Objective

Urban growth research is the study of changing landscapes or metropolitan areas. A new housing subdivision or a new shopping center are examples of a city undergoing change. We measure change when we compare the geographic extent of urbanization through time. However, we can also characterize human-induced land transformations by temporally analyzing the conversion of land cover to land use. We can anticipate the evolution of an urban area when we model and predict future urban growth patterns to understand the impact that the change has on a region's natural resources, economy, and people. In order to investigate how humans are altering the landscape, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the Urban Dynamics and Global Change Research Programs are studying the anthropogenic impacts on the western environment.

• Land Use Trends
• Land Transformations
• Urbanization
• NMD's Urban Dynamics Research Program
• Activities at RMMC

Read the NMD Quarterly Reports for the project:

• April - June 2001
  
• January - March 2001
  
• October - December 2000
  
• July - September 2000
  
• April - June 2000
  
• January - March 2000
  
• October - December 1999