Land Suitability Analysis and Mapping Using Geospatial Technique and Multi Criteria Decision Analysis for Urban Green Area of Goba Town, Oromia, Ethiopia

Urban green areas have a significant role in improving human well-being in a variety of ways, providing ecosystem services, optimizing the health of urban residents, and making a great contribution to environmental health. However, there are very limited studies or not yet conducted on urban green area suitability analysis using geospatial technique and MCDA that support decision-makers, urban green area planners, and managements. The objective of this study is to analyze the factors that determine land suitability for urban green areas and to develop an urban green area suitability map for Goba Town using geospatial technique and the MCDA-AHP approach. In this study, GIS-based multi-criteria analysis (MCA) has been adopted to select suitable sites for urban green areas. The methodology involves a structured framework to identify and prioritize areas suitable for urban green development based on six key determinant factors: viz., land use land cover (LULC), elevation, proximity to settlements, distance to main rivers, slope, and distance to roads. The generated suitability map was validated by comparing it to existing green areas and conducting field surveys to verify the model's accuracy. The results of the study revealed that about 877.92 ha (18.31%), 1506.46 ha (31.41%), 1280.76 ha (26.71%), 756.05 ha (15.76%), and 373.71 ha (7.79%) were very low, low, moderate, high, and very high, respectively. The finding of the current study supports, as a baseline, assisting local governments and environmental agencies in sustainable urban development and forming resilient cities in advance of environmentally dynamic dynamics. Inclusion GIS and MCDA-based land suitability analysis provides a comprehensive framework for urban green area planning. Future studies might recommend using ecosystem service valuation as a factor in determining land suitability for green areas. Furthermore, various stakeholders need to work on the management of urban green areas and the community's awareness creation on urban green area ownership.