Evaluation of the Land’s Suitability for Future Urban Expansion Using the Integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in the City Of Ain Abid, Algeria

In this research, we aim to exploit the capabilities of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and hierarchical analysis to propose a methodology for evaluating and mapping an appropriate spatial framework for future urban expansion.The city of Ain Abid is one of the cities in the province of Constantine with an agricultural character that has undergone spatial transformations from the colonial period to the present day.Its spatial growth began in the current city centre, which is characterized by a significant urban expansion in all directions at the expense of agricultural land due to housing projects programmed during the period from 1973 to 2008.The city has reached saturation point, which has led it to expand westwards, creating an urban pole outside the city limits from 2008 to the present day.We have identified a set of criteria to evaluate the spatial suitability of urban expansion in order to guide future expansion towards the most suitable areas for the city of Ain Abid.This was achieved by reviewing previous studies and applying multi-criteria decision analysis using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to determine the weight of each criterion studied.The result is a map of spatial suitability for future urban expansion, which shows significant urban expansion in the northern and southern regions, covering approximately 17% of the municipality's area.Moderate expansion is observed in most areas, accounting for approximately 64% of the area, predominantly high quality agricultural land distributed throughout the municipality.The remaining 19% is considered unsuitable due to natural barriers and existing urban encroachment in the north-west and south-west regions.Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach have been shown to be effective in assessing spatial suitability for urban expansion and identifying areas for future expansion.