ASSESSMENT OF URBANIZATION TREND IN RWANDA CASE STUDY: RWAMAGANA DISTRICT/MUYUMBU SECTOR

Abstract

Urbanization also refers to the process by which an increasing proportion of a population lives in urban areas or cities, often accompanied by the physical growth of urban areas into surrounding rural areas. Rwanda faces rapid urbanization challenges, including land scarcity and environmental degradation, primarily due to unplanned settlements. One of the most significant consequences of urbanization is the strain it places on infrastructure and public services. As cities grow, there is an increasing demand for housing, transportation, water supply, and waste management systems. High-resolution satellite images from sources USGS earth explore such as Landsat 2020 OLI and Landsat ETM+ 2020 were utilized to capture spatial changes in the Muyumbu Sector over the study period from 2010 to 2010. GIS software, such as ArcGIS and ERIDAS 2015, facilitates the processing, analysis, and visualization of spatial data, enabling the classification of land use categories and the detection of changes over time. The study was conducted to provide the assessment of the urbanization trend in the Muyumbu sector in 10 years, this sector is located in the eastern province of Rwanda in the Rwamagana district. The results of this study show that agricultural land is the one decreased highly by about 12.708% this is a reduction of 639.89ha which converted into other land uses while the area covered by buildings increased by 19.6814% and is about 991.05ha of increase. GIS and Remote Sensing technologies into routine urban planning processes. Local authorities should regularly update and analyze land use and land cover data to monitor urban expansion and assess its environmental and social impacts. The sector should also establish guidelines for sustainable urbanization, focusing on preserving green spaces and optimizing land use for infrastructure and housing.