TRANSFORMATION OF LAND USE /LAND COVER (LULC) UNDER RAPID URBANIZATION IN ADANA, TURKEY

Adana, one of the biggest cities of Turkey, is located on the Cukurova Plain of the Mediterranean Region. Cukurova Region, whose agricultural potential with fertile soils formed by alluvial deposit and suitable climate is quite high, has experienced rapid urbanization and industrialization over the past four decades. Depending on industrial activities and population growth, Adana has entered a process of both socio-cultural and spatial change in the 1970s. Nowadays its urbanization process rapidly continues with population about two million. In this study, spatial changes and agricultural land loss is analyzed caused by urban sprawl using the Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. In order to analyze land use/land cover (LULC) changes, LULC classification maps belonging to years 1970, 1985, 2000 and 2015 were produced and analyses were made in three periods covering 15 years each (1970-1985, 1985-2000, 2000-2015). It was observed in the results that while build-up area expanded by 1125,23% between years 1970 and 2015, farmland decreased by 37,33%, forestland decreased by 76,86% and bushland decreased by 53,48%. According to the calculated Urbanization Intensity Index (UII), urbanization occurred most rapidly in years between 1970 and 1985 (UII=0,96). Related with the rapid spatial expansion of the city, dynamic index (DI) of build-up was found to be very high compared to the DI of other land uses. While the DI of build-up area was 29,03 between years 1970 and 2015, the DI of farmland was calculated as -0,94. According to the transition matrix created under the scope of the study, totally 9743 ha farmland, 794ha forestland and 738ha bushland were converted into build-up area. The results of the study indicate that the urban planning process in Turkey should be strengthened and supported by more ecological and sustainable approaches.