Peri-urban Expansion Research Articles

Anthropogenic Effects on Green Infrastructure Spatial Patterns in Kisangani City and Its Urban–Rural Gradient

Urban and peri-urban expansion significantly influences the spatial pattern of cities and surrounding zones. This study examines the spatial changes in green infrastructure components, specifically focusing on mature forests, short forests, and agricultural and grass lands from 1986 to 2021, using satellite imagery. Two landscape ecology indexes, the percentage of landscape (PLAND), and the largest patch index (LPI), were applied. PLAND provides insights into the proportion of habitat types, capturing overall extent, while LPI elucidates their spatial configuration. The research is conducted in a specific context of increasing urbanization and peri-urbanization in Kisangani city, DR Congo. The findings reveal a decline in both mature and short forests, respectively, from 1986 to 2021, and from 2006 to 2021 alongside a continuous expansion of agricultural and grass lands at the landscape scale. Moreover, the spatial pattern of mature and short forests exhibited significant variations across urban, peri-urban, and rural zones. In the context of 2021, in urban and peri-urban zones, mature forests account for less than 1% of the 2.25 km2 plots, against more than 35% in certain rural plots. Similarly, larger patches of mature forest in urban and peri-urban zones cover less than 0.5% of the 2.25 km2 plots, whereas they exceed 20% in rural zones. From 1986 to 2021, both mature and short forests experienced significant decline and fragmentation, particularly in urban and peri-urban zones, while agricultural and grass lands increased significantly in peri-urban and rural zones. These results raise concerns regarding the functions, services, and opportunities provided by mature and short forests in the context of global change. They also highlight the need for urban planning in Kisangani to prioritize green infrastructure preservation, focusing on maintaining forest connectivity and preventing further fragmentation. Policies should promote sustainable land use in peri-urban zones to achieve a balance between urban expansion and the provision of essential ecosystem services, thereby enhancing long-term resilience.

Spatial Matrices of Urban Expansion in Lafia, North-Central Nigeria

Rapid urbanisation in African cities has caused considerable problems by hindering their ability to meet infrastructure and service needs, resulting in rising land-use consumption. This study examines how land use/land cover change in Lafia, a city in North-central Nigeria, has impacted the city's boundaries between 1999 and 2019 and includes a projection using GIS simulation of land use/ land cover to 2029. The methodology includes remote sensing techniques, spatiotemporal analysis of geographical measurements, and statistical models. This study involved spatial analysis and projection of city growth from 1999 to 2029 in Lafia using GIS. This analysis focuses on the changes in built-up areas, vegetal cover, bare land, and water bodies using land-use/landcover data. The results indicated significant urban expansion and its impact on the city's spatial patterns. The Urban Expansion Differentiation Index (UEDI) and Urban Expansion Intensity Index (UEII)were used to assess urban sprawl and socioeconomic patterns such as population density and density gradient. High residential and employment densities, varied land uses, continuous development, and multi-modal transportation are all important for sustainable urban growth. The study indicates a direct relationship between population growth and urban expansion, as seen in Lafia. Furthermore, the findings suggest that cities grow beyond their typical boundaries, resulting in peri-urban expansion, as shown in the Alakio districts of the Lafia Metropolis. The study findings have important implications for urban growth policy and land use/land cover change. They will contribute to a better understanding of the effects of urban growth on the spatial matrix and morphology of cities, assisting city planners in recognizing these effects. Furthermore, the study adds evidence to the continuing debate about urban expansion, liveability, and spatial sustainability in African cities. The thorough examination of land use/land cover change in Lafia sheds light on the spatial dynamics of urbanisation and its implications for sustainable urban development.

The Impacts of Peri-Urban Expansion on Municipal and Ecosystem Services: Experiences from Makhado Biaba Town, South Africa

