A Geospatial Approach to Sustainable Urban Planning: Lessons for Morogoro Municipal Council, Tanzania

Neema Simon Sumari, Gang Xu, Fanan Ujoh, Prosper Issahaku Korah, Obas John Ebohon and Neema Nicodemus Lyimo
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Neema Simon Sumari: State Key Laboratory for Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
Gang Xu: School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China
Fanan Ujoh: Centre for Sustainability and Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (SaRIC), London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK
Prosper Issahaku Korah: Cities Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
Obas John Ebohon: Centre for Sustainability and Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (SaRIC), London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK
Neema Nicodemus Lyimo: State Key Laboratory for Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Sustainable urban planning is essential in mediating the natural and built environments globally, yet, there is little progress as regards its attainment in developing countries. Rapid and unplanned urbanization continue to threaten the sustainability of many cities in Africa. By selecting Morogoro Municipal Council (MMC) in Tanzania as an example, this study applied well-known remote sensing techniques to understand the dynamics of urban growth and the implications for sustainable urban planning. The study analyzes spatio-temporal characteristics for eighteen years (2000–2018) based on urban land density using gradient and grid-based analysis to further examine land use and urban land density nexus. The results indicate declining urban land densities with distance to the city center, indicating a less compact and fragmented development at the urban fringes; and northward development with limited development to the south of MCC. The knowledge and understanding of the patterns of spatio-temporal conditions, land use planning, and management interventions in MMC are necessary for addressing the inadequacies associated with rapid urbanization within the study area. On this basis, we propose a shift from the modernist to the communicative planning strategy that strongly integrates the urban social, economic, and environmental imperatives, while being adaptable to evolving realities. This plan should also aim to curtail urban sprawl and create a viable city system and economically prosperous city structure for MMC.

Keywords: land-use planning; urban growth; urban land density; sustainable urban planning; Morogoro (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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