Geographical analysis

Abstract

Kozhikode is a bustling city, located on the southwest coast of India. Fast paced urbanization, industrialization and population growth have drastically altered the land use and land cover in the study area. The main objective of present study is to examine LULC change in Kozhikode city and suburbs during the year 1993 to 2023. For this purpose, supervised classification has been carried out using Landsat images and LULC change analysed for the years 1993, 2003, 2013 and 2023. The result spatio temporal changes of LULC revealed that Kozhikode city and suburbs witnessed drastic changes. Built up land boomed from 1371.12 hectares in 1993 to 13211.38 hectares in 2023. The area under agriculture, vegetation, barren land and water bodies were declined. As Kozhikode city has grown, agricultural lands are replaced by commercial complexes, residential areas and infrastructural developments. Vegetation has also been cleared to make path for urban development. As cities expand, the demand for land rises, agricultural land and vegetative area become prime target for real estate and illegal construction. Thus, the findings of this study are significant in implementing sustainable planning interventions in Kozhikode City and suburbs.

Keywords: Land Use Land Cover, Urbanization, Built up, Landsat