Predicting the Spread of Urbanization in Georgia using Spatial Analysis

Georgia, more specifically Atlanta, is experiencing the ongoing effects of urban sprawl resulting from its growing population. This has resulted in a large market for housing, greater housing density, traffic, among other problems. The purpose of this study is to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to investigate areas that are experiencing current urbanization and where it might spread. Data obtained by ESRI demographics and the US Census Bureau were used in this spatial analysis in order to gain more accurate results. This data will be used alongside geoprocessing functions in the ArcGIS suite such as buffer, symmetrical difference, and feature class manipulation in order to gain an established spatial visual to perform an overlay analysis. Multiple maps were created in this study to provide more context and visualization of urban areas. Conclusions from the study will provide evidence to areas that will most likely experience urban growth and whether proximity to current cities and housing/rent costs correlate to the trend. The metro’s fringe around the I-285 area and predicted areas of growth seem to align, which can potentially be the next area to experience great expansion. With this predictive modeling, urban planners, real estate agents, and other land planners can gauge an idea of which counties/regions should be flagged and targeted for development