scholarly journals Spatial Forecasting of the Landscape in Rapidly Urbanizing Hill Stations of South Asia: A Case Study of Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka (1996–2037)

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manjula Ranagalage ◽  
Ruci Wang ◽  
M. H. J. P. Gunarathna ◽  
D. M. S. L. B. Dissanayake ◽  
Yuji Murayama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Landscape Changes ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Lulc Changes ◽  
Urban Rural

Forecasting landscape changes is vital for developing and implementing sustainable urban planning. Presently, apart from lowland coastal cities, mountain cities (i.e., hill stations) are also facing the negative impacts of rapid urbanization due to their economic and social importance. However, few studies are addressing urban landscape changes in hill stations in Asia. This study aims to examine and forecast landscape changes in the rapidly urbanizing hill station of Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Landsat data and geospatial techniques including support vector machines, urban–rural gradient, and statistical analysis were used to map and examine the land use/land cover (LULC) change in Nuwara Eliya during the 1996–2006 and 2006–2017 periods. The multilayer perceptron neural network-Markov model was applied to simulate future LULC changes for 2027 and 2037. The results show that Nuwara Eliya has been directly affected by rapid urban development. During the past 21 years (1996–2017), built-up areas increased by 1791 ha while agricultural land declined by 1919 ha due to augmented urban development pressure. The pressure of urban development on forest land has been relatively low, mainly due to strict conservation government policies. The results further show that the observed landscape changes will continue in a similar pattern in the future, confirming a significant increase and decrease of built-up and agricultural land, respectively, from 2017 to 2037. The changes in agricultural land exhibit a strong negative relationship with the changes in built-up land along the urban–rural gradient (R2 were 0.86 in 1996–2006, and 0.93 in 2006–2017, respectively). The observed LULC changes could negatively affect the production of unique upcountry agricultural products such as exotic vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, and world-famous Ceylon tea. Further, unplanned development could cause several environmental issues. The study is important for understanding future LULC changes and suggesting necessary remedial measures to minimize possible undesirable environmental and socioeconomic impacts.

scholarly journals How Far Has China’s Urbanization Gone?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiping Xiao ◽  
Yan Song ◽  
Xiaodong Wu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Spatial Association ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Spatial Data Analysis ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Global Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Over Time

China’s rapid urbanization has attracted wide international attention. However, it may not be sustainable. In order to assess it objectively and put forward recommendations for future development, this paper first develops a four-dimensional Urbanization Quality Index using weights calculated by the Deviation Maximization Method for a comprehensive assessment and then reveals the spatial association of China’s urbanization by Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis. The study leads to three major findings. First, the urbanization quality in China has gradually increased over time, but there have been significant differences between regions. Second, the four aspects of urbanization quality have shown the following trends: (i) the quality of urban development has steadily increased; (ii) the sustainability of urban development has shown a downward trend in recent years; (iii) the efficiency of urbanization improved before 2006 but then declined slightly due to capital, land use, and resource efficiency constraints; (IV) the urban–rural integration deteriorated in the early years but then improved over time. Third, although the urbanization quality has a significantly positive global spatial autocorrelation, the local spatial autocorrelation varies between eastern and western regions. Based on these findings, this paper concludes with policy recommendations for improving urbanization quality and its sustainability in China.

scholarly journals Impacts of Urbanization on the Muthurajawela Marsh and Negombo Lagoon, Sri Lanka: Implications for Landscape Planning towards a Sustainable Urban Wetland Ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 316
Author(s):  
Darshana Athukorala ◽  
Ronald C. Estoque ◽  
Yuji Murayama ◽  
Bunkei Matsushita
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Landscape Fragmentation ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Urban Wetland

