Identification of Urban Sprawl Pattern for Madurai Region Using GIS

摘要

The present study focuses on the nature and pattern of urban expansion of Madurai city over its surrounding region during the period from 1991 to 2006. Based on its proximity to the Madurai city, the rural urban fringe was fragmented into two zones namely Ring I and Ring II. Subsequently, two sample villages from the respective zones were selected to study the pattern of urban expansion and there from identify the factor responsible for the urban sprawl of Madurai city. The study has indicated that road transport was solely responsible for the rapid urban development in the sample villages. In addition, GIS based analysis of the pattern of urban expansion over the demographic change and landuse modifications has also indicated that urban growth has mainly taken place linearly along the major roads in the study area.