Assessing the urbanization-induced impact on environmental parameters of a city from a remote-sensing perspective

Abstract

An unplanned urban sprawl is a significant challenge for cities in developing nations. Such growth damages the environmental fabric (quality) of the city. The environmental parameters that are mainly affected due to urbanization need to be monitored for sustainable urban development. Hence, it becomes essential to adopt a sustainable framework for a thorough critical examination of environmental parameters that are altered due to urbanization as its consequence. Thus, this paper analyses the spatial-temporal changes that occurred in three vital environmental parameters: Land Surface Temperature (LST), Vegetation Cover (VC), and Particulate Matter (PM2.5), due to unplanned urbanization in the Bhopal city of Madhya Pradesh state in India. The study evaluates the relationship among these parameters. Then, an Environmental Quality Index (EQI) is quantified from 2000 to 2020 to analyse the environmental quality of the city. Further, a trend analysis for these parameters and the EQI is done. Based on the results of EQI, the city's environmental quality is classified. The findings show that in various parts of the city, LST and PM2.5 were found to be increased by 1–2 °C and 23–25 μg/m3, respectively. The severity analysis of the EQI revealed that environmental quality was found to be good to moderate in 2005 whereas, it deteriorated to poor and very poor levels by the year 2020. Overall results show that severe environmental degradation was significant in some specific locations in dense urbanization, heavy traffic areas, industrial zones, and major highways. The research reveals the environmental consequences of unplanned urbanization, offering valuable insights for policymakers and urban designers to improve the quality of urbanization and advance sustainable development. It also suggests strategies and policy interventions for managing industrial and vehicular pollutants and advocates the vital role of urban greening, which can aid in raising the quality of the urban environment.