Simulating the Impacts of the Greenbelt Policy Reform on Sustainable Urban Growth: The Case of Busan Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The greenbelt of South Korea has been under the process of adjustment and removal since its first designated year. This research is aimed at predicting the effect that the removal of the greenbelt has on urban growth. The SLEUTH model was executed via three calibration phases using historical data between 1990 and 2010. The urban growth of Busan Metropolitan City was predicted under its historical trend, as well as two different scenarios including development and compact development up to the year 2030. The accuracy of model, as verified by ROC, was 85.7%. The historical trend scenario showed the smallest increase, with the urban area expanding from 175.96 km2 to 214.68 km2 in 2030. Scenario 2, the development scenario, showed the most increase, with a 39.9% growth rate from 2010 to 2030. However, according to scenario 3, the compact development scenario, the urban area decreased in comparison to scenario 2. Accordingly, it is necessary to have effective urban growth management to provoke eco-friendly development on the removed areas, and to strengthen the non-removed areas for sustainable development. The results obtained in this study showed that the SLEUTH model can be useful for predicting urban growth, and that it can help policy makers establish proper urban planning as a decision-support tool for sustainable development.