Urban Green Space: A Parallel Assessment in Eight Zones of Bangalore, India

In the present study vegetation distribution across 8 zones of Bangalore Metro area is assessed by NDVI and TNDVI transformed 2005 Quick Bird imagery. Both NDVI and TNDVI, a bio-physical variables greately unravel the pattern of vegetation distribution across different zones of Bangalore metro. Due to concentrated developmental activity that increased population and put pressure on infrastructure and natural resources, Bangalore is currently experiencing unprecedented urbanization. This has led to a number of serious challenges, including climate change, the greenhouse effect and frequent flooding of low-lying areas. This urban structure includes urban vegetation, such as urban forests, which adds a layer of greenery to an otherwise artificial landscape. "The net benefits that members of society receive from an urban forest determine the value of the forest". Among the different zones high NDVI value was observed in Byatarayanapur followed by West. Urban sprawl is observed as 9% and around 177 km2 of agricultural land has been converted into built up area in the last 5 to 6 years. Using high resolution satellite imagery, a zone-by-zone assessment of vegetation distribution can show how the benefits of urban vegetation cover vary throughout the Bangalore Metro and be used to compare estimates of urban vegetation cover between zones.