Monitoring Settlements Growth and Development in Algiers City Eastern Area

Abstract

Monitoring change detection in urban land use/land use is essential as it pertains to one of the main environmental change drivers, leading to urban pressures impacting cultivated areas. Algiers' eastern area is one of the critical areas of Algiers' state, and it is affected by the growth and development of the composing residential areas. This research aims to analyze the current issues, including aspects of land use, residential patterns, residential development directions, and characteristics of the communities in residential growth areas. We used Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) data as the primary data source, and maps and statistical data as the secondary. The annual growth of urban land has been studied over the past six years in Algiers' eastern area. Descriptive statistics and spatial analysis allowed assessing the data further. Results indicate that there has been a 100% expansion of the residential regions during the decade from 2014 to 2020. Population in the expansion areas increased by 2%. Future studies should understand the impact of rapid urban lands on social, economic, and environmental sustainability. It will also close the gap between currently available data sources, especially regarding the lack of reliable data and environmental and urban planning for Algiers' municipality. This aids directly in developing experimental models to predict future changes of land with great statistical confidence.