Land fragmentation under rapid urbanization: A cross-site analysis of Southwestern cities

Abstract

Explosive population growth and increasing demand for rural homes and lifestyles fueled exurbanization and urbanization in the western USA over the past decades. Using National Land Cover Data we analyzed land fragmentation trends from 1992 to 2001 in five southwestern cities associated with Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites. We observed two general fragmentation trends: expansion of the urbanized area leading to Urban Ecosyst (2011) fragmentation in the exurban and peri-urban regions and decreased fragmentation associated with infill in the previously developed urban areas. We identified three fragmentation patterns, riparian, polycentric, and monocentric, that reflect the recent western experience with growth and urbanization. From the literature and local expert opinion, we identified five relevant drivers -water provisioning, population dynamics, transportation, topography, and institutions -that shape land use decision-making and fragmentation in the southwest. In order to assess the relative importance of each driver on urbanization, we linked historical site-specific driver information obtained through literature reviews and archival analyses to the observed fragmentation patterns. Our work highlights the importance of understanding land use decision-making drivers in concert and throughout time, as historic decisions leave legacies on landscapes that continue to affect land form and function, a process often forgotten in a region and era of blinding change.

Landscape Fragmentation as a Risk Factor for Buruli Ulcer Disease in Ghana

“…These metrics were selected because they provide complementary influences of land fragmentation and diversity along several key metrics. 20 The explanation and formulae FIGURE 1. The study areas (Subin, Ayanfuri, and Kedadwen) and village center locations in southwestern Ghana used for landscape metric analysis.…”

Cenários ambientais para o ordenamento territorial de áreas de preservação permanente no município de Sorocaba, SP

“…A análise da paisagem utilizando técnicas de Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG) e métricas da paisagem auxilia na espacialização das informações sobre mudanças do uso do solo e tipo de cobertura, possibilitando a criação de cenários atuais e perspectivas futuras robustas do ambiente (GRIMM et al, 2000(GRIMM et al, , 2008YORK et al, 2011). As métricas da paisagem são reconhecidas atualmente como bons indicadores de biodiversidade e são usadas em diferentes etapas do planejamento em conservação (LINDENMAYER et al, 2008;BANKS-LEITE et al, 2011;SCHINDLER et al, 2012).…”

Analisis Ekologi Lanskap Agroforestri Pada Riparian Sungai Ciliwung Di Kota Bogor

“…Data tersebut menunjukkan bahwa struktur lanskap riparian Sungai Ciliwung di Kota Bogor bagian bawah memiliki matrik lanskap berupa perumahan. Dominansi patch perumahan pada bagian ini mengindikasikan adanya (York, 2011).…”