Urban wetland ecosystems (UWEs) play important social and ecological roles but are often adversely affected by urban landscape transformations. Spatio-temporal analyses to gain insights into the trajectories of landscape changes in these ecosystems are needed for better landscape planning towards sustainable UWEs. In this study, we examined the impacts of urbanization on the Muthurajawela Marsh and Negombo Lagoon (MMNL), an important UWE in Sri Lanka that provides valuable ecosystem services. We used remote sensing data to detect changes in the land use/cover (LUC) of the MMNL over a two-decade period (1997–2017) and spatial metrics to characterize changes in landscape composition and configuration. The results revealed that the spatial and socio-economic elements of rapid urbanization of the MMNL had been the main driver of transformation of its natural environment over the past 20 years. This is indicated by a substantial expansion of settlements (+68%) and a considerable decrease of marshland and mangrove cover (−41% and −21%, respectively). A statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between the change in population density and the loss of wetland due to settlement expansion at the Grama Niladhari division level (n = 99) (where wetland includes marshland, mangrove, and water) (1997–2007: R2 = 0.435, p = 0.000; 2007–2017: R2 = 0.343, p = 0.000). The findings also revealed that most of the observed LUC changes occurred in areas close to roads and growth nodes (viz. Negombo, Ja-Ela, Wattala, and Katana), which resulted in both landscape fragmentation and infill urban expansion. We conclude that, in order to ensure the sustainability of the MMNL, there is an urgent need for forward-looking landscape and urban planning to promote environmentally conscious urban development in the area which is a highly valuable UWE.

scholarly journals Factors influencing the use of coconut oil by the householders in Sri Lanka and their policy relevance to popularize the consumption of coconut oil

CORD ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
T. S. G. Peiris ◽  
M. T. N. Fernando ◽  
S. Samarajeewa
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Coconut Oil ◽  
Edible Oil ◽  
Oil Consumption ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Urban Rural

In recent past the concept on the use of coconut oil (CNO) by the householders in Sri Lanka has been changing due to various reasons.  The reasons were studied using the generalized linear models for the survey conducted during May/June 2001 for 366 householders representing three different population sectors  (urban, rural and estate) and different income groups. The significant factors influencing the use of CNO are the type of oil used in past, monthly income, quality of CNO, misconception about CNO and the population sectors.  The percentage of non-CNO users is considerably higher in the urban sector, whereas CNO still is the major edible oil in the rural and estate population sectors of Sri Lanka. The percentage of householders using CNO in the sample was 91.2.  In 75% of the sample, the quantity of CNO consumption per person has reduced over the last five years.   The main reason for dissatisfaction for CNO is adulteration.  The proportion of CNO use was significantly higher in lower income groups than the higher income groups.  The proportion of the CNO use decreased sharply when the income increases above Rs. 40,000 per month.  The high-income earners have shifted their preferences towards other edible oil consumption. The findings of this study suggest that the growth of the per capita incomes and the rapid urbanization in the country further reduces the consumer demand for coconut oil, unless there are effective marketing strategies implemented to promote the CNO consumption in the long run.  Both the proportion and rate of CNO use can be increased through an effective campaign via media.    Improving the quality and dispelling the misconception among the householders would give better prospects to the coconut oil industry in Sri Lanka.

scholarly journals Reconnecting the Landscape in Historical Cities, Conceptual Analysis of Historic Urban Landscape Approach in Iran

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 456-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behrang Bahrami ◽  
Firoozeh Samani
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Historical Structures ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
Conservation Plan ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Historic Cities

Historic Urban Landscape is the consequence of dynamic interrelationships between physical, ecological, and cultural factors in a causality based dynamic system. In recent years, urban development plans, inattentive to ecological and historical structures of landscape, have led to segregation of urban values. At a time of rapid urbanization, the conservation of historic cities is one of the most urgent challenges. Reviewing the principles and policies has led to a theoretical framework, based on approved approaches toward the subject for conservative planning. Planning in HUL, requires information which should be identified through scientific survey methods, regulations and principles, tools and procedures and also executive guidelines based on conservation. This research has investigated the historical and natural structure of Isfahan’s urban landscape in Iran. Analyses found improper urban development as the cause for disconnections in the HUL of Isfahan; providing effective theoretical framework that helps presenting a conservation plan for this historical city.

scholarly journals Quantifying the spatiotemporal patterns of urbanization along urban-rural gradient with a roadscape transect approach: a case study in Shanghai, China

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhonghao Zhang ◽  
Yao-Jen Tu ◽  
Xin Li
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Gradient Analysis ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Spatiotemporal Patterns ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Zone Method ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Transect Approach

