strengthened in the future urban plan, and increase the green space appropria-tely. Furthermore, the residential land in the south should be increased, and the residential population should be regulated to avoid greater environmental pressure.