Urban Land Use Land Cover Dynamics and Urban Expansion Intensity Assessment Using Multi-Temporal Landsat Imageries and Google Earth Engine over Adama City, Ethiopia

Urban sprawl significantly alters the patterns of land use and land cover (LULC) in a city, resulting in various detrimental effects on urban environments. To address these challenges, it is crucial to study the spatiotemporal variability of LULC and urban expansion patterns. The objective of this study is to explore the long-term variation in LULC, urban expansion, and sprawl of Adama City. The study utilized multi-temporal Landsat imagery and Google Earth Engine workspace and employed the Random Forest Algorithm for image classification. The analysis shows significant declines in agricultural and forest areas, coupled with increases in built-up areas and barren land. Between 1995 and 2023, agricultural land decreased from 60.55% to 20.14%, while forest cover dropped from 14.87% to 8.58%. Grassland area increased from 12.89 square kilometers (13%) in 1995 to 19.75 square kilometers (19.7%) in 2023. The urban area was 6.75 km2 (6.99%) in 1995, expanding to 22.41 km2 (22.31%) in 2010, and further to 44.65 km2 (44.05%) in 2023. Over the two transitions, the classified LULC had a net urban expansion of 15.66 and 22.24 km2 with urban expansion intensity index of 1.02 and 1.65 categorized as medium speed and fast speed urban expansion intensity, respectively. The findings indicate that changes in LULC have become increasingly dynamic over the 28-year period from 1995 to 2023 and rapid urban expansion within the city. Integrated land use and urban planning strategies are crucial for addressing current challenges, building environmental resilience, and fostering sustainable urban development.