Spatio–Temporal Assessment of Land Use/Land Cover Change and Urban Sprawl Using Geospatial Techniques: A Case Study of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Telangana, India

Transformations in land use induced by urban sprawl are some of the most significant concerns for environmentalists and planners in most developing countries in the twenty-first century. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the spatio-temporal changes in land use/land cover (LULC) and urban sprawl in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) district of Telangana, India, over 30 years, from 1995 to 2025. Landsat images from multi-temporal time periods were used to map LULC changes using the supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) technique. The study estimated urban sprawl using three techniques: Shannon's entropy calculation, concentric buffer zone analysis, and directional sprawl in four inter-cardinal directions. From 1995 to 2025, there is a notable increase in the built-up area, from 151.56 km² (24.80%) to 381.55 km² (62.60%), add on to about 230 km² over the three decades under review. There is a reduction in vegetation area and open areas due to increased anthropogenic pressure. The Outputs from the Transition matrix show that 45% of built-up expansion is gained from vegetation cover and open land. Shannon's entropy values rose progressively from 0.712 to 0.741 across the study period, signaling a shift from relatively compact urban form toward increasingly dispersed peripheral development. Spatial analysis reveals that growth was most pronounced in the north-western and north-eastern quadrants, closely aligned with major transport corridors and economic zones. Edge expansion emerged as the dominant mode of urban growth in GHMC, contributing 52.69% during 1995–2005, decreasing to 21.44% during 2005–2015, and increasing again to 25.87% during 2015–2025, reflecting renewed peripheral urban development.

These findings highlight the dominance of edge expansion as a major driver of urban sprawl in GHMC and emphasize the urgent need for integrated and evidence-based urban planning strategies to effectively manage uncontrolled peripheral growth and promote sustainable urban development within GHMC.