The application and effectiveness of remote sensing and geographical information systems for mapping and monitoring land use and land cover changes for development planning in UMnini Trust Traditional Council, eThekwini Municipality.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.In the second half of the 21st century, developing countries experienced rapid population growth, which tended to settle in peri-urban areas of the cities because of limited spaces in the urban core areas and high urban land values. This movement into the outskirts of the cities has promoted peri-urban densification or urban sprawl/growth where the population become desperate for land and resides in close proximity to railway and road corridors, and environmentally sensitive areas etc. This rapid periurban densification decreased the availability of agricultural potential land and created a huge demand for social services delivery from municipalities. Therefore, municipalities need current and accurate information about trends of growth and development in a specific geographic area to determine the amount of social services need to be provided, which is significant for their development plans. Moreover, for accurate and up-to-date information and trends of growth analysis, South African municipalities rely on the techniques and tools such as aerial photographs and sample surveys, which are often inadequate to provide real time and accurate information on a regular basis, as these techniques collect this kind of information on a yearly basis while the population grows on a daily basis in developing worlds. The aim of this study was to assess the application and effectiveness of remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS) for mapping and monitoring land use and land cover changes (LULCC) trends for development planning in uMnini Trust traditional council between 2001 and 2016. This time period has been chosen to align the study with the 15 years after eThekwini Metropolitan municipality was created in 2000, it was important to monitor and map the extent of growth in peri-urban areas of the metropolitan, which are the result of urban sprawl where people are situated in close proximity to urban core areas in search for economic opportunities. This study was guided by objectives, which are as follows; to determine the current LULCC planning and assessment processes used by municipality in uMnini Trust traditional council, to critically analyse the extent to which remote sensing and GIS have been used for sustainable land use planning and management; to identify different land use and land cover types found in uMnini Trust traditional council between 2001 and 2016, and analyse/categorise the changes that has occurred during the study period, in order to be able to analyse the rate and magnitude at which the peri-urban densification has been occurring in the study area which has a direct influence over the required infrastructure and social services. Lastly, to analyse challenges and constraints of using remote sensing and GIS for mapping and monitoring land use and land cover changes in uMnini Trust traditional council. This study adopted mixed (qualitative and quantitative) research methods. This combination of methods was employed in this study in order to provide a better understanding of research problems than either approach. Cognitive fit theory, sustainable development theory, and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model were the theoretical bases for this study. Rapid peri-urban densification has contributed to land use changes, and also often led to rapid consumption of green or environmentally sensitive areas. Unregulated growth and development in urban areas has also resulted in the saturation of urban core areas, which increasing demand for land for development at the outskirts of the urban areas. Cognitive fit theory states that the use of geospatial technologies such as remote sensing and GIS, when the user possess relevant skills and expertise this yield good results that could help to come up with possible solution to assist in decision making process. Sustainable development theory advocates that there should be a development to satisfy the needs for the present generation, however, it must balance triple bottom line which include the social, economic, and environmental protection in ensuring that the needs of the future generations will be met. The unified theory of acceptance and technology model emerged because there was a need for the establishment of advanced technological innovations and application that have positive impacts on human and work life. This encouraged the organizations and governments to adopt the use of information technology in solving complex spatial related problems such as incompatible land uses. The results of this study revealed that there has been a gradual decline of agricultural potential areas in uMnini Trust traditional council within the study period. Rapid peri-urban densification has contributed and continues to contribute to rapid LULCC in the study area. It has been noted that this growth has implications on the provision of infrastructure and service delivery, as these people are increasing on a weekly or monthly basis which make it difficult for the municiplaity to have real time and accurate information about rate, trend, and magnitude of LULCC for their development plans. Integration of remote sensing and GIS in this study has demonstrated that this approach could be effective in providing LULCC in short period of time, which has been the shortcoming of the traditional planning tools