Quantifying the landscape pattern change can effectively demonstrate the ecological progresses and the consequences of urbanization. Based on remotely sensed land cover data in 1994, 2000, 2006 and a gradient analysis with landscape metrics at landscape- and class- level, we attempted to characterize the individual and entire landscape patterns of Shanghai metropolitan during the rapid urbanization. We highlighted that a roadscape transect approach that combined the buffer zone method and the transect-based approach was introduced to describe the urban-rural patterns of agricultural, residential, green, industrial, and public facilities land along the railway route. Our results of landscape metrics showed significant spatiotemporal patterns and gradient variations along the transect. The urban growth pattern in two time spans conform to the hypothesis for diffusion–coalescence processes, implying that the railway is adaptive as a gradient element to analyze the landscape patterns with urbanization. As the natural landscape was replaced by urban landscape gradually, the urban fringe expanded radically. The results also showed that the desakota region expanded its extent widely. Satellite towns witnessed the continual transformation from the predominantly rural landscape to peri-urban landscape. Furthermore, the gap between urban and rural areas remained large especially in public service. More reasonable urban plans and land use policies should push to make more of an effort to transition from the urban-rural separation to coordinated urban-rural development. This study is a meaningful trial in demonstrating a new form of urban–rural transects to study the landscape change of large cities from a strategic viewpoint. By combining gradient analysis with landscape metrics, we addressed the process of urbanization both spatially and temporally, and provided a more quantitative approach to urban studies.

scholarly journals Monitoring and Forecasting of Urban Expansion Using Machine Learning-Based Techniques and Remotely Sensed Data: A Case Study of Gharbia Governorate, Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4498
Author(s):  
Eman Mostafa ◽  
Xuxiang Li ◽  
Mohammed Sadek ◽  
Jacqueline Fifame Dossou
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Agricultural Lands ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Lulc Change ◽  
Lulc Changes ◽  
The Future

Rapid population growth is the main driver of the accelerating urban sprawl into agricultural lands in Egypt. This is particularly obvious in governorates where there is no desert backyard (e.g., Gharbia) for urban expansion. This work presents an overview of machine learning-based and state-of-the-art remote sensing products and methodologies to address the issue of random urban expansion, which negatively impacts environmental sustainability. The study aims (1) to investigate the land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes over the past 27 years, and to simulate the future LULC dynamics over Gharbia; and (2) to produce an Urbanization Risk Map in order for the decision-makers to be informed of the districts with priority for sustainable planning. Time-series Landsat images were utilized to analyze the historical LULC change between 1991 and 2018, and to predict the LULC change by 2033 and 2048 based on a logistic regression–Markov chain model. The results show that there is a rapid urbanization trend corresponding to a diminution of the agricultural land. The agricultural sector represented 91.2% of the total land area in 1991, which was reduced to 83.7% in 2018. The built-up area exhibited a similar (but reversed) pattern. The results further reveal that the observed LULC dynamics will continue in a like manner in the future, confirming a remarkable urban sprawl over the agricultural land from 2018 to 2048. The cultivated land changes have a strong negative correlation with the built-up cover changes (the R2 were 0.73 in 1991–2003, and 0.99 in 2003–2018, respectively). Based on the Fuzzy TOPSIS technique, Mahalla Kubra and Tanta are the districts which were most susceptible to the undesirable environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the persistent urbanization. Such an unplanned loss of the fertile agricultural lands of the Nile Delta could negatively influence the production of premium agricultural crops for the local market and export. This study is substantial for the understanding of future trends of LULC changes, and for the proposal of alternative policies to reduce urban sprawl on fertile agricultural lands.

Globalization, Poverty, Environmental Degradation and Economic Growth Nexus: Empirical Analysis of SAARC Regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adiqa Kiani ◽  
Ejaz Ullah ◽  
Khair Muhammad
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
The Impact

The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of poverty, globalization, and environmental degradation on economic growth in the selected SAARC countries. This study is employed panel Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) technique for empirical analysis using selected SAARC regions including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka over the period of 1980 to 2018. Globalization impacts economic growth positively and significantly.  In addition to this the significant negative relationship is found between population and economic growth. The results show that poverty is positively related with environmental degradation. Furthermore, the results indicate that globalization is positively and significantly associated with environmental degradation in the SAARC region. Finally, the results show that urbanization is positive and significantly associated with environmental degradation, which could be the serious concerns for the policy makers to control.

