Application of Gis in Physical and Land Use Planning: Case Study: Gatundu Town

Abstract

Physical planning is a key tool that guides development within a local area, nationally, and globally. It is through physical planning that land uses are organized in an orderly and effective manner to achieve compatibility or coordination. GIS is an important tool that can be incorporated to bring out the spatial aspect of planning to ensure sustainable development. In Kenya, you will find that most physical planning departments within the private and government sectors have incorporated a GIS department, and both work concurrently. Several efforts by the government have also been made to achieve this, such as the (Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019), which gives the directive that all development plans should be GIS-based. With these efforts, however, physical planning is yet to fully integrate GIS to achieve the development of sustainable spatial plans. This research, therefore, has identified this gap in GIS application in physical and land use planning in Kenya, the case study being Gatundu town in Gatundu South Sub County, Kiambu County, and achieved a proposed GIS-based physical and land use development plan for Gatundu Town. The physical planning problems facing Gatundu town include uncontrolled development, incompatible land uses, urban sprawl, poor infrastructure in general and poor sanitation. These problems are attributed to unsustainable and ineffective development plans, which can be resolved by incorporating GIS techniques to accurately analyze the land dynamics in Gatundu and aid in coming up with proper countermeasures. The current land use has been identified and equated against the set physical planning standards and the county's existing development plans. A base map has also been generated to give the general character of the study area. Data obtained from the interviews and questionnaires administered within the study area have also been analyzed. The study's main findings shed light on a new dimension not captured in the previous studies on GIS application to physical planning in Kenya. Despite there being various development plans in the county to guide development within the urban area, their implementation has not been realized. Therefore, this finding creates a question of monitoring and implementing these physical plans. The study has demonstrated the use of GIS-based applications in preparation and ensures monitoring and successful implementation of these plans.