MODELLING URBAN GROWTH FROM MEDIUM RESOLUTION LANDSAT IMAGERIES OF AKURE, NIGERIA

The city of Akure has experienced rapid growth in the past 2 to 3 decades which has led to the expansion of the core urban areas of the city into adjoining rural lands. The paper analyses the urban growth of Akure using medium resolution Landsat imageries. Landsat (MSS), Landsat Thematic Mapping(TM) and Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images for 1972, 1986 and 2002 respectively were used in a post-classification comparison analysis to map the spatial dynamic of land cover changes and identify the urbanization process in Akure. The land cover statistical results revealed a rapid growth in the built-up area of Akure from 997.2 hectares in 1972 to about 3852.70 hectares in 2002 due to increase in population of Akure within this period. Results of the prediction showed that the built-up area of the city has increased in size from 977.2 hectares in 1972 to 5863.66 hectares in 2022 corresponding to 500% at the rate of 13.1% per annum. Implications of growth include loss of open space, pressure on limited infrastructure, overcrowding, traffic congestion and poor standard of living. The study recommends regular monitoring of urban area, development of small towns around the city area to avoid overcrowding, training of planners and administrators to acquire more knowledge in the use of GIS and remote sensing to enhance efficiency