Analyzing land use land cover dynamics under rapid urbanization using multi-temporal satellite imageries and geospatial technology for Jamshedpur city in India

Land use land cover (LULC) is considered as one of the most important driving factors behind the global environmental change. The rapid changes in the LULC patterns than ever before, mostly in developing countries, are frequently considered by widespread urban sprawling, land degradation, reduction of agricultural land, and alteration into other land use categories, resulting in enormous costs to the environment. Using a combined remote sensing and GIS technique, this study investigates the spatial urban expansion and its impacts on other LULC categories from 1987 to 2016 in Jamshedpur, India, based on the acquired multispectral satellite imageries, field observations, and demographic data. A visual-based image analysis technique was employed to develop a LULC map for the period of 1987, 2004, and 2016, and the precision of the maps was determined by overall accuracy and kappa statistic methods. The compact urbanization over the city was quantified using both landscape metrics and Shannon’s entropy method. The results of the change detection showed that the built-up area has experienced more than fifty percent growth during the 1987 – 2016 period. It is the main driving factor behind the reduction in the area of other land use categories: agricultural land (−87.12 %), vegetation (−67.51 %), riverbed (−46.25 %), and forest cover (−27.92 %). Although barren land and fallow land were the most dynamic land use categories, it increased by 281.84 % and 119.66 %, respectively. The change matrix between 1987 and 2016, indicated the maximum transformation (+455.23 %) of fallow land to settlement. Geographically, there is a continuous growth in the built-up area from the city center to the fringes as a result of suburbanization. The values of Shannon’s entropy during 1987, 2004, and 2016 were 1.11, 1.19, and 1.57, respectively. The demographic analysis shows that the annual population for the period of 1971–1981, 1981–1991, 1991–2001, and 2001–2011 has changed by + 3.89 %, +2.09 %, +2.91 %, and + 1.95 % per year, respectively. The population growth, aggregated settlements and land scarceness in Jamshedpur were found to be the key reasons behind the urban growth and development. This study emphasizes the critical need for sustainable urban development practices and robust land use strategies to alleviate the environmental impacts of rapid urban expansion. It will lay a valuable groundwork for future research focused on integrating land use management with urban growth frameworks to achieve balanced and resilient development in Jamshedpur.