The Impacts of Road Infrastructure Development on Land Use Spatial Patterns in Farka and Administrative Unit 1, Tirana, Albania

Abstract

The development of road infrastructure in suburban areas has historically been a key element in planning policies for the management and transformation of a country not only locally but at a regional and national level as well. This is because the impacts of road constructions are observed in every aspect of a country's profile: economic, social and environmental. The development of roads and road infrastructure in these spaces has a direct impact on the way people and goods move, as well as on how these areas can be integrated with major cities (Xiong, C.,2018). It has the potential to bring many benefits, but also requires careful planning to minimize negative environmental, social and economic impacts. Regarding land use, road infrastructure often leads to the urbanization of suburban areas, increasing pressure on natural resources and causing urban sprawl into natural spaces. Consequently, often it can be observed a significant rising in property prices that leads to the closure of green spaces. Road infrastructure construction causes habitat fragmentarization, loss of agricultural land areas, alteration of the organic composition of soils etc. In this perspective, the analysis and assessment of the impacts of infrastructure developments on land use spatial patterns using GIS technology will be addressed in this study. A set of vector data obtained by Copernicus Land Monitoring Services website were utilized for this purpose.[1] Their time span is between years 2012-2018. Spatial-temporal changes in land use types has been identified by making use of ArcGIS analytical functionalities. The main results are then visualized through maps. They indicate slight changes in three categories of land use in the affected area: discontinuous urban space, complex cultivation patterns and uncultivated agricultural land.