This paper integrates a fuzzy multi-criteria decision making approach, represented by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and GIS, to study the spatio-temporal patterns of land use dynamics in the urban and peri-urban areas of Lucknow, the capital of India’s largest State, Uttar Pradesh.
Satellite pictures from past and present are used for evaluating urban growth in terms of carrying capacity, land suitability and resource constraints. Land capability and urban suitability analysis is performed from a landscape perspective with weighted factors and constraint threshold using a Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method.
Findings show that urban growth patterns do not follow the Master Plan and that the plan itself deviates profoundly from preferred land suitability. Therefore, conserved areas such as greenbelt, open spaces and floodplains are threatened and will be rendered fragile.
The project outcome would assist planners and land developers to evaluate whether development goals are in agreement with the intended land use objectives and if so, how the resources should be best used to optimize the city’s enabling infrastructure and carrying capacity.
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