The sub-Saharan cities are growing and changing due to immigration and modernization. One of the consequences of the current urbanization is that an increasing number of families residing in peri-urban areas of small rural towns lack access to basic municipal and ecosystem services. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the impacts of peri-urban expansion on municipal services provided by the governments and on ecosystems services through a case study of a small rural town called Makhado Biaba in Limpopo Province of South Africa. Makhado Biaba has been experiencing incessant rapid physical expansion over the years. Such spatial expansion into the peri-urban zone impacts the provision of municipal services such as water, electricity, sewerage, and refuse collection. In 2020, an exploratory mixed-methods study of some anthropocentric and ecosystem changes in Makhado Biaba Local Municipality in northeast South Africa was executed. Land use was mapped for the time period of 1990–2020, data were gathered through a household questionnaire in six villages, and interviews were held with municipal officials. Among others, the study showed that several municipal services are available in the peri-urban villages of Makhado Biaba Town despite the distant locations outside the urban core. However, services are not uniformly distributed due to that new peri-urban developments that are leapfrogging into vacant land without supporting infrastructure. The pace of the municipality in providing the necessary municipal services such as water and energy supply, as well as sanitation and refuse removal, is lagging behind the development of new and unplanned housing areas. The findings bring about information about the suburban livelihoods and how the administration of the peri-urban areas can respond to the needs of the inhabitants as well as to future challenges. For instance, to facilitate local development, recurrent and well-structured citizen dialogs with local groups to identify delivery failures are strongly recommended. In addition, the impact on ecosystem services by the city development and land use change stresses the need for guided urban development and expansion and also settlement upgrading programs in peri-urban zones to limit the bad effect on ecosystem services.

Impact of urban and peri-urban growth on arable land (1976–2029) in a medium sized city of Shire Indaselassie, North Western Tigray, Ethiopia

Urban and peri-urban areas have been growing rapidly globally due to population increase and other factors. However, poor urban land use planning caused remarkable impacts on the loss of potentially arable land. This study aimed to analyze the spatio-temporal patterns of urban and peri-urban expansion and its impact on arable land in the Shire Indaselassie city, North Western Tigray. Multi-temporal and spectral Landsat images were used as an input and processed using TerrSet, ERDAS imagine 2015, and ArcGIS 10.8.1 softwares. The Cellular Automata-Markov Chain model was used to predict the future urban and peri-urban areas. Pearson correlation coefficient was applied to examine the association among the population, urban, peri-urban growth, and its impact on arable land in Stata/SE v14. The findings revealed that urban and peri-urban lands increased by 7.5 km2 (22.1%) and 1.0 km2 (2.9%), while arable land decreased by − 0.1 km2 (− 0.2%) from 1976 to 2019. It is also predicted to increase by 1.0 km2 (2.80%) and 0.9 km2 (2.70%) until 2029, while arable land is anticipated to shrink by − 1.0 km2 (− 3.0%). The relationship among population growth, urban, and peri-urban land shows positive (r = 0.942, p = 0.058; r = 0.985, p = 0.016). However, arable land has been negatively correlated with population growth, urban, and peri-urban lands (r = − 0.610, p = 0.392). The result of this research is indispensable for urban planners and decision makers to optimize urban and peri-urban expansion related information without jeopardizing the size of arable lands.

Local government shift and national housing program: Spatial repercussions on urban growth

This paper contributes to understanding the territorial politics of urban growth, especially concerning the strategies and means of controlling urban expansion (transformation of natural or rural land into urban, built-up areas). We analysed the urban growth/expansion processes resulting from three consecutive periods of master plan implementation practices in a medium-sized Brazilian city (Araraquara). The goal was to quantitatively assess whether a national market-oriented housing program (MCMV) could be accountable for disparities in spatial outcomes of physical growth associated with different territorial governance arrangements during contrasting local government mandates. Although the MCMV program introduced extensive peri-urban expansion, especially towards headwater preservation areas that nowadays juxtapose social and environmental vulnerabilities in Araraquara, it was not solely responsible for the discernible spatial trends observed after 2009. These results offer insights into how changes in territorial governance arrangements can affect master plan implementation practices.

Indigenes’ exclusion from neo-customary land: A perspective from changes in usufruct rights in Pramso, peri-urban Kumasi – Ghana

