Land Cover Change in Phoenix, AZ, between 1984 and 2025
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Geology
Minor
Biology
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Robin Q. Zhang
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Urban sprawl occurs when a city is rapidly growing and spread over a larger geographical area. It can negatively affect the local vegetation and ecosystem. Phoenix, Arizona USA, has seen rapid expansion over the last few decades. To detect urban expansion and sprawl in the Phoenix metro area. I acquired Landsat 8/9 imagery from June 2025 and Landsat 5 TM imagery from June 1984 using USGS Earth Explorer. I then produced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for both 1984 and 2025 in ArcGIS Pro and compared the NDVI results to detect change between the two periods. This would then allow me to assess the amount of urban sprawl around Phoenix, AZ, as well as how the vegetation has changed. This area has a dry desert-like climate, where water and vegetation is scarce therefore damage to the local ecosystem can cause much more compound environmental damage compared to other areas more delicate nature of the ecosystem. Therefore, better understanding the effects of urban sprawl in this area is crucial to better visualizing the future for Phoenix and other cities in similar environments.
Fall Scholars Week 2026
Earth and Environmental Sciences Poster Session
Land Cover Change in Phoenix, AZ, between 1984 and 2025
Urban sprawl occurs when a city is rapidly growing and spread over a larger geographical area. It can negatively affect the local vegetation and ecosystem. Phoenix, Arizona USA, has seen rapid expansion over the last few decades. To detect urban expansion and sprawl in the Phoenix metro area. I acquired Landsat 8/9 imagery from June 2025 and Landsat 5 TM imagery from June 1984 using USGS Earth Explorer. I then produced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for both 1984 and 2025 in ArcGIS Pro and compared the NDVI results to detect change between the two periods. This would then allow me to assess the amount of urban sprawl around Phoenix, AZ, as well as how the vegetation has changed. This area has a dry desert-like climate, where water and vegetation is scarce therefore damage to the local ecosystem can cause much more compound environmental damage compared to other areas more delicate nature of the ecosystem. Therefore, better understanding the effects of urban sprawl in this area is crucial to better visualizing the future for Phoenix and other cities in similar environments.