Analysing the effect of urban sprawl on land use change in Uganda in relation to achieving sustainable development goal 11.

Abstract

Urban sprawl is one of the major results of changes resulting from population growth in urban centers. Like most countries in Sub Saharan Africa, Uganda is experiencing a high rate of urbanization estimated at 5.2% per annum. Kampala city is growing rapidly at a rate of 3.9% per year, with an estimated workforce of 4.5 million people and much of this urbanization has been unplanned. The city is undergoing massive unplanned land use changes caused by political, social, economic and environmental push and pull factors. The main objective of this research was to investigate the effect of urban sprawl on the land use change in Uganda in relation to achieving sustainable development goal 11, which aims at making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This research employed a mixed methods design of research. Its aim was to examine the variables of the research and analyze the findings, as well as explain theories and draw conclusions based on findings. A descriptive research study was used in this research because it enables generalization of findings of the study to a larger population. The study population was Kampala city and a purposive sampling strategy was used. Qualitative data collection methods used in the research included secondary data such as shapefiles from KCCA and NFA, semi-structured interviews guided by questionnaires whereas quantitative data collection methods used in the research included GIS analyses. There have been a lot of changes in the land uses however in the time period 2010- 2017, with subsistence farmland experiencing the largest changes. Urban sprawl, changes in land-use in the suburbs of Kampala City have contributed positively to environmental degradation. The overall threat of urban sprawl in Kampala city is negative, ultimately resulting in ecosystem damages. The increase in built-up areas is an ecosystem damage because it has led to negative impacts such as massive road congestion, pollution, unsustainable land development, a decrease in public spaces/parks and increased pressure on public services. Consequently, residents of the Kampala city are likely to experience health problems as a result of pollution, whereas the unsustainable land development and poor access to public spaces denies residents of cultural ecosystems services.