Monitoring Urban Expansion as a Result of Refugee Fluxes in North Jordan Using Remote Sensing Techniques
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 146, Issue 3
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to provide a rapid monitoring of the recent patterns and trends of urban growth in the north of Jordan as a result of increasing refugee fluxes from nearby countries due to the Syrian political conflict. A time series of medium spatial resolution optical satellite images have been used to describe change events in the study area. These satellite images, obtained from different sensors and which were acquired for the years 2010 and 2015, cover four governorates in the north of Jordan. Supervised classification and change analysis are used to detect if there is any expansion of urban areas in the region. The results indicate that most of the extensions and developments are in the urban fringe where the agricultural lands, range lands, bare soil, and rural settlements are converted to urban. A postclassification comparison reveals an increase in urban areas by 7.8% during the study period. The used control area in this study is recommended for future continued monitoring as the final destination of future refugees is not clear and cannot be specified from the beginning.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Al-Bilbisi, H. 2012. “A two-decades land use/cover change detection and land degradation monitoring in central Jordan using satellite images.” Jordan J. Social Sci. 166 (745): 1–13.
Batty, M., and D. Howes. 2001. “Predicting temporal patterns in urban development from remote imagery.” In Remote sensing and urban analysis, edited by J. P. Donnay, M. J. Barnsley, and P. A. Longley, 185–204. London: Taylor and Francis.
Becker, D. F. 2013. The past, present and future of transnational conflict in Jordan: A study of Syrian refugees in the Hashemite Kingdom. Normal, IL: Illinois State University.
Bharti, A. 2004. “A decision tree approach to extract knowledge for improving satellite image classification.” Master thesis in Geo-informatics, International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Indian Space Research Organization.
Bjorgo, E. 2000. “Using very high resolution multispectral satellite sensor imagery to monitor refugee camps.” Int. J. Remote Sens. 21 (1): 611–616. https://doi.org/10.1080/014311600210786.
Congalton, R. G. 1991. “A review of assessing the accuracy of classifications of remotely sensed data.” Remote Sens. Environ. 37 (1): 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(91)90048-B.
Congalton, R. G. 2005. “Thematic and positional accuracy assessment of digital remotely sensed data.” In Proc., 7th Annual Forest Inventory and Analysis Symposium, 149–154. Portland, ME: Scientific Research.
DFID (Department for International Development). 2012. Syrian refugees in Jordan report: How UK aid is helping those who have fled the violence in Syria. London: DFID.
Donnay, J.-P., M. J. Barnsley, and P. A. Longley. 2001. Remote sensing and urban analysis, 3–18. London: Taylor and Francis.
DOS (Jordan Department of Statistics). 2015. “Final Results of the 2015 Population and Housing Census.” Accessed August 3, 2017. http://dosweb.dos.gov.jo/censuses/population-and-housing/population-and-housing-2015/.
Gilbert, A. 2000. “Housing in third world cities: The critical issues.” Geog. Assoc. Geogr. 85 (2): 145–155.
Griffiths, P., P. Hostert, O. Gruebner, and S. van der Linden. 2010. “Mapping megacity growth with multi-sensor data.” Remote Sens. Environ. 114 (1): 426–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2009.09.012.
Groves, R. 2004. “Challenges facing the provision of affordable housing in African cities.” Hous. Finance Int. 18 (4): 26–31.
Hagenlocher, M., S. Lang, and D. Tiede. 2012. “Integrated assessment of the environmental impact of an IDP camp in Sudan based on very high resolution multi-temporal satellite imagery.” Remote Sens. Environ. 126 (1): 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2012.08.010.
Hammad, N. 2017. “Refugees in urban areas.” Int. J. Humanities Social Sci. 7 (3): 123–126.
Harvard Field Study Group. 2014. “Non-paper on the international response to the Syrian refugee crisis.” Accessed June 15, 2017. http://hpcrresearch.org/sites/default/files/publications/Harvard%20Field%20Study%20Jordan%20January%202014%20final.pdf.
Herold, M., J. Scepan, and K. C. Clarke. 2002. “The use of remote sensing and landscape metrics to describe structures and changes in urban land uses.” Environ. Plann. A 34 (8): 1443–1458. https://doi.org/10.1068/a3496.
Ji, X., and X. Niu. 2014. “The attribute accuracy assessment of land cover data in the national geographic conditions survey ISPRS annals of the photogrammetry.” Vol. 2 of Proc., ISPRS Annals of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences.
Li, X., and A. G.-O. Yeh. 2004. “Analyzing spatial restructuring of land use patterns in a fast growing region using remote sensing and GIS.” Landscape Urban Plann. 69 (4): 335–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2003.10.033.
Lodhi, M. A., F. Echarvarria, and C. Keithley. 1998. “Using remote sensing data to monitor land cover changes NEAR Afghan refugee camps in Northern Pakistan.” Geocarto Int. 13 (1): 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049809354626.
Lu, D., P. Mausel, E. Brondízio, and E. Moran. 2004. “Change detection techniques.” Int. J. Remote Sens. 25 (12): 2365–2401. https://doi.org/10.1080/0143116031000139863.