Impact of LULC Changes on LST in Rajshahi District of Bangladesh: A Remote Sensing Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulla Al Kafy ◽  
Abdullah Al-Faisal ◽  
Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan ◽  
Md. Soumik Sikdar ◽  
Mohammad Hasib Hasan Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Lulc Changes ◽  
The Impact

Urbanization has been contributing more in global climate warming, with more than 50% of the population living in cities. Rapid population growth and change in land use / land cover (LULC) are closely linked. The transformation of LULC due to rapid urban expansion significantly affects the functions of biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as local and regional climates. Improper planning and uncontrolled management of LULC changes profoundly contribute to the rise of urban land surface temperature (LST). This study evaluates the impact of LULC changes on LST for 1997, 2007 and 2017 in the Rajshahi district (Bangladesh) using multi-temporal and multi-spectral Landsat 8 OLI and Landsat 5 TM satellite data sets. The analysis of LULC changes exposed a remarkable increase in the built-up areas and a significant decrease in the vegetation and agricultural land. The built-up area was increased almost double in last 20 years in the study area. The distribution of changes in LST shows that built-up areas recorded the highest temperature followed by bare land, vegetation and agricultural land and water bodies. The LULC-LST profiles also revealed the highest temperature in built-up areas and the lowest temperature in water bodies. In the last 20 years, LST was increased about 13ºC. The study demonstrates decrease in vegetation cover and increase in non-evaporating surfaces with significantly increases the surface temperature in the study area. Remote-sensing techniques were found one of the suitable techniques for rapid analysis of urban expansions and to identify the impact of urbanization on LST.

scholarly journals Linking Long-Term Changes in Soil Salinity to Paddy Land Abandonment in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 211
Author(s):  
Tharani Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Lalit Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Soil Salinity ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Soil Salinization ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Paddy Land ◽  
Semi Arid Region

Soil salinity is a serious threat to coastal agriculture and has resulted in a significant reduction in agricultural output in many regions. Jaffna Peninsula, a semi-arid region located in the northern-most part of Sri Lanka, is also a victim of the adverse effects of coastal salinity. This study investigated long-term soil salinity changes and their link with agricultural land use changes, especially paddy land. Two Landsat images from 1988 and 2019 were used to map soil salinity distribution and changes. Another set of images was analyzed at four temporal periods to map abandoned paddy lands. A comparison of changes in soil salinity with abandoned paddy lands showed that abandoned paddy lands had significantly higher salinity than active paddy lands, confirming that increasing salts owing to the high levels of sea water intrusion in the soils, as well as higher water salinity in wells used for irrigation, could be the major drivers of degradation of paddy lands. The results also showed that there was a dramatic increase in soil salinity (1.4-fold) in the coastal lowlands of Jaffna Peninsula. 64.6% of the salinity-affected land was identified as being in the extreme saline category. In addition to reducing net arable lands, soil salinization has serious implications for food security and the livelihoods of farmers, potentially impacting the regional and national economy.

scholarly journals Does Economic Agglomeration Lead to Efficient Rural to Urban Land Conversion? An Examination of China’s Metropolitan Area Development Strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2002
Author(s):  
Ke Huang ◽  
Martin Dallimer ◽  
Lindsay C. Stringer ◽  
Anlu Zhang ◽  
Ting Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Productive Efficiency ◽  
Land Conversion ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Economic Agglomeration

Urbanization involves expansion of the amount of land covered by urban uses. Rural to urban land conversion (RULC) can satisfy demand for the additional space that growing cities require. However, there can be negative consequences, such as the loss of productive agricultural land and/or the destruction of natural habitats. Considerable interest therefore exists among policy makers and researchers regarding how the efficiency of RULC can be maximized. We used the Gini index and a data envelopment analysis to quantify the relationship between RULC and economic development for 17 metropolitan areas in China. We did this from two perspectives: (i) coordination; and (ii) efficiency. We found that economic agglomeration fosters the coordination of the amount of rural land that is allocated to be converted to urban uses. Similarly, economic agglomeration increases the efficiency of RULC in terms of the processes of socio-economic production. Through production technology innovation and readjustment in the scale of input factors, the productive efficiency of RULC can be promoted. Our findings suggest a need to strictly limit the amount of RULC, design differential land management policies according to location and development level, and adjust RULC allocation between different cities. Further, in harnessing the potential of intensive urban land use and restructuring, production factors, including land, can be enhanced through technological innovation. Research presented in this paper provides insights for areas of the world which are yet to undergo the rapid urbanization that China has experienced, but where it is projected to occur over the coming decades.

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