The presented study aims to deepen the understanding of urban expansion and land resource management to meet growing urbanization needs and identify constraints associated with this phenomenon. The main objective is to propose a model that integrates the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – a method recognized for addressing complex spatial issues. By defining the criteria related to the targeted objectives and by mapping attribute and geographic data at the municipal level of M’sila, we have prioritized the identified indicators, quantitatively evaluated the phenomenon, and compared various development scenarios for the studied areas. This quantitative evaluation was carried out through spatial simulation, including data intersection and multicriteria aggregation based on the AHP method, which allowed participatory modeling of factors according to their respective importance. Moreover, this process facilitated the identification of optimal land use for urbanization, while assisting specialists in choosing the most appropriate urban planning orientations and objectives for the studied areas.
Read full abstract