Abstract
Urban cities are the major drivers of economic growth and development. Economic growth and development however results in considerable land cover land use dynamics. This study assessed the dynamics in land cover land use that have occurred in New Braunfels, Texas in the last 7 years (2013-2020) to observe areas in the city that had experienced considerable shifts in land cover and land use. 30-meter resolution Landsat images were used to examine possible changes in land cover land use. New Braunfels was observed to have experienced significant changes in land use especially in developed areas. This change can be attributed to the influx of people into the city, contributing to the need for increased urban development. Analysis of this study shows that about 16% (about 553 hectares) of forest land cover class and 28% (about 1139 hectares) of grassland class in time 1 (August 31, 2013) changed to built-up land use class in time 2 (November 5, 2020). A limitation to this study was that of the spatial resolution of images used. Higher spatial resolution images could impact the producers, users, and overall accuracy assessment. Results from this study can aid in supporting better decision-making for sustainable urban development and climate change mitigation.
Highlights
Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI) quantifies the greenness of vegetation and is useful in understanding vegetation density and assessing changes in plant health
NDVI is calculated as a ratio between the red (R) and near infrared (NIR) bands
NDVI was constructed for both images using ERDAS IMAGINE, a remote sensing software application, to assess for any differences in their vegetation indices (Figure 2)
Summary
The challenges associated with urban land use change include overcrowding, crime, pollution, increased energy utilization, and a loss of viable farming land (Oluseyi, 2006; Seto & Kaufmann, 2003). New Braunfels is one of the cities in the US experiencing a massive population influx It was ranked by the US Census Bureau, the second fastest growing city in the US between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, having an 8% increase and a total population of 79,152 people (Census Bureau, 2016). This population growth is projected to continue. The city is located in the southeastern part of Comal County, about 48 miles (77 kilometers) southwest of Austin, right between the cities of San Marcos and San Antonio with the Interstate highway 35 (IH-35) cutting through it
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