GEOGRAPHY OF A SPORTS METROPOLIS

This study analyzes the sports infrastructure of Hamburg, Germany, from the residents’ perspective. Empirical evidence is provided using a micro-level dataset of 1,319 sports facilities, which is merged with highly disaggregated data on population, socio-demographic characteristics and land values. Based on implicit travel costs, locations’ endowment of sports infrastructure is captured by potentiality variables, while accounting for natural and unnatural barriers. Given potential demand, central areas are found to be relatively underprovided with a sports infrastructure compared to peripheral areas where opportunity cost in the form of price of land is lower. The determinants of spatial distribution vary systematically across types of sports facilities. Publicly provided open sports fields and sports halls tend to be concentrated in areas of relatively low income which is in line with their social infrastructure character, emphasized by local authorities. In contrast, there is a clear tendency for market allocated tennis facilities to follow purchasing power. Areas with higher proportions of foreigners are subject to relatively lower provision of a sports infrastructure, which contradicts the stated ambitions of planning authorities.PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, SPORTS FACILITIES, SPORTS GEOGRAPHY

Public Participation GIS for sustainable urban mobility planning: methods, applications and challenges

Sustainable mobility planning is a new approach to planning, and as such it requires new methods of public participation, data collection and data aggregation. In the article we present an overview of Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) methods with potential use in sustainable urban mobility planning. We present the methods using examples from two recent case studies conducted in Polish cities of Poznań and Łodź. Sustainable urban mobility planning is a cyclical process, and each stage has different data and participatory requirements. Consequently, we situate the PPGIS methods in appropriate stages of planning, based on potential benefits they may bring into the planning process. We discuss key issues related to participant recruitment and provide guidelines for planners interested in implementing methods presented in the paper. The article outlines future research directions stressing the need for systematic case study evaluation

Targeting the poor in Mexico

This report reevaluates PROGRESA's targeting methods since the program began adding beneficiary households through a process called “densification.” The authors first evaluate PROGRESA's accuracy in targeting both at the community and household levels. Second, they evaluate the targeting in terms of its impact on poverty alleviation relative to other feasible methods assuming the same total budget.Education ,Mexico ,

Decision Support for Urban Regeneration - Using Multi Criteria Evaluation for Urban Green Space Development in Helsingborg

Urbanization and densification are two noticeable trends that imposes many challenges for urban planners. Fast growing cities comes with the need for incorporating publicly accessible green spaces to ensure public health and for creating an attractive city. Urban regeneration provides the possibilities of restructuring the urban environment according to desired needs. Helsingborg municipality did, in 2017, initiate one of the biggest renewal projects recorded in the municipality´s history. The H+ project, even though in an early stage, makes up a good example of how resource efficiency is growing in importance. Making the most out of limited resources implies demand for well-suiting planning strategies to base decisions on. Tools and methods for achieving this could be found in geographic information systems (GIS). More specifically for this study, the practicality of using multi criteria evaluation (MCE) for decision making is examined. In addition, an MCE is applied to find potentially suitable locations for new public green space within the H+ project area

Anthropization and growth of the electricity grid as variables for the analysis of urban infrastructure

City growth goes together with the development of infrastructure, and the power network is one of the most relevant towards economic development. The study of urban infrastructure through the analysis of anthropization coupled with power network growth can produce a tool that supports sustainable infrastructure planning, both economic and environmental. The case study focuses on Ambato, Ecuador, in the period from 1950 to 2019, and assesses quantitatively the changes in the city layout and the evolution of its power network. The data are adjusted to a sigmoid-type objective function through a non-linear least squares problem, that is solved using the Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS) method. Anthropization data show how the urban area grew during the study period: 37% (1950–1960), 53% (1960–1970), 80% (1970–1980), 35% (1980–1990), 39% (1990–2000), 38% (2000–2010), and 11% (2010–2019), mostly at the expense of agricultural land. The forecast for new power network users by 2050 yields a result of 203,630 total users with a population density of 4850 people/km2. The conclusion is that this type of analysis can help city planners and decision makers further understand city and infrastructure growth dynamics and produce policies that bolster sustainable city growth.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Under the radar? 'Soft' residential densification in England, 2001-2011

