MEASURING URBAN EXPANSION AND LAND USE/LAND COVER CHANGES USING REMOTE SENSING AND LANDSCAPE METRICS: A CASE OF REWARI CITY, INDIA
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Date
2024-05
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Abstract
The industrial and economic development has initiated the rapid growth of small and
medium-sized towns in India. Rewari City, a part of the National Capital Region of India, is
undergoing rapid urban expansion. This study analyzes the process of urban expansion in
Rewari city, its effect on land use & land cover dynamics and landscape spatial patterns. The
methodology of the study is reliant on open-source Landsat satellite data, GIS-based
unsupervised classification, and spatial metrics analysis. The city expansion has been
analyzed for a period of 31 years, from 1989 to 2020, and population growth has been studied
since 1901. Within the study period, built-up area increased by 704%, with an annual
expansion rate of 12.8 %. The other land cover classes, such as agriculture land, vegetation,
barren land, and water bodies shrank in size over the years. Between 1989 and 2020, 69.4 %
of the increase in built up area came at the expense of vegetation and agricultural land. It was
also found that per capita land consumption rate increased significantly from 0.0024 to
0.0084, hinting towards dispersed and low-density development. Built-up land had a growth
rate nearly 5 times higher than population, indicating urban sprawl. An evaluation of
different landscape metrics revealed that the landscape of Rewari has lost land use diversity.
The findings of this study offer information about the present state of urban growth. It also
serves as a valuable resource for formulating comprehensive planning and development
policies, ensuring the promotion of sustainable urban development.