Modeling the impact of large-scale transportation infrastructure development on land cover

Transportation infrastructure and urban development are tightly connected and interact with each other. The objective of this paper is to measure the impact of large-scale transportation infrastructure locations on land cover. Spatial econometric models that link the impact of transportation infrastructure onto the urban evolution have been used with panel data (multiple time points). Land cover information was derived individually from two Landsat TM images (1984 and 2010) by applying a semi-automatic object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach, resulting in six generalized thematic categories. Data from multiple databases have been collected and cross-referenced. The study area is the Athens metropolitan area, Greece, where, during the last few decades, crucial transportation infrastructure has been developed and significant urbanization has been observed. Moreover, a fixed effects model has been developed for a study area, providing additional information for the differences across municipalities. The results of this research provide evidence toward the quantification of the impact of major road transportation infrastructure in urban development and can have applications in other areas that have not been yet fully developed.