Multitemporal analysis of urban built-up growth and its impact on land cover and land use dynamics

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18537/est.v016.n031.a05

Keywords:

intermediate cities, urban expansion, land use and land cover change, multitemporal analysis, remote sensing

Abstract

Intermediate Latin American cities are facing accelerated urban expansion processes that reshape land cover and land use. This study analyzes the spatio-temporal dynamics of built-up growth in Portoviejo, Ecuador, during the 1998–2024 period. For this purpose, Landsat Collection 2 Surface Reflectance satellite imagery was processed using the Maximum Likelihood classification algorithm. Post-classification comparison, transition matrices, and accuracy assessment based on confusion matrices were applied. The results show that the built-up/impervious class increased from 1,012.05 ha in 1998 to 2,027.34 ha in 2024, while vegetation and bare/transitional soil decreased. The classifications reached Overall Accuracy values between 84.50% and 87.00%, with Kappa coefficients ranging from 0.773 to 0.823. The SDG 11.3.1 indicator showed that land consumption was proportionally higher than urban population growth. These findings provide empirical support for understanding territorial transition processes. This information is relevant for defining territorial planning strategies, enabling more precise regulation of urban expansion limits and promoting land use under sustainability criteria.

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2026-09-08

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Pichucho Morales, D. G. (2026). Multitemporal analysis of urban built-up growth and its impact on land cover and land use dynamics. Estoa. Journal of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, 16(31), e6323. https://doi.org/10.18537/est.v016.n031.a05

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Vol. 16 No. 31 (2027): Estoa 31 (January - June 2027)

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