Land tenure systems in sub-Saharan African countries have changed in different ways over time with emergent neo-customary land tenure systems engendering exclusionary tendencies. Drawing on Pramso as a centralised case study in Greater Kumasi’s peri-urban area using in-depth interviews, this paper investigated peri-urban expansion and attendant changes in usufruct rights to understand indigenes’ exclusion from neo-customary land tenure. The paper finds peri-urban urban expansion in Kumasi to be more rapid after 2005 than between 1984 and 2005. In Pramso, the rapid and continuous peri-urban growth coupled with land allocation, together termed as peri-urban land commodification, precipitates neo-customary land tenure in which the focus on physical parcels of converted usufructuary land collapses traditional usufruct rights. In place of the collapsed rights, major remnants includes a quarter share of converted usufructuary land for indigene-families, a quarter share for community development, unconverted usufruct rights in respect of distant land, parcels with existing dwellings, and emergent peri-urban livelihood opportunities. Unlike indigenes, traditional authorities become major beneficiaries of this change. As the traditional usufruct rights are the main entitlement of indigenes, its collapse and traditional authorities’ suddenly becoming major beneficiaries indicates indigenes’ exclusion. The paper contends that the observed pervasive flexibility of customary land tenure systems in sub-Saharan Africa allows this change but also breeds unexpected and undesirable results for certain stakeholders such as indigenes. In the context of the rapid peri-expansion of African cities and the threat of irreversible and continuous change from customary to neo-customary land, the paper calls for right-based management of neo-customary land to equitably benefit all right holders.

Peri-Urban Expansion in the Maputo City Region: Land Access and Middle-Class Advances

Urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa has been marked by high socio-economic inequality, which continued after independence. The growth of a still ill-defined middle class has introduced new dynamics in urban space in the region, with different effects on lower-income groups, who form the vast majority of city dwellers. Access to urban land is central to these new dynamics and plays an important role in the reduction of pre-existing inequalities. In the Mozambican capital, Maputo, as land becomes increasingly scarce, development expands into the peri-urban areas of a fast-growing city region, partly encouraged by the improvement and construction of main roads but also by official urban planning praxis in a context where land is state-owned. This article analyses the land occupation processes promoted by these state initiatives and how these are shaping expansion in the Maputo city region, with a focus on new occupation by a growing middle class, linked to increasing land value and commodification. It argues that recent state initiatives in urban development have been supportive of middle-class advances into peri-urban areas of the Maputo metropolitan area, with reduced consideration of lower-income groups, on which these advances often have negative effects.

Factors Influencing Farmers to Convert Productive Croplands into Woodlots in Mbeya Rural District, Tanzania

Recently, the Mbeya Rural district has experienced land fragmentation and scarcity due to population increase. However, it is paradoxical to see that farmers have been converting productive croplands into woodlots instead of practicing agricultural intensification on their already scarce croplands. This paper contributes to the understanding of changes that are experienced by farmers in Uporoto Highlands by analysing factors that influence them to convert productive croplands into woodlots. The selection of the research area was based on the rate of conversion of croplands into woodlots, and easy accessibility from main roads. A simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 366 farmers for household interviews, while purposive sampling was used to select the research area, key informants, and participant of focus group discussions (FGDs). Field observation and documentary review were also used to complement the collection of data. The paper employed a mixed method approach to capture both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed with the aid of the IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 21, to allow the generation of descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation functions, and multinomial regression analysis results. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The results suggest that the conversion of productive croplands into woodlots is influenced by market conditions, social/peer influence, institutional factors, nature and characteristics of trees, holding land for future use, farmers’ characteristics and urban to peri-urban expansion. The study recommends that agricultural institutions in the country should create enabling conditions that help farmers convert their productive croplands in a manner that does not threaten food security.

EXPERIENCIA: Ensanche urbano Bellavista, Ancud, Chile- 2019/20

Urban expansion of 60 hectares for about 3,000 permanent inhabitants, for the city of Ancud, with about 50,000 inhabitants, in the north of the Island of Chiloé, Chilean Patagonia, which began to be projected in 2019 and begins to be built in 2021. The CEPA team was called by the notable Chilean Architect Edward Rojas to develop this great private enterprise as a comprehensive Master Plan, which will guide the future of the entire city of Ancud, where Arq. Rojas would develop the architecture projects. It is characterized by retaking the concepts of expansion and not of peri-urban expansion, the desire to integrate social housing with the best social and recreational facilities, and an effort to generate the greatest diversity compatible with a true piece of the city, also providing centrality in the southern area of Ancud.

