Site suitability evaluation for urban development using GIS and analytic hierarchy process

Urban growth is a continuous process of occupation of space leading to significant concentrations of population and economical activities. Urban land use suitability is influenced by a set of environmental, economic, and social factors, such as ecological values, legal constraints, population growth, the degree of economic development, as well as the integrated planning processes in the territory. To properly zoning the future urban areas, is crucial to use adequate cartography of the area available for urban expansion of the city. It is, therefore, essential to proceed with the analysis of the geographic information including geomorphology, soils, transport network, hydrography, restrictions of public utility and soil cover. In this work it was intended to evaluate the influence of biophysical and legal constraints on the urban growth, using a set of spatial analysis techniques. The biophysical factors analyzed were classified into three levels of factor-use compatibility, allowing the detection of the most suitable areas for the urban expansion of the city, using the spatial analysis methods provided by ArcGIS 10.8 software and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). A pairwise comparison between factors was performed to calculate their relative weights. As a result of the AHP analysis a suitability map was produced. This decision support GIS method could be useful for local development authorities in the aim of urban planning and management.