Özet:

Urban development causes fundamental changes in the ecological structure and functioning of landscape and gradual change in the spatial structure and landscape pattern. Landscape ecology concepts can be used in landscape planning to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization. Landscape ecology, based on landscape metrics, is an appropriate tool for mapping and quantifying spatial land use characteristics. The aim of the current study is to quantify the spatial pattern of Shiraz metropolitan area using landscape metrics over a 36-year period. The metrics used for the analysis were Number of points (NP), Point density (PD), Edge density (ED), The edge effect (TE), Largest point index (LPI), Landscape index (LSI), Shannon diversity index (SHDI) and Shannon equality index (SHEI). These metrics were produced for the years 1982, 1996, 2006, and 2018. The classes of urban area, agriculture, tree cover, bare land, and street/road were the subjects for analysis. Results of the study reveal fragmentation of agricultural land and tree cover over the third period of the study (2006-2018). Increase in suburban area between 1982 and 2006, due to the increasing growth of urbanization, has taken place in different directions, which shows disorientated and disorderly trend; however, the trend has declined between 2006 and 2016, indicating orientation of outskirt development as a result of building ring roads within the study area. Economic growth and increased urbanization have been identified as the most important factors affecting land use in the area.

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