Monitoring rural-urban transformation in the coastal region of Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Morocco

A 473% expansion of urban built-up areas in the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (RSK) region, Morocco, was documented between 1972 and 2020, with significant growth concentrated along key transportation corridors. This rapid rural-urban transformation (RUT), analyzed using machine learning classifiers and Landsat data on Google Earth Engine, revealed the formation of a Rural-Urban Interface (RUI) where urban sprawl encroached upon surrounding rural lands. The study highlights complex interactions between environmental, social, economic, and political forces driving these spatial changes, offering critical insights for managing ecosystem services in rapidly urbanizing coastal regions of the Global South.

Loulad, S., Nguyen, T. T., Simou, M. R., Rhinane, H., & Buerkert, A. (2023). Monitoring rural-urban transformation in the coastal region of Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Morocco. Plos One, 18(8), e0290829. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290829