How Does Urbanization Affect Urban Land

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Humans have always utilized lands and the resources, found in them, in times past and in this present time for the enhancement of that standard of living to the extent that this land use has degenerated so badly, and that is considered a problem (Cieslewicz, 2000). The use of land and the resources that they contain has led to the alteration of land cover, affected the ecosystems where the lands are found (Kharel, 2010). The increased intensity of practices and processes like mining, housing development, logging and lumbering, agriculture relocation, etc. have given rise to a high rate of uncontrolled developments, resulting to environmental degradation, loss of wetlands, loss of agricultural
Thus, urban growth and expansion and increased demand for urban land use brings about disruption and distortion on the urban ecosystem. When ecosystem services are altered, their capacity to satisfy even the basic human need starts to be compromised (Vitousek, Mooney, Lubchenco, & Melillo, 1997). The (FIG Commission, 2010) posits that urbanization brings about negative and positive impacts on the urban land space depending on how it is managed, or planned for. Thus, urbanization brings about development, which in turn gives rise to higher living standard on one hand while a poorly planned rapid urbanization carries with it grave consequences in the form of urban environmental hazards such as flash floods, mudslides and urban pollution on the other hand. Thus, the need to properly plan and manage the process of rapid urbanization (Nyambod,
The extent of urban growth and the resultant impact on wetland depletion is quite significant (Darnell, 1976), This is because the conversion and development of wetlands for residential and other uses has left sad tales in the minds of the residents {Weller, 1988, as cited in (Azous & Horner, 1997)}.

The impact of urbanization on wetlands are also tremendous as habitats for natural vegetation and aquatic plants and animal species are lost, there is addition of suspended solids, hydrologic changes and the alteration of water quality (Darnell, 1976). Also, what and how the situation of eutrophication, sedimentation as well as the alteration of the wetland environmental quality, drainage and filling (Keddy, 1983). The phenomenon is also effected to a greater extent on the degree of land scape changes as there are loss of large areas of land within a given wetland area which is brought about by drainage and modification of parts or whole for the entire area, due to modification or fragmentation {(Weller, 1988) as cited in (Azous & Horner,