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Measuring the extent and impact of urban expansion in an agricultural-urbanized landscape in Central Iran

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Abstract

The unplanned urban expansion is a major environmental challenge in Iran resulting in vast degradation of agricultural lands. Focusing on an agricultural-urbanized landscape in Central Iran, the spatial pattern of built-up expansion was assessed from Landsat data processed in 1992 (TM), 2002 (ETM+), 2012 (TM), and 2022 (OLI). Multi-year crop NDVI was also used as a proxy for cropland suitability to assess the intensity of the urban growth impact. Results showed that (1) the area of built-up surfaces increased almost up to double than that of 1992 and passed 36% (413.42 km2) by 2022, (2) the region experienced a coalescence-diffusion transition phase with decreasing spatial connectivity of newly developed patches with old ones, (3) the most suitable croplands were lost in the middle period (2002–2012) when urban patches started to diffuse, and (4) a significantly positive spatial (Spearman’s) relationship (r (22100) = 0.181, p = 0.000) was found between the area and quality of croplands which further highlights the high importance of cropland protection in the region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Waste and Wastewater Research Center, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran

    Mozhgan Ahmadi Nadoushan

  2. Department of Natural Resources Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran

    Alireza Soffianian & Sima Fakheran

  3. Department of GIS, Faculty of Geography, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    MirMasood Kheirkhah Zarkesh

Authors
  1. Mozhgan Ahmadi Nadoushan
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  2. Alireza Soffianian
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  3. Sima Fakheran
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  4. MirMasood Kheirkhah Zarkesh
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Contributions

Mozhgan Ahmadi Nadoushan wrote the manuscript. Mozhgan Ahmadi Nadoushan, Alireza Soffianian, Sima Fakheran, and Mir Masood Kheirkhah Zarkesh performed the analysis and reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mozhgan Ahmadi Nadoushan.

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Ahmadi Nadoushan, M., Soffianian, A., Fakheran, S. et al. Measuring the extent and impact of urban expansion in an agricultural-urbanized landscape in Central Iran. Environ Monit Assess 195, 1113 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11730-8

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