Assessment of Rapid Urbanization Effects with Remote Sensing Techniques

Abstract

Istanbul is the most populous city in Turkey. The population, which was approximately 5.5 million in 1985, has reached 15.5 million in 2020. Population growth is the most important factor behind human activities that put pressure on the environment. An increasing population means depletion of limited resources, increasing environmental problems, and rapid urbanization. In parallel with the increase in population and urbanization, there has also been an increase in demand for housing, leading to new residential areas in almost every district of Istanbul. This study examined the transformation from vegetation areas to residential areas between 1985 and 2020 in a selected region in Buyukcekmece, one of the 39 districts of Istanbul. The relationship between land use and land cover (LULC) change in the area and Land Surface Temperature (LST) change caused by urbanization was analyzed. It is seen that the built-up area has increased from 57.1 ha to 781.4 ha in 35 years. In every five years, an increase in surface temperatures was determined in parallel with increasing urbanization, and this increase was determined as about 5.4 degrees C from 1985 to 2020. Also, when the temperature data of the Buyukcekmece Meteorological station is analyzed, it is seen that there has been an increase of approximately 2 degrees C in air temperatures in the last five years. In addition, movements were observed in the stability of structures in rapid urbanization areas after analyzing with the PSI time series InSAR method. The main causes were determined as construction sites around the buildings and geological conditions of the ground, which are triggered by urbanization.