Soil Quality and Peri-Urban Expansion of Cities: A Mediterranean Experience (Athens, Greece)

Soil loss and peri-urban settlement expansion are key issues in urban sustainability, with multi-disciplinary implications that go beyond individual ecological and socioeconomic dimensions. Our study illustrates an assessment framework diachronically evaluating urbanization-driven soil quality loss in a Southern European metropolitan region (Athens, Greece). We tested the assumption that urban growth is a process consuming high-quality soils in a selective way analyzing two spatial layers, a map illustrating the diachronic expansion of settlements at five time points (1948, 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2018), and a geo-database reporting basic soil properties. The empirical results showed that the urban expansion in the Athens region took place by consuming higher- quality soil in fertile, mostly flat, districts. It entailed a persistent soil quality decrease over time. This trend globally accelerated in recent years, but in a heterogeneous way. Actually, newly built, more compact areas expanded on soils with lower erosion risk than in the past. Besides, low-density land take is likely to be observed in soils with moderate-high or very-high qualities. These evidences reflect the need for a comprehensive evaluation of complex processes of land take informing spatial planning for metropolitan sustainability.

Deforestation Dynamics on an Amazonian Peri-Urban Frontier: Simulating the Influence of the Rio Negro Bridge in Manaus, Brazil.

Peri-urban expansion is an increasingly important source of tropical deforestation, and a bridge over the Rio Negro in Brazil's state of Amazonas provides an unusual opportunity to quantify these impacts with clear "before" and "after" periods. Inaugurated in 2011, the bridge connects Manaus to forest areas on the right bank of the river, thus opening a new frontier for peri-urban expansion. We used the AGROECO model in the Dinamica-EGO software to simulate "Bridge" and "No-bridge" scenarios to evaluate the spatial dynamics of deforestation in the municipalities (counties) of Iranduba, Manacapuru and Novo Airão. Simulated deforestation between 2011 and 2030 for the study area as a whole was 106% higher with the bridge. The portion of the study area with expansion of roads had four times more deforestation in the Bridge scenario than in the No-bridge scenario. A change in the spatial distribution of the deforested area was detected, with an advance of deforestation in the municipality closest to the bridge. Deforestation also expanded in more distant regions. Peri-urbanization in the Bridge scenario demonstrates the possible increase in the spatial distribution of deforestation activity beyond the already-consolidated frontier, making the deforestation pattern more diffuse and leaving the remaining forest even more vulnerable. Impact of the bridge could further increase due to additional factors, such as the planned opening of a highway (BR-319) connecting Manaus to Brazil's "arc of deforestation."

Drivers and consequences of biophysical landscape change in a peri-urban–rural interface of Guwahati, Assam

North-east India is constituted of highly diverse ecosystems with unique characteristics with high dependency on primary sector income (86% on agriculture). It is very crucial to look into the issues like agriculture, ecosystem services and sociocultural aspects of endemic population, while urban areas are expanding. This paper examines the issues pertinent to peri-urban expansion with a case study from the biggest city of the region, Guwahati. The scope for sustainable development planning in peri-urban region through analysing spatial, economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects has been incorporated in this paper. Landscape research has been enhanced with temporal and spatial analysis of land-use and land-cover change for better landscape management. Remotely sensed data are the most important data source for land-cover change trajectories over three decades at three points of time (1991, 2001 and 2011) for the selected study landscape. This research explores the temporal composition of the main land-use land-cover classes. The major changes in land-use land-cover classes observed from the study are reduction in natural land cover (from 83.57 to 61.85%) and increase in built-up area (from 0.96 to 15.39%) and agricultural (from 6.01 to 15.59%) uses. Despite the intensification of agricultural land area, there has been decrease in agricultural livelihoods and subsequent reduction in income contribution from natural resource-based livelihoods. These findings on land-use land-cover change can be inferred as the impacts of peri-urbanization leading to degradation of agricultural land, deforestation, deterioration of wetland and wild habitat destruction.

Nexos espacio-temporales entre la expansión de la urbanización y las áreas naturales protegidas. Un caso de estudio en la Región de Valparaíso, Chile.

