The Urban Sprawl Typology and The Urban Growth Pattern of Peri-Urban Area in Aceh Besar Regency, Aceh

Abstract

After the 2004 tsunami, Banda Aceh experienced rapid urbanization to the south and east of the city as the city grew further away from the coastline. As a result, the urban area grew beyond the city boundary into Aceh Besar Regency, especially in Darul Imarah and Ingin Jaya sub-districts. Hence, these sub-districts experienced rapid development, characterized by extensive conversion of agricultural land into built-up areas. Therefore, uncontrolled development in peri-urban areas will lead to urban sprawl causing negative environmental, economic, and social impacts. This study aims to study the level of urban sprawl and examine the urban growth pattern in peri-urban areas, focusing on Darul Imarah and Ingin Jaya sub-districts. This research used scoring analysis and spatial analysis. First, Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) was used to identify built-up areas in 2005 and 2020. Then, the urban growth pattern was analyzed using Landscape Expansion Index (LEI). The classification of urban sprawl was analyzed using five variables: population density, building density, distance to the city center, development within reach of road network, and leapfrog development patterns. The results showed that 33 villages (40%) in the study area were identified as sprawl. In addition, seven villages (21.2%) were classified as high-level urban sprawl, nine villages (27.3%) as medium level, and 17 villages (51.5%) as low level. Urban sprawl development was dominated by the ribbon development pattern (49.6%), concentric pattern 40.8%, and leapfrog pattern 9.6%. The ribbon development occurred along the main road, while the concentric pattern occurred around the current urban subcenter. The urban sprawl has caused negative implications such as higher car ownership and the loss of agricultural land. This research suggests Banda Aceh City and Aceh Besar Regency governments cooperate to control the urban sprawl and its negative impact by establishing a more sustainable urban policy and strengthening regional cooperation.