The Relationships between Urbanization, Altitude Variability and Disaster Risk Management, Evidence from Jordan

Abstract

This study was conducted in Jordan to assess the relationships between built environment (population growth, green surfaces, and built-up land), altitude variability, and landslide events during the period 1994 to 2020 through the application of a multi-approach investigation using statistical analyses, GIS, and remote sensing techniques. The results showed that the population densities in the study area have substantially increased. The population in the northern parts is distributed along an east–west direction that moves anticlockwise toward the south, while the southern parts population distribution is along a north–south direction that moves clockwise and to the south. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) results showed that the green surfaces in the study area have decreased by 4.6%, while the built-up land density has increased. The landslide events increased from four events in 1994 to more than 20 events in 2020. There is a synchronous pattern in which the decrease in vegetation is associated with an increase in built-up land, population size, and landslide events at different altitudes, suggesting that a relationship between these factors might be present. If the current built environment practices persist, the population distribution and concentration will spread in a north-south direction along the same axis where landslide events are concentrated, posing serious future potential hazards on the population and on facilities.