A Geospatial Approach to Sustainable Urban Planning: Lessons for Morogoro Municipal Council, Tanzania

Neema Simon Sumari,Fanan Ujoh,Neema Nicodemus Lyimo,Gang Xu,Obas John Ebohon,Prosper Issahaku Korah

doi:10.3390/su11226508

Abstract

Sustainable urban planning is essential in mediating the natural and built environments globally, yet, there is little progress as regards its attainment in developing countries. Rapid and unplanned urbanization continue to threaten the sustainability of many cities in Africa. By selecting Morogoro Municipal Council (MMC) in Tanzania as an example, this study applied well-known remote sensing techniques to understand the dynamics of urban growth and the implications for sustainable urban planning. The study analyzes spatio-temporal characteristics for eighteen years (2000–2018) based on urban land density using gradient and grid-based analysis to further examine land use and urban land density nexus. The results indicate declining urban land densities with distance to the city center, indicating a less compact and fragmented development at the urban fringes; and northward development with limited development to the south of MCC. The knowledge and understanding of the patterns of spatio-temporal conditions, land use planning, and management interventions in MMC are necessary for addressing the inadequacies associated with rapid urbanization within the study area. On this basis, we propose a shift from the modernist to the communicative planning strategy that strongly integrates the urban social, economic, and environmental imperatives, while being adaptable to evolving realities. This plan should also aim to curtail urban sprawl and create a viable city system and economically prosperous city structure for MMC.

Highlights

Cities have long emerged as engines of economic growth and centers of development
While the findings show that the evolution of Morogoro Municipal Council (MMC) conforms to mainstream urban models where development proceed from the central core [33], planning strategy that can guarantee compact growth, deliver a viable city structure, support social and economic development, and protect the environment is proposed for MMC
This study analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of urban expansion and population growth in MMC using two paradigms: Gradient analysis and grid-based analysis

Summary

Introduction

Cities are centers for education, employment, innovation, technological transfer, and ready market for manufactured goods and agricultural products [1] In developing countries, this is even more prominent, given that limited resources and poor governance structures [2,3,4] have resulted in governments focusing on providing infrastructure in cities at the expense and neglect of smaller towns and rural areas. This is even more prominent, given that limited resources and poor governance structures [2,3,4] have resulted in governments focusing on providing infrastructure in cities at the expense and neglect of smaller towns and rural areas This investment tends to accelerate countryside to urban migration, in search of perceived employment and economic opportunities in cities. Planning and land use policies are becoming even more crucial tools required for the mitigation, control, and management of the magnitude, dimension, and pattern of urban growth in cities, both in developed and developing countries

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Results

Conclusion