Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Zone-Wise Built-Up Area Change in Moradabad City Using Geospatial Techniques: A Three-Decade Study (1994-2024)

This study examines the spatio-temporal dynamics of built-up area expansion in Moradabad city, Uttar Pradesh, India, over a 30-year period (1994-2024) using multi-temporal Landsat imagery and supervised classification techniques. The analysis encompasses 70 municipal wards organized into four distinct zones, with built-up area extracted through Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) algorithm. Results indicate substantial urban expansion, with the city experiencing heterogeneous growth patterns across different zones. Zone 1 demonstrated the most dramatic transformation, with several wards showing growth rates exceeding 1000%, while Zones 3 and 4 exhibited relative stability, suggesting saturation or planned development constraints. The overall built-up area increased from approximately 8.54 sq.km in 1994 to 26.89 sq.km in 2024, representing a 214.87% increase over three decades. This expansion correlates with population growth to approximately 1.3 million by 2024, driven by economic development, infrastructural improvements, and rural-urban migration. The findings provide crucial insights for sustainable urban planning and management strategies in rapidly urbanizing medium-sized Indian cities.