Multi-temporal Dynamics of Land Use Land Cover Change and Urban Expansion in the Tropical Coastal District of Kozhikode: Fid-Bau Portal

Multi-temporal Dynamics of Land Use Land Cover Change and Urban Expansion in the Tropical Coastal District of Kozhikode

Grover, Aakriti / Vadakkuveettil, Ashique

Man is more dependent on the environment than any other species, but his relentless pursuit of development, comfort, and security has exacerbated environmental stress, resulting in changes in land use and land cover over time. Urbanization is one of the leading causes of this phenomenon. By 2030, 60% of the world’s population is projected to reside in urban areas, with one in three people residing in cities with populations of at least 500,000. Understanding the significant urbanization trends anticipated to emerge in the coming years is essential for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and advancing efforts to develop a new urban planning framework. This study examines the change in land use and land cover in the Kozhikode district between 1993 and 2018. A supervised approach with a maximum likelihood algorithm has been utilized for classification purposes. Afterward, change detection analysis is carried out. In addition, the overall spatiotemporal characteristics of city growth in the Kozhikode Urban Area (KUA) are computed using a combination of remotely sensed data and GIS-based buffer gradient analyses. The findings indicate that extensive areas of vegetation have been transformed into urban areas. Moreover, the concentration of built-up area was primarily confined within 2 km of the city center and decreased as one moved away from the city center, indicating that the concentration of urbanization in 1993 was in the vicinity of the urban core. On the other hand, as one moves away from the city center in 2018, a growing trend of urbanized areas is observed. In addition, numerous census towns were developed and merged with the primary urban area, resulting in the rapid growth of the city. This study advocates for appropriate stakeholder action in this matter, given that this growth and merger is occurring without prior planning.