Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Maragheh University, Maragheh city, Iran
10.22034/jsc.2025.497671.1825
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
According to Article 50 of the Constitution of Iran, environmental protection is a public duty. In this regard, integrating environmental considerations with land-use policies is considered an approach to prevent environmental damage. The importance of this issue lies in demonstrating the role of land-use planning in preserving environmental resources. However, over the past half-century, the conversion of agricultural lands and orchards around cities has put vital ecosystem resources at risk. This study examines this issue in Bonab, located in East Azerbaijan Province. The study's data spans the years 2002, 2012, and 2022. For image processing, the Fuzzy Art Map method was used. The cross-tabulation method and the Kappa coefficient were chosen to monitor land-use changes. The results indicate that approximately 1,830 hectares of agricultural land, including orchards and rain-fed farms, were converted to urban development between 2002 and 2022. The intensification of construction over the years has placed significant pressure on the ecological base, especially agricultural lands. The largest land use change occurred between 2012 and 2022, indicating an increasing rate and intensity of agricultural land degradation in recent years. As a result of these changes, the quality of groundwater resources and soils in the surrounding areas has severely declined due to reduced permeable soil surfaces, leachate infiltration from waste, and the inflow of large volumes of domestic and industrial wastewater. Preserving and restoring these vital resources requires the integration of environmental revitalization strategies into land-use decision-making and planning.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Urbanization is a primary driver of land-use change, which, in addition to causing problems on a global scale, leads to the loss of land and its resources at local and urban levels. The present study examines this issue in Bonab, a city in East Azerbaijan Province in northwest Iran. According to 2015 statistics, Bonab has a population of 85,274.
Investigations reveal that the physical expansion of Bonab in recent years, driven by natural population growth, rural-to-urban migration, and urban development plans aimed at addressing housing needs, has encroached upon agricultural lands and gardens on the city's outskirts. This research uses satellite imagery to quantify changes in the use of garden and agricultural lands caused by the city's peripheral developments. The study addresses the following research questions:
- What has been the status of land-use changes around Bonab from 2002 to 2022?
- What are the environmental impacts of urban development and land-use changes around Bonab?
The significance of this research lies in highlighting the critical role of land-use planning and decision-making in preserving environmental resources.
Methodology
The steps of conducting the research were, first, the land-use changes around Bonab city were extracted, and in the next step, the effects of recent urban expansions on the vital environmental resources of the region were explained, which was done using library documents and field studies. The spatial data of the research was extracted through satellite images, which were analyzed and classified while comparing time and place through geographic information system and remote sensing software such as Idrisi. Landsat satellite images of three periods, namely 2002, 2012, and 2022, have been used to determine the physical development process of Bonab city. For the classification of satellite images, the Fuzzy Art Map supervised method of artificial neural networks has been used due to its high accuracy and higher speed than other algorithms.
Results and discussion
The analysis of changes reveals that Bonab city has expanded by approximately 1,836 hectares during the years under review (2002–2022). Over this period, the city experienced physical growth of about 2,210 hectares, representing an increase of roughly 3.5 times its original size. The primary direction of Bonab’s expansion has been towards the east, particularly the northeast.
This rapid growth in recent years has been characterized by a significant rise in urban constructions, exerting substantial pressure on the ecological base, especially agricultural lands. The spatial expansion of the city has been most intense in the eastern half, where the northeastern and southeastern parts are expected to merge. This intensity highlights the dynamic and unregulated nature of growth in this area.
Signs of scattered urban development have also emerged, resulting in inconsistencies across various parts of the city. Historically, Bonab’s physical development was limited to the main city center and constrained by natural barriers. On the eastern side, natural obstacles served as boundaries, while on the western side, Urmia Lake acted as a significant limiting factor.
However, in recent decades, a population boom and increased rural-to-urban migration have imposed a heavy demographic burden on the city. This surge in population necessitated large-scale physical expansion, which has often been unplanned and directed towards areas lacking proper geographic assessment. This uncoordinated growth has exacerbated environmental and spatial challenges in Bonab.
Conclusion
Landsat satellite images from different time frames were utilized as raw data to analyze the land-use changes in Bonab city. After processing these images, land-use change analysis methods were applied to determine the extent of urban expansion during 2002, 2012, and 2022. The findings indicate that Bonab experienced a physical growth of approximately 2,210 hectares over the review period (2002–2022), representing a 3.5-fold increase in its urban area. The primary direction of this expansion has been towards the east, particularly the northeast.
The predominant land use converted into urban built-up areas has been agricultural land. Notably, this process accelerated between 2012 and 2022, leading to an increased rate of agricultural land conversion to urban areas. This trend has placed significant pressure on the ecological base, especially on agricultural resources. Furthermore, scattered urban growth patterns have emerged, resulting in inconsistencies and uncoordinated development across many parts of the city. In recent decades, population growth and rural-to-urban migration have imposed a heavy demographic burden on Bonab, necessitating large-scale physical expansion. However, much of this urban growth has been unplanned, occurring in areas where no proper geographic assessments were conducted.
It is crucial to recognize that urbanization can lead to environmentally harmful land-use changes without strategic decisions on land use and resource management. Individuals, productive sectors, and, most importantly, government bodies and organizations responsible for environmental resource management must adopt and implement environmental standards and criteria to mitigate these effects. This approach will help preserve the region’s environmental resources while supporting sustainable urban development.
Funding
There is no funding support.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.
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