Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities
Urban centers across the globe are undergoing rapid land use changes due to population growth, economic development, and urbanization. These changes have a profound impact on environmental dynamics and urban livelihoods. This study investigates land use changes and their environmental implications o...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Cities |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1481932/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832591294873993216 |
|---|---|
| author | Timothy O. Ogunbode Victor O. Oyebamiji David O. Sanni Emmanuel O. Akinwale Francis O. Akinluyi |
| author_facet | Timothy O. Ogunbode Victor O. Oyebamiji David O. Sanni Emmanuel O. Akinwale Francis O. Akinluyi |
| author_sort | Timothy O. Ogunbode |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban centers across the globe are undergoing rapid land use changes due to population growth, economic development, and urbanization. These changes have a profound impact on environmental dynamics and urban livelihoods. This study investigates land use changes and their environmental implications on urban livelihoods in Iwo, Nigeria. The research explores the patterns and drivers of land use changes over the past four decades and evaluates their effects on environmental quality and urban livelihoods. A combination of remote sensing and survey methods was employed. Landsat images from 1982 to 2023 were analyzed using supervised classification techniques to map changes in land cover categories such as built-up areas, vegetation, farmland, bare land, and water bodies. Additionally, a survey was conducted with 550 residents, selected through simple random sampling, to identify the key drivers of urban expansion from the residents’ perspectives. Descriptive analysis revealed that most respondents had lived in Iwo for over 30 years, with many engaged in farming, trading, and civil service. Factor analysis was used to identify significant variables driving urban growth. The results indicate a substantial increase in built-up areas, from 9.30 km2 in 1982 to 30.69 km2 in 2023, alongside a significant decrease in vegetation cover. Farmland area showed an increasing trend, while bare land decreased. Key drivers of urban growth identified include religious activities, availability of land resources, small-scale businesses, government initiatives, and educational institutions. The environmental implications include deforestation, reduced green spaces, increased surface runoff, and pollution, which affect air quality, water resources, and biodiversity. This study highlights the importance of sustainable urban planning to balance growth with environmental preservation and social equity. The implementation of green infrastructure, effective waste management, and comprehensive urban planning policies is crucial to enhancing resilience and quality of life in Iwo. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-44ac099c3a2a4f4698018ad078f19dee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9634 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Cities |
| spelling | doaj-art-44ac099c3a2a4f4698018ad078f19dee2025-01-22T13:55:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Cities2624-96342025-01-01610.3389/frsc.2024.14819321481932Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical citiesTimothy O. Ogunbode0Victor O. Oyebamiji1David O. Sanni2Emmanuel O. Akinwale3Francis O. Akinluyi4Environmental Management Programme, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, Bowen University, Iwo, NigeriaDepartment of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, NigeriaSurveying and Geoinformatics Programme, College of Environmental Sciences, Bowen University, Iwo, NigeriaSurveying and Geoinformatics Programme, College of Environmental Sciences, Bowen University, Iwo, NigeriaSurveying and Geoinformatics Programme, College of Environmental Sciences, Bowen University, Iwo, NigeriaUrban centers across the globe are undergoing rapid land use changes due to population growth, economic development, and urbanization. These changes have a profound impact on environmental dynamics and urban livelihoods. This study investigates land use changes and their environmental implications on urban livelihoods in Iwo, Nigeria. The research explores the patterns and drivers of land use changes over the past four decades and evaluates their effects on environmental quality and urban livelihoods. A combination of remote sensing and survey methods was employed. Landsat images from 1982 to 2023 were analyzed using supervised classification techniques to map changes in land cover categories such as built-up areas, vegetation, farmland, bare land, and water bodies. Additionally, a survey was conducted with 550 residents, selected through simple random sampling, to identify the key drivers of urban expansion from the residents’ perspectives. Descriptive analysis revealed that most respondents had lived in Iwo for over 30 years, with many engaged in farming, trading, and civil service. Factor analysis was used to identify significant variables driving urban growth. The results indicate a substantial increase in built-up areas, from 9.30 km2 in 1982 to 30.69 km2 in 2023, alongside a significant decrease in vegetation cover. Farmland area showed an increasing trend, while bare land decreased. Key drivers of urban growth identified include religious activities, availability of land resources, small-scale businesses, government initiatives, and educational institutions. The environmental implications include deforestation, reduced green spaces, increased surface runoff, and pollution, which affect air quality, water resources, and biodiversity. This study highlights the importance of sustainable urban planning to balance growth with environmental preservation and social equity. The implementation of green infrastructure, effective waste management, and comprehensive urban planning policies is crucial to enhancing resilience and quality of life in Iwo.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1481932/fullland use changesurban expansionenvironmental implicationsurban livelihoodIwo (Nigeria) |
| spellingShingle | Timothy O. Ogunbode Victor O. Oyebamiji David O. Sanni Emmanuel O. Akinwale Francis O. Akinluyi Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities Frontiers in Sustainable Cities land use changes urban expansion environmental implications urban livelihood Iwo (Nigeria) |
| title | Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities |
| title_full | Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities |
| title_fullStr | Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities |
| title_short | Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities |
| title_sort | environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities |
| topic | land use changes urban expansion environmental implications urban livelihood Iwo (Nigeria) |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2024.1481932/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT timothyoogunbode environmentalimpactsofurbangrowthandlandusechangesintropicalcities AT victorooyebamiji environmentalimpactsofurbangrowthandlandusechangesintropicalcities AT davidosanni environmentalimpactsofurbangrowthandlandusechangesintropicalcities AT emmanueloakinwale environmentalimpactsofurbangrowthandlandusechangesintropicalcities AT francisoakinluyi environmentalimpactsofurbangrowthandlandusechangesintropicalcities |