CONCLUSIONS

The spatial analysis was done to access urban growth pattern of the Bangalore city in various directions through 12 landscape metrics across five time periods. The study showed that Bangalore is rapidly expanding with a significant rise in built-up area. Landscape is aggregating to form a large patch in 2010, while these patches were in small colonies during 1973 to 2006. Earlier, the urban patches were more dispersed; while in 2010, patches are maximally aggregated indicating that the city is becoming more compact in the recent years. Understanding these spatio-temporal aspects of landscapes are very critical for regional planning. The increase in the area of the largest patch also suggests that small patches have clumped together, thereby increasing the compactness of the city and decreasing the ratio of open space. Earlier the patch sizes were small in all the directions but in 2006 these patches started growing in north, west, south, southeast and east directions, also showing these urban patches getting bunched in these directions. Growing unemployment & poverty, malnutrition, social exclusion and environmental degradation are now the main issues to be tackled by urban decision-makers. Many of them will live in poverty and squalor, deprived of their basic needs and rights. Understanding these spatio-temporal aspects of landscape are very critical for regional planning, development of zoning regulations, creating job opportunities, estimation of energy supply, demand and conservation.