Influence of Bypass Road on Land Use and Land Cover Change Of Khulna City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Transportation has a significant impact on the spatial structure of a place and its accessibility. It can shape urban spatial growth, reorganize the country's land use patterns, and stimulate the advancement of specific patterns. In this study, satellite images of Khulna city and its 5 km buffer area centering the bypass road for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 were classified to determine the land use changes as the land cover was categorized in water bodies, agriculture, vegetation, and built-up. Using a single dynamic degree, comprehensive dynamic degree, and expansion or reduction intensity index, the change rate and expansion rate of land use were determined within a 1-5 km buffer. It was found that most changes occurred within the 1-2 km buffer zone of the bypass road. As the distance from the road increases, the influence on land use decreases. To determine the land use transition due to the bypass road, a corridor assessment was done for a 2 km and 4 km buffer area, assuming the changes were uniform. The Difference-in-Difference (DID) estimation determined that the bypass has a significantly positive impact on land use changes. A placebo test was conducted to determine whether the changes were due to the bypass road or some other unobservable factor.

Journal of Engineering Science 14(1), 2023, 11-27