Mapping Urban Changes Through the Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation and Built-Up Areas in Iași, Romania

Vegetation cover in urban and peri-urban areas is threatened by urban sprawl, through habitat fragmentation, loss of green space, biodiversity reduction, and the urban heat island effect intensifying. The intrusion of cities into natural landscapes reduces vital ecosystem services provided by vegetation. Hence, sustainable and integrated urban planning practices are required. Our study aims to investigate the dynamics of the urban and peri-urban fabric by exploring the relationship between the green fabric distribution and recent trends in urban expansion, focusing specifically on the peri-urban areas of Iași Municipality, Romania. We designed a mixed-method approach combining a multivariate analysis of four critical indicators (vegetation cover, built-up space, land surface temperature, and population density), emerging hot-spots, and space-time cubes in a GIS environment to achieve our research aims. Our results demonstrate that uncontrolled urban expansion has manifested in diverse patterns, impacting territories next to road transport networks and with construction-suitable topography. Concurrently, the development of green spaces prevails in forests and unexpected locations such as brownfields, railway corridors, and old industrial zones, through the growth of urban greenery. This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of how urban sprawl impacts the environment and how different land types are prone to this transformation, creating a path towards sustainability, resilience, and equitable development.