Analyzing Landscape Change and Urban Sprawl in a Mediterranean Coastal Landscape: A Case Study from Izmir, Turkey

ABSTRACT Hepcan, S.; Coskun Hepcan, C.; Kilicaslan, C.; Ozkan, M.B., and Kocan, N. 2013. Analyzing landscape change and urban sprawl in a Mediterranean coastal landscape: a case study from Izmir, Turkey. The aim of this study was to analyze and interpret landscape change and urban sprawl in a coastal landscape of Turkey, in the province of Izmir, by remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems technologies with data spanning a 42-year period (1963–2005). Landscape change was analyzed from CORONA and ASTER images taken in 1963 and 2005, respectively. A postclassification algorithm for change detection was applied using ERDAS software. The results revealed significant changes in land cover and urban fabric during the period from 1963 to 2005. The built-up area increased from 8.18% to 28.88%, primarily at the expense of agricultural land. Agricultural land declined from 13.65% to 5.19% of the total area and was mostly isolated on the peripheries of the study area, which had a very patchy and scattered c...