Mapping Land Use and Assessing Coastal Urbanization Impacts: A Case Study in Tangier Northern Morocco

Abstract

T Tangier, one of Morocco’s largest coastal cities strategically located between two maritime boundaries, has undergone significant transformations, particularly through the revitalization of its port area, leading to the establishment of a coastal path and waterfront. Given this context, conducting large-scale, precise spatiotemporal analysis and land-use classification is crucial for fostering Tangier’s sustainable development. In this paper, a random forest algorithm was utilized to map land use changes in Tangier city using Landsat images, which has led to the generation of land use maps of the city from 2000 to 2023. The results show high accuracy in identifying land-use classes with an overall accuracy of 96% and a kappa coefficient exceeding 0.96. Moreover, the spatiotemporal analysis revealed notable changes: built-up land and forested areas increased by 124.55% and 41.11%, respectively, while maritime water areas decreased by 5%, and vegetation areas experienced a 30% decrease, on the other hand. The techniques presented in this study contribute to enhancing the precision of land-use classification within the complex environment of Tangier. They provide valuable technical support for conducting natural resource surveys and promoting sustainable regional development in the city.