Mas, J.-F. 1999. “Monitoring land-cover changes: A comparison of change detection techniques.” Int. J. Remote Sens. 20 (1): 139–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/014311699213659.
Mather, P. M., and M. Koch. 2010. Computer processing of remotely-sensed images: An introduction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
MOPIC (Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation). 2013. A study of impact of hosting Syrian refugees. Amman, Jordan: MOPIC.
Münchner Rück. 2005. “Megastädte – Megarisiken. Trends und Herausforderungen für Versicherung und Risikomanagement [Megacities - Mega Risks. Trends and challenges for insurance and risk management].” Accessed June 15, 2017. www.munichre.com/publications/302-04270_de.pdf.
Parsons, R. 2013. Assessing the economic contribution of refugees in Australia. Brisbane, Australia: Multicultural Development Association.
Pavanello, S., S. Elhawary, and S. Pantuliano. 2010. “hidden and exposed: Urban refugees in Nairobi, Kenya.” Accessed July 20, 2017. http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/5858.pdf.
PRDU (Post-War Reconstruction and Development Unit). 2012. A field study report: The case of Syrian refugees in the Za’atari refugee camp, Jordan, 7–8. York, England: Univ. of York.
Regos, A., M. Ninyerola, G. Moré, and X. Pons. 2015. “Linking land cover dynamics with driving forces in mountain landscape of the Northwestern Iberian Peninsula.” Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf. 38: 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2014.11.010.
Ridd, M. K., and J. Liu. 1998. “A comparison of four algorithms for change detection in an urban environment.” Remote Sens. Environ. 63 (2): 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(97)00112-0.
Shrestha, D. P., and J. A. Zinck. 2001. “Land use classification in mountainous areas: Integration of image processing, digital elevation data and field knowledge: Application to Nepal.” Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf. 3 (1): 78–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0303-2434(01)85024-8.
Singh, A. 1989. “Digital change detection techniques using remotely-sensed data.” Int. J. Remote Sens. 10 (6): 989–1003. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431168908903939.
Syrian refugees. 2014. “A snapshot of the crisis in the middle east and Europe”. Accessed August 3, 2017. http://syrianrefugees.eu/?page_id=87.
Tanubenböck, H., I. Pengler, B. Bärbel Schwaiger, S. Cypra, M. Hiete, and A. Roth. 2007. “A multi-scale urban analysis of the Hyderabad metropolitan area using remote sensing and GIS.” In Vol. 2 of Proc., Urban Remote Sensing Joint Event, 1–7. Piscataway, NJ: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Taubenböck, H., and A. Roth. 2006. “Assessment of urban location factors from remote sensing.” In Proc., 25th Urban Data Management Symp., 49–57. Aalborg, Denmark: UDMS.
Taubenböck, H., M. Wegmann, C. Berger, M. Breunig, A. Roth, and H. Mehl. 2008. “Spatiotemporal analysis of Indian mega cities.” Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci. 37 (Part B2): 75–81.
UN DESA PD (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division). 2015. World population prospects: The 2015 revision, methodology of the united nations population estimates and projections. New York: UN DESA PD.
UN-Habitate. 2015. UN-Habitate Global activities report 2015, increasing synergy for greater national ownership. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Nairobi GPO Kenya. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1726Habitat%20Global%20Activties%202015.pdf
UN-Habitat. 2016. Urbanization and development: Emerging futures, 29–30. World Cities Report. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat).
UNHCR. 2014. “Registered Syrian Refugees”. Accessed August 3, 2017. http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/country.php?id=107.
United States Geological Survey (USGS). U.S. Geological Survey database. Accessed July 20, 2017. https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/.
Wang, S., E. So, and P. Smith. 2015. “Detecting tents to estimate the displaced population for post-disaster relief using high resolution satellite imagery.” Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf. 36: 87–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2014.11.013.
Weng, Q. 2002. “Land use change analysis in Zhujiang Delta of China using satellite remote sensing, GIS and stochastic modeling.” J. Environ. Manage. 64 (3): 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1006/jema.2001.0509.
Wu, Y., S. Li, and S. Yu. 2016. “Monitoring urban expansion and its effects on land use and land cover changes in Guangzhou city, China.” Environ. Monit. Assess. 188: 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-5069-2.
Wulder, M. A., J. G. Masek, W. B. Cohen, T. R. Loveland, and C. E. Woodcock. 2012. “Opening the archive: How free data has enabled the science and monitoring promise of Landsat.” Remote Sens. Environ. 122: 2–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2012.01.010.
Yin, J., Z. Yin, H. Zhong, S. Xu, X. Hu, J. Wang, and J. Wu. 2011. “Monitoring urban expansion and land use/land cover changes of Shanghai metropolitan area during the transitional economy (1979–2009) in China.” Environ. Monit. Assess. 177 (1–4): 609–621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1660-8.
Zhang, X. Q. 2016. “The trends, promises and challenges of urbanization in the world.” Habitat Int. 54: 241–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.11.018.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 146 • Issue 3 • September 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 15, 2018
Accepted: Dec 11, 2019
Published online: May 22, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Oct 22, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.