La periurbanización en regiones urbanas se ha entendido como la conformación de un cinturón ruralurbano, que genera múltiples cambios en el uso de suelo, la relocalización de actividades económicas y nuevas configuraciones de transporte y comunicaciones. Estas transformaciones en la Región de Valparaíso se manifiestan en cambios en la ocupación, en un espacio más intercomunicado y accesible, con periferias multifuncionales que incorporan nuevas actividades y habitantes, donde además se localizan
 Áreas Silvestres Protegidas (ASP) consideradas como un atractivo para los procesos de periurbanización. Este artículo caracteriza la evolución de los procesos de periurbanización y analiza los cambios espaciales con relación a las Áreas Silvestres Protegidas en la Región de Valparaíso entre los años 2003-2015. Se establecieron tipologías de uso de suelo y se determinaron las principales transformaciones espaciotemporales, relacionándolas con la intensidad de la expansión de la urbanización identificada sobre las
 ASP. Los resultados mostraron la presión que ha sido ejercida por la expansión periurbana durante los últimos años sobre las ASP en la región, lo que ha aumentado drásticamente la aparición de nuevos espacios residenciales; un ejemplo de esto es la dispersión de las parcelas de agrado observada en la región durante el período analizado. En particular, las ASP que no son parte del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas del Estado presentaron mayores transformaciones. La protección de estas áreas que hacen parte de la identidad de Valparaíso, se ha puesto en riesgo como consecuencia de la expansión urbana incesante en la región.

Drivers of Land Cover Dynamics for Pugu and Kazimuzumbwi Forest Reserves in Kisarawe, Tanzania

Forests that are close to growing urban centres have been subject to constant deforestation and degradation from various factors. This study assesses the drivers of land cover dynamics in Pugu and Kazimzumbwi forest reserves in the context of urban and peri-urban expansion of Dar es Salaam for the past three decades. The study adopted review of relevant literature and household survey from three settlements surrounding the forest reserves. One hundred and fifty (150) households were collected from Buyuni, Chanika and Masaki in Ilala and Kisarawe and administered with semi-structured questionnaire to collect information on migration, use of forest products by communities and perception on climate change and variability. SPSS computer program was used to analyse the questionnaire data while tables and graphs were adopted for presentation of the results. Rural-urban and internal urban migration in Dar es Salaam was identified as one of the primary drivers of land cover dynamics in peri-urban areas and adjoining environments. The migration was intensified by push drivers which include urban growth, market of land and reliance on forest product among community members as source of their livelihoods. The increased rainfall variability accompanied with high temperature has contributed to frequent droughts which compromises rainfed agriculture. Thus, the successful conservation of the forest will require strengthened enforcement of protection measures supported with introduction of alternative livelihood strategies for majority of poor community members.

Threats to environmentally sensitive areas from peri-urban expansion in Mauritius

SUMMARYRapid population growth and economic change on the tropical islands of Mauritius have led to one of the highest rates of urban build-out in the world. Pressure on many of the island's natural features and resources increasingly risks further degradation to the environmental services that they provide to the country. Fourteen types of marine and terrestrial environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) are critical to the nation's sustainable development. Twelve of these ESA types are currently at risk of degradation, owing to their spatial proximity to built-up areas (BUAs) and current use designation. There was a bimodal distribution in proximity; eight of the 12 ESA types analysed had an area-weighted modal peak < 500 m from the nearest BUA, and four ESAs had a modal peak 2–3 km from the nearest BUA. Six coastal and marine ESAs had limited protection from urban expansion and over-use. The Mauritian experience reflects trends that are emerging across many tropical developing countries, where the bulk of future global growth in urban area is expected to occur. The approach detailed in this case study is replicable and may be useful in assessing degradation risk as a result of urban expansion in other island countries.

Aux limites nord de la région urbaine grenobloise, les données nouvelles de l'aménagement

Abstract. — The strategies developed in the last 20 years in the planning of the Grenoble region have failed to control the process of peri-urban expansion. The urban area has continued to widen its zone of economic attraction with the result that the proposed relay area in the north of the region has been unable to assert itself However the double pheno- menon of domination and urban dilution has been curbed by the new era economic of crisis which has effectively limited the expansion of the residential area. Moreover, the rural communities are becoming organised and asserting themselves as small homogeneous territorial units each centred on a common kermal. Although the northern limits of the Grenoble region, as defined in the local town planning project in 1967, can still be justified, the determination to centralise, evident in the initial project, its no longer in keeping with the present tendency towards diversification. At a time when decentralisation is the operative concept, the new orientations in urban and peri-urban planning have to consider the necessity for the harmonisation and the coherence of the different strategies on the wider scale of the departement.