Urban Sprawl and Its Impact on the Morphology of Homa Bay Town

Abstract

Rapid urbanization is experienced across the developing world with the fastest growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. The migration of people from rural to urban areas in search of better education, jobs, and higher living standards is one of the major factors influencing the urbanization process over time. This has also been the case in Homa Bay town and its hinterland where the increasing rate of urbanization has resulted in changes in the morphological patterns of growth contributing to sprawl. To investigate these changes, this study was guided by the following objectives: To analyze the form and structure of growth of Homa Bay town over time; To assess the drivers of urban sprawl in Homa Bay town; To investigate how urban sprawl has impacted the morphology of Homa Bay town, and to propose the possible planning interventions towards controlling the urban sprawl of Homa Bay town. To achieve these objectives, both spatial and non-spatial methodological techniques were applied. The morphological pattern of growth was identified and modeled using readily available remotely sensed data for the years 2005, 2009, 2014, and 2021. The spatial analysis included morphological growth pattern identification, supervised land use/ land cover classification, and spatial and temporal change analysis. Stratified and purposive sampling procedures were applied through which questionnaires, interview guides and observation checklists were employed important tools in the collection of relevant information within the two sub-locations of Arujo and Asego. Study findings indicate a significant rate of urban growth and morphological change from the year 2005 to 2021. The major transport links have registered linear morphological patterns, while radial, clustered and scattered patterns are found around the hilly areas, informal settlements, and rural areas respectively. Development of a comprehensive GIS-based County Spatial Plan with enhanced development control measures; implementation and enforcement of various policies; encouraging infill, vertical, and compact development, as well as the introduction of Urban Service Boundary (USB), are the key measures proposed in this study to curb urban sprawl.