Urban compaction policies have been widely adopted in developed countries in pursuit of more sustainable cities. Compactness is achieved through a process of ‘densification’, of developing and using land and buildings more intensively. However, empirical evidence on the processes and outcomes of urban densification is lacking. The paper addresses this lacuna. It considers densification in England, a country that has long experience of applying policies of urban containment and consolidation; and one where new data sources allow the analysis of recent land use change at a level of detail not hitherto possible. In England between 2001 and 2011 the bulk of additional dwellings were accommodated within urban areas, increasing their density. Yet there were wide inter- and intra-regional variations in the pattern of densification: for example, in the contributions of large scale, formal development and of small scale, informal, gradual change – of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ densification – to the process. The significant differences in local experiences of densification that result raise major issues for policy

Productivity, infrastructure, and urban density – an allometric comparison of three European city-regions across scales

Agglomeration-based arguments citing Dutch and German city-regions have been a primary driver in advocating intercity transport strategies in the north of England. In this paper, we adopt an allometric urban model investigating the applicability and transferability of these transport-led agglomerative strategies promoted to address England’s regional economic under-performance. This is undertaken through a comparative study of the size-cost performance balance of three city-regions and the overall urban networks in the Netherlands, Germany, and England and Wales using city units defined at different spatial scales. While our results support a case for better mobility and transport comparing the three urban networks regardless of the spatial scales, comparisons of specific city-regions indicate a more nuanced interplay of productivity, mobility infrastructure, and urban density

Longitudinal relationships of the neighbourhood built environment with cardio-metabolic health

Neighbourhood built environments may have the potential to impact residents’ cardiometabolic health through physical activity. This Thesis aims to advance the understanding of such potential impacts. This Thesis consists of three published peer-reviewed studies. Study One, a systematic review and meta-analyses of longitudinal studies, found strong evidence for longitudinal relationships of built environment attributes with cardiometabolic health among adults. In particular, it found strong evidence for relationships of higher walkability with reduced risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. This systematic review has been published in Obesity Reviews. Two empirical studies were designed to address the gaps identified in the systematic review. These studies were conducted using the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study data, which were collected from a national cohort at three time points between 1999 and 2012. The outcomes examined in the empirical studies were 12-year changes in eight cardio-metabolic risk markers: waist circumference; weight; systolic and diastolic blood pressure; fasting and 2-hr postload plasma glucose; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and triglycerides. Built environmental attributes for AusDiab study participants were calculated using geographic information systems as an original work of this Thesis. The analytical sample consisted of participants who provided 12-year followup data and did not change their residence during the study period. One gap identified in the systematic review was that most longitudinal studies examined environmental attributes (typically composite measures such as walkability) assessed at one time point, disregarding environmental changes. To address this gap, Study Two examined the relationships of neighbourhood population density increases (densification) on changes in cardio-metabolic risk markers. Densification was calculated using the population density values measured within a 1-km straight-line buffer at three time points in concordance with the AusDiab data collection points. Analysing data from 2,354 eligible participants, higher densification was found related to smaller increases in obesity markers, but it was adversely related to blood pressure and lipid changes. This study has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Study Three investigated the potential mediating role of physical activity (baseline and change) in the relationships between walkability and changes in cardio-metabolic risk markers, as a lack of studies rigorously examining underlying mechanisms of these relationships was another gap identified. For physical activity, self-reported time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (including walking) was used. A walkability index (consisting of residential density, intersection density, and destinations density) was calculated, within a 1-km street-network buffer using geospatial data sourced around the second follow-up of AusDiab. Analyses of data from 2,023 participants found that higher walkability was related to higher baseline physical activity, which, in turn, was related to smaller increases in obesity markers. There was no evidence for a relationship of higher walkability with a change in physical activity. This study has been published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Collectively, this Thesis adds evidence for potential long-term impacts of the neighbourhood built environment on adult residents’ cardio-metabolic health. In particular, higher walkability and higher densification may have protective effects against obesity risk over time. This Thesis also found evidence suggesting that physical activity may partly explain the potential long-term protective effect of higher walkability against obesity risk. However, there were also some unexpected findings, for instance, potential adverse impacts of higher densification on blood pressure and lipid, which warrants further investigation. The Thesis findings support the potential utility of environmental initiatives to reduce the burden of obesity at the population level through enhancing physical activity. To further advance understanding of the impacts of the built environment on cardio-metabolic health, future research needs to examine diverse built environmental attributes, investigate a broader range of cardio-metabolic health outcomes, and examine multiple pathways between the built environment and cardio-metabolic health