Identification of land use conflicts for urban growth planning: Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua (Mexico)

Abstract

This research incorporates new forms of analysis for urban planning and development in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua (Mexico), providing elements of reference by identifying areas with potentiality and limitations for urban land use, as well as for agricultural and conservation activities. The general objective was to identify the main conflicts between land uses and coverages to determine the areas of greatest territorial suitability for the city's growth. For this purpose, the Land Use Conflict Identification Strategy (LUCIS) model was used to understand the spatial significance of the status of land use policies, including likely urban patterns associated with agricultural and conservation trends. In the case study, a total of 149,139 inhabitants are estimated for the year 2030, which represents the need for an additional 392.42 hectares to accommodate the population growth. For that of the 16,272.21 hectares that has the population limit, 38% were allocated to the category of agriculture, 11.95% to conservation soils and 49.67% to urban land (including the existing urban area). There is a significant portion of the area that is in conflict between the different land uses. It concludes, that the integration of a conflict resolution model for land use and land cover represents a practical solution that contributes to the improvement of processes of urban development planning.