A SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF URBAN EXPANSION AND ITS IMPACT ON LAND USE/LAND COVER DYNAMICS

Abstract

Over the past couple of decades, a significant global trend has been the rapid growth of metropolitan regions, with profound implications for land use, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic development. In this context, the spatiotemporal analysis of urban expansion using Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) data has emerged as a crucial research area for understanding the dynamics of urbanization, evaluating the impacts of urbanization on the environment and human well-being, and informing effective urban planning and management strategies. This study aims to contribute to this field by investigating the spatiotemporal patterns and trends of urban expansion in a specified area over a certain period using LULC data. This study utilizes remotely sensed data and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to extract LULC data and analyze the change in urban areas. The analysis includes Image Classification of Landsat and Sentinel data, which are used to derive the LULC data of the region of interest, and then change detection is carried out among the different temporal data gathered to describe the spatial pattern of urban areas. Applications involving Land Use and Land Cover benefit greatly from change detection. It includes urban expansion, cultivation, and landscape changes. The aim of the study is to examine the underlying trends of land use and land cover change in the city of Patna, situated in the state of Bihar, covering a period of several years, ranging between two separate decades. The results of the analysis would unearth urban expansion’s spatiotemporal dynamics, showing where and when urbanization occurred, how the urban form changed, and how the landscape was transformed. The study also identifies the factors driving urban expansion, such as population growth, economic development, and urban policy, and assesses the impacts of urbanization on the environment and socio-economic conditions. v The results of the research made in this study would have significant implications for urban planning and management. The output will provide insightful details into the spatiotemporal characteristics of urban expansion, which can inform the development of effective strategies for controlling urban growth and alleviating its obstructive impacts. This research focuses attention to the worth of incorporating spatiotemporal analysis into urban planning and management practices and underscores the utility of LULC data for understanding the dynamics of urbanization. Overall, this study contributes to the ongoing efforts to create more sustainable, resilient, and habitable urban environments amid rapid urbanization globally.