Transforming the Urban Landscape:A Comprehensive Analysis of the Urbanization of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) FCT, Nigeria

Abstract

Urbanization has significant impacts on the urban landscape of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This study utilizes remote sensing data and Geographic Information System (GIS) technique to analyze the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) patterns in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and then identified the dominant land use and land cover types, conduct an analysis to investigate the factors, trends and socio-economic impacts of urbanization in AMAC, assess the implications of rapid urbanization, including issues related to housing and infrastructure and the propose strategic interventions and recommendations for effective urban management in Abuja. Landsat imageries for the year 2014, 2019 and 2023 were acquired and subjected to digital image processing such as the feature extraction, image classification where samples were trained through the means of supervised classification (maximum likelihood), post-classification process and then data analysis such as the descriptive statistics, spatial analysis and change detection analysis in order to detect the level of urban expansion in the area was carried out. Questionnaires were also administered to be able to identify the factors and drivers of urbanization within AMAC. The study shows that the transformation of AMAC has presented challenges which resulted in environmental degradation, including air and water pollution, inadequate housing, poor waste management, inadequate power supply and traffic congestion causing significant socio-economic problems that requires strategic planning and sustainable practices. The Land Use Land Cover analysis for the year 2014 revealed that there was a gradual growth in the built-up region with an area of 201.306square kilometers (12.7%) land covered. Vegetation possessed an area of 1308.67square kilometers (82.55%) while barren land covered an area of 64.626square kilometers (4.1%) and water occupied an area of 10.72square kilometers (0.7%). In the year 2019, it showed how vegetation decreased over time reading 1179.696square kilometers with a percentage of 74.4%, meaning that within a span of five years, vegetation had decreased by approximately 8.15%. The built up region had also increased to cover an extra 54.571 square kilometers. Barren land also increased to an area of 144.678 square kilometers (9.1%) and then waterbody, which decreased with an area of 5.654 square kilometers (0.4%). Lastly for the year 2023, it further described how vegetation had decreased over time to cover an area of 990.107 square kilometers (62.5%) and then the built up region had also increased in area, now totaling up to 292.707 square kilometers (18.5%). Barren land also increased with the reading for 2023 carrying an area of 298.146 square kilometers (18.6%) and then finally waterbody, which decreased to an area of 4.331 square kilometers (0.2%). Based on the results shown, it is clearly evident that the Federal Capital Territory, especially AMAC is susceptible and exposed to a lot of challenges and effects ranging from environmental implications, economic implications, societal implications and even impacts with regards to policy and regulatory framework. To address the problems that come with urbanization in Abuja, here are a few recommendation; create policies that promote fair access to opportunities and resources for all individuals, including those living in informal settlements, ensure that many residents have access to power and that public transportation infrastructure is upgraded. This will largely cut expected emissions and ensure that inexpensive, dependable, sustainable and contemporary energy is available