The Growth Of Kaduna Metropolis Between 1973 And 2012 The Physical Planning Implications

This paper examined the growth and development pattern of Kaduna metropolis Nigeria over a period of 39 years with a view to identifying its physical planning implications. The study employs the use of Remote Sensing data and GIS technology. Data used for the study include Landsat Imagery of 1973 1990 and 2001 and NigeriaSat-1 of 2006 and GeoEye image of 2012 and the population data for 1963 1991 and 2006. The data was used to determine the pattern of growth rate of growth land consumption rate and land absorption efficiency of the study area. The study established that Kaduna metropolis have been increasing like most cities of the world of which the highest growth was witnessed between 2006 to 2012 with 13.4 growth rate per annum. It also revealed that the pattern of growths witnessed were along the major routes. The study also revealed that there is a relationship between population growth and urban growth in Kaduna metropolis The study concluded that the need for available data is vital to the understanding of the dynamic of the urban environment. More commitment had to be done on the part of government and research to ensure that the gap is closed.