Spatial Interactions of a City-Region Using GIS and Survey-based Data

The concept of spatial interaction deduced from Newton’s first law of motion, which has been extended from interactions between two points of elements e.g., two cities to interactions between other points of other elements in a system, e.g., more than two cities, can be applied to elucidate settlements spatial interaction at the regional scale, particularly a city-region as a system. Elucidating the levels of spatial interactions in city-regions is crucial to support decision-making processes in regional development planning and policies, which in turn contributes to sustainable regional developments if implemented fully. The current study, therefore, combined Geographic Information Systems and survey-based data to evaluate the level of spatial interactions of a city-region as a system to support sustainable regional development planning and policies using the defined Abuja city-region as a case study. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of residents, land cover maps that were produced using Remote Sensing processes of satellite image classification, and urban and regional land use plans. An integrated analysis was deployed, including descriptive statistics and spatial analysis through extraction, digitization, overlay, clipping, and geometrical calculation processes. Key findings showed that the work location for most residents in satellite settlements is Abuja city. Also, the study showed that while Lugbe, Kubwa, and Old Karu settlements have the highest level of spatial interaction with Abuja city, Kuje and Gwagwalada settlements have the lowest level of spatial interaction. The findings and their associated implications of the current study are useful to support decision-makers in planning and policies for the spatial distribution of urban infrastructures across settlements that make up defined city-regions in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular and in the Global South in general