Changes of Settlement Environmental Quality in Semarang City Center

Abstract

City center is the core of a city that was originally used as settlement, it is, further, developed into a center of economic activities and as a center for settlement facilities and infrastructure. The city center area is a city growth center which often experiences rapid changes. The development of the city center has resulted in the conversion of landuse non built up area into a built up area. The wide increase in built up area indicates a reduction in green open space and catchment areas that can cause degeneration in environmental quality. Semarang as the capital of Central Java Province develops quite rapidly. This condition is seen in the increasing of the built up area that functions as a settlement and commercial activities. The development of settlements in the City Center, however, can cause a decline in environmental quality if it is not balanced with a good environmental arrangement and the availability of sufficient facilities. This study aimed to analyze the changes in the quality of the residential environment over 10 years and to determine the typology of the area of the area in the Semarang Tengah District located in the City Center of Semarang. This study used spatial approach by utilizing Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing (GIS/RS) technology. The results of the research showed that there was a change in the quality of the settlement environment in Semarang Tengah District. Settlement areas that experienced a decrease in quality were block settlements in Brumbungan Village and Miroto Village, it was due to reduced vegetation protection and facilities. On the other hand, the quality improvement occurred in Sekayu Village which developed as a commercial area. Settlements in Semarang City Center can be divided into 3 topologies based on the characteristics and quality of the environment