PATTERNS OF BUILT-UP AREA CHANGE IN SMALL CITIES OF WEST SUMATRA PROVINCE - INDONESIA

Abstract

: West Sumatra Province has many small cities considered by population size as well as their
built-up area. In these cities, a vast paddy field landscape still exists as a prominent characteristic. However,
there are varied patterns of built-up area change among the cities. This paper examines the patterns of
changes over the past 13 years from 2005 to 2018 using spatial metrics method. The measurements consist
of the number of patches, patch density, mean patch size, and Urban Sprawl Index. Patterns of built-up area
change generated by combining such measurements. It is found that the relationship between spatial
geometry measures and growth rate measure is weak. Therefore, the study suggests identifying trends and
comparisons among cities with the same characteristics to interpret spatial metrics method appropriately. The
study also shows three types of built-up area change: (a) infilling with low-density development, (b) edge
expansion with low-density development, and (c) edge expansion with scattered/leapfrogging development.
The development of cities in the first and second types had a compact pattern, while the third tended to
develop fragmented.