Spatiotemporal analysis of land-use changes in a metropolitan city in Malaysia

Abstract

Land-use/cover change is an essential element for global environmental development. Rapid changes in the types of land cover can impact the ecosystem and urban sustainability. Thus, this study investigated the land-use changes in a Kuala Lumpur, the most urbanised and populated city in Malaysia. Landsat 8 OLI imageries were used to examine the five (5) years transformation in the land use/cover from 2015 to 2020. The classification of the land use was done in ArcGIS environment, while the error matrix approach was used to validate the classification. From the result, there was an observable built-up expansion from 2015 to 2020 with an estimated 2% increase since 2015. In the land use/cover area mass, there were 0.26% and 4.3% decrease in the water bodies and thick vegetation respectively recorded in 2020. These findings may be attributed to the transformation of the lands for building and construction purposes. Also, the 2.26% increase in the light vegetation in 2020 may be due to the growth of green foliage for enhancing good air quality and breeze. Due to the expected expansion and an increase in urban development, strategical urban planning is necessary to sustain the environment and reduce the impacts of hazards.