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Patterns and Rates of Land Use Land Cover Change: A Case Study of Ambos Nogales (Arizona and Sonora), 1985-2004
- Journal of Latin American Geography
- University of Texas Press
- Volume 9, Number 3, 2010
- pp. 245-274
- 10.1353/lag.2010.0032
- Article
- Additional Information
The continued expansion of the paired U.S.-Mexican border cities of Ambos Nogales presents many environmental management and urban planning challenges. This study focuses on a comparative study of spatial patterns and rates of land-use and land-cover change, in relation to land degradation, deforestation, and urban growth over different time periods. Based on historical data the study suggests that both cities have experienced high land degradation; however, land on the Arizona-side has been more stable and less degraded. However, there were more severely degraded areas found in Nogales, Arizona, than in Nogales, Sonora. The delineation of land use change and the severity of land degradation provide important information to planners about areas that should be targeted for development and other areas that require restoration to natural settings.
La expansión continua de las ciudades gemelas de Ambos Nogales (USA-Mexico) presenta muchos desafíos de planificación urbana y manejo ambiental. Este estudio se concentra en un análisis comparativo de los patrones espaciales y velocidad de cambios de uso del suelo con relación a la degradación del terreno, deforestación, y crecimiento urbano durante distintos períodos de tiempo. Basado en datos históricos el estudio sugiere que ambas ciudades han experimentado alta degradación de tierra, pero la tierra en el lado de Arizona ha sido más estable y menos degradada. Sin embargo, en Nogales Arizona, habían áreas severamente más degradadas que en Nogales, Sonora.
