GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN IJAGBO, IPEE AND OFFA TOWNS, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Urban development in Ijagbo, Ipee and Offa, Kwara State are linked to socio-economic and political transformations in recent times. These transformations align with broader trends in post-socialist and rapidly urbanizing regions, where economic restructuring oftenprecipitates the large-scale conversion of agricultural land into built-up areas, as well as the often-overlooked merging of urban centres in close proximity, as observed in the study area. This study analyzed the present spatial extent of urban development in Ijagbo, Ipee and Offa as a single entity with merging landscapes, taking urban growth into consideration. Multi-temporal satelliteimages of Landsat 7 and 8 were obtained from the United States Geological Survey and classified using the Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) into five (5) LULC classes: cropland, built-up, vegetation, bareland and water bodies. The built-up area, which represents urban development, was extracted (mapped), and the ‘Calculate Geometry Tool’ was used to calculate the areas of theselected polygons (in km2 and corresponding percentage) for static years across the study period to determine the spatial extent. The land use land cover classification of the study area revealed that physical urban development stood at 12.26% (34km2) in 2000 and increased to 20.45% (56.73km2) in 2010 and 28.72% (79.65km2) in 2020. The study provided an insight into the spatial extent of urban development in Ijagbo, Ipee and Offa, with a conscious probability of these overlapping urban centres developing into a single metropolis as found in other big cities across Nigeria in the near future. The integration of land use planning, strengthened environmental regulations and enforcement, sustainable urban development practices with real-time monitoring, and active stakeholder engagements are therefore recommended. These will foster a resilient and sustainable urban development in the study area.