Urbanization, Land Use Change, and Land Surface Temperature: A Remote Sensing-Based Assessment for Sustainable City Planning and Development

Abstract Increasing urbanization has led to changes in land use and land cover (LULC), which have a direct impact on land surface temperature (LST). There is a need to examine the impact of land use change to understand the relation between land use policy, urbanization, and land surface temperature, which will help in meeting SDG Goal 11 – sustainable cities. Spatial changes of LULC and LST of Bhopal City, M.P., India, over a period of 20 years (2000, 2010, and 2020) were examined using Landsat satellite series 5-TM and 8-OLI. Indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), Normalized Difference Build-Up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Bareness Index (NDBaI), and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) were used to examine the correlation between LULC categories such as vegetation, built-up area, bare soil, agricultural land, and water bodies and their influence on LST. Results showed that, over time, urbanization had increased, which had led to a rise in urban temperature. Conversely, vegetation and water cover had reduced surface temperature, which indicated the need for water bodies and green areas for a sustainable city. This study showcases informed decision-making in designing land use policies, contributing toward SDG Goal 11 (sustainable cities). By representing the nexus between LST, urbanization, and LULC features, it promotes climate-resilience strategies for uplifting sustainable city planning and promoting long-term livability.