Assessment of Urban Land Use Changes in the Calabar Master Plan

The main driving force for managing urban areas towards the desired pattern hinges on the identification of land uses, preparation and proper implementation of master plan. Considering the development crisis that plague urban centres today, this work was centred on the assessment of urban land use changes in the Calabar master plan, with a view to examining land use changes in Calabar from 1983 to 2017, assess the trend of population growth from 1963 to 2017 as well as ascertain the extent of implementation of the Calabar urban master plan. This research combined both field method as well as spatial data, the outcome of which is a comprehensive analysis and interpretation of the results. Two data collection methods were employed in this study; the continuous and the discrete. The continuous data utilized were the Calabar metropolis Landsat imagery, data raster of proposed master plan and existing land use plan, as well as the road networks and boundary lines. The discrete data included the population data of Calabar metropolis. First, reconnaissance survey and in-depth interview were carried out and a sample was chosen based on judgmental sampling techniques. The findings showed that within the period covered by this study; there has been marked increase in population of Calabar which has further resulted in the expansion of the built up area against other land uses. The study showed that between 1983 and 2017, for Calabar municipality, the green area has decreased from 69.2 percent to 54.2 percent respectively, while the built up area has expanded from 24.2 percent to 42.8 percent. Calabar South also showed decrease in green area from 34.3 percent to 21.8 percent, while the built up area also expanded from 46.8 percent to 51.3 percent. The study also showed that among the land uses in the area, it was only residential and commercial land uses that showed clear diversion from the master plan. The study recommends a holistic approach for dealing with the challenges of land use change, effective land use planning, monitoring and enforcement of plans to further promote urban sustainable growth and development.