Urban Sprawl Pattern Recognition and Modeling of Kaduna Metropolitan Area using Geographic Information System

Abstract

Urban sprawl has been recognized as a problem that faces the developed world. Most developing countries follow their erstwhile colonial master's pattern of development; hence the problem of urban sprawl is not restricted to the developed world as it exists also in the developing of the world. However, the indicators are different as are the causes for sprawl. Developing country sprawl is largely a result of necessity people move to the city in search of better employment and opportunity Population dynamics are often cited as a driving force behind urban sprawl. This paper used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping and land cover change analysis and neighbourhood statistics, to measure urban sprawl in Kaduna metropolitan area. Analyses of time series satellite images of urban land cover of Kaduna metropolis from 1973 to 2001(Landsat MSS of 1973, Landsat TM of 1990 and Landsat ETM of 2001). The data were reclassified to show only those classes that represent urbanized land. The two period's data were compared, to show the extent of urban growth over the last twenty eight years Patterns analyses of urban expansion using mapping capabilities within the GIS and neighbourhood statistics were carried out in order to show the density and connectivity of patches of new growth, The quantitative results from GIS data collection and analysis, and visual detection of sprawl patterns shown that urban sprawl is a part of urbanization processes in Kaduna metropolis. There is a 53.27 % increase in the level of urban land from 1973 to 2001. The increase in built-up land use was visible and result shows increase in the percentage of urban land in 1973 - 1990 constituted for approximately 46.73% of the study area. From 1990 to 2001, urban land accounted for approximately 53.27% of the study area. The result of the time series analysis revealed that urban land has increased over the twenty eight years time period by 145.52sq.metre