Spatial Expansion and Population Growth Analysis of Ogbomoso Metropolis to Forestall Overwhelming Available Infrastructures

Abstract

The requirement of land for an array of uses as population grows and cities open up to further development is at an astronomical rate. This has resulted in effort to convert areas covered by water bodies into dry land. This notwithstanding, land has remain a relatively fixed asset which cannot be massively expanded by any means, but its utilization can be managed to ensure its sustainability. Most human activities are land based hence how land is used have a ripple effect on most aspects of our lives and the environment. The way and manner land is being used relative to population growth of an area must be monitored to avoid environmental degradation. This research attempts an analysis of the Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes of Ogbomoso metropolis between the years 1985 and 2015 and makes projections for the next 30years at regular interval of 10years. Secondary data obtained through Remote Sensing were adopted for the research. Landsat imageries TM 1985, 1995 and ETM+ imageries of 2005 and 2015 were downloaded from the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) while Remote Sensing techniques was adopted for data processing and analysis. Population data obtained for the study area from the National Population Commission (NPC) were used for the population projection. Land Consumption Rate and Land Absorption Coefficient were introduced to aid in the quantitative assessment of the change. Analysis of the results showed the alarming rate of growth in built-up area between the periods considered and suitable recommendations was made on measures to properly manage such growth.