Effects of land-use change on the Environment in Athi-River town

Abstract

The way people have used land and exploited its assets in urban regions is a critical predicament as it has changed land cover over time and influenced the effectiveness of the environment. This has decreased the distinctive potential of lands to support both ecosystem and human activity at global scale. These consequences are not localized environmental issues but global ones, as their multiplier consequences cross beyond these urban areas and have become chronic obstacles to achieving goal number eleven of the SDGs; sustainable development to create sustainable cities and communities. Land-use change is inevitable as urban populations increase in numbers and the urban areas grow in size because of urban sprawl. Consequently, land-use choices made about how this will occur will have effect on the humans dwelling within their homes, neighbourhoods and urban regions and this could have worldwide environmental implications. Urban growth has masked critical human-environmental interaction. This study is primarily based on man-nature interface on an urban environment. The study in particular features the core and sub-urban area of Athi River Ward. The area has numerous industrial developments, high density residential in mixed-use set up which offers the researcher a much broader scope in identifying the environmental consequences of land-use change. Particularly, the study zeroed in on the consequences of land use change as an aspect of urbanization on the environment. It investigated the environmental implications of land uses within the urbanizing Athi-river. It in addition established the relationship between change in land-uses and the urban ecosystem to pick out the constraints and opportunities existing for environmental planning that can be maximised for future sustainable growth of this town. In its recommendations, the study demonstrated how land use planning can play a part in minimizing these consequences. The study was done using secondary data primarily based on literature evaluated and primary data in form of field survey, landsat imagery, administration of questionnaires at one hundred forty households, twenty businesses and fifteen industries and interview schedules for numerous stakeholder institutions.The study revealed that Athiriver town is an unsustainable urban eco-system. Several complicated feedbacks exist between the environment and land-use changes in Athi-river. Improper planning on the utilization of the urban environment, inadequate enforcement/development control and conflicting policies on land-use standards were among the main issues highlighted. The study thus analyses the environmental implications of these issues and gives proposals on ways of reversing this detrimental trends towards achivieng a sustainable urban ecosystem.