Analyzing urban sprawl in medium sized cities - Case of Bhubaneswar city, India

Urban sprawl poses critical challenges for sustainable urban development, particularly by increasing vehicular dependency, leading to congestion and air pollution. A key consequence of sprawl is the fragmentation of open spaces, which drives inefficiencies in the provision of public services. This paper analyses urban sprawl in the planned mid-sized capital city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, using six sprawl parameters. Land Use Land Cover (LULC) patterns were evaluated with satellite imagery (Landsat 7 and Landsat 8) for the years 2011 and 2023, validated through Google Earth and field verification. A key gap identified in the existing methodology for assessing SDG 11.3.1(land use efficiency, measured as the ratio of built up growth rate and population growth rate) is the lack of a direct measure for fragmentation. This study proposes the inclusion of fragmentation indicators, specifically built-up density and saturation, to provide a more in depth clarity of land use efficiency. The parameters were analysed for 2023, with a change assessment in fragmentation, saturation, and built-up density. Recognizing the need to balance core densification with peripheral expansion, the paper presents a phased approach to guide urban development from soft to hard densification. This framework aims to mitigate fragmentation and improve land use efficiency. The incorporation of fragmentation metrics into SDG 11.3.1 assessments offers a more robust tool for planners to address the complexities of urban sprawl and promote sustainable urban growth.