Land Transformation and Redevelopment Plan in CBD (A GIS based Study of Lal Chowk, J&K, India)

Abstract

Rapid urbanization promoted the economic and social development, which is a prominent feature of the industrial era and is also a major driving force altering local and regional environments in the form of land use/land cover change and land transformation. The concept of CBD came into existence with the onset of urbanization that brought transformation of traditional rural economies where primary economic activities are dominated by the modern industrial society of secondary and tertiary economic activities. Cities are manmade physical structures, placed in natural settings. Cities with rapid growth (especially in developing countries) expand without planning. During the past 50 years, urban population in India has increased by more than six times. The present study focuses to understand the respondent’s activities, which influence the transformations in land use/land cover of the CBD. In this case, study, the focus is on human response to the different social, economic and cultural aspects. The study used spatial tools such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) data, which enabled to quantify land use change and transformation, and linked the socioeconomic transformation with land transformation process and associated issues. In the end, the study proposed certain diagnostic suggestions for redevelopment.

Keywords: Urbanization, CBD, land transformation, GIS, planning