International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Studies (IJSRES) Volume 2 Issue 9, September 2015 ISSN: 2349-8862 www.ijsres.com Page 36 Spatio-Temporal Analysis And Mapping Of Urban Development Trends In The Federal Capital City (FCC) Abuja, Nigeria From 1990 To 2014 Enedah, I.C. Igbokwe J.I. Ojiako, J.C. Igbokwe E.C. Abstract: The Federal Capital City (FCC) was created in 1976 and physical development of both the city and its region started in earnest in 1980. As a result, there has been a remarkable change in the physical development of the city. There is therefore the compelling need for timely accurate data on the physical development in the FCC. Presented in this study is an approach for mapping the physical development trends in the Federal Capital City (FCC) Abuja. This paper used multi-temporal satellite imageries of 1990, 2002 and 2014. Multi-temporal analysis was performed to derive the extent of physical development in the FCC, Abuja. Land Use/Land Cover maps of 1990, 2002 and 2014 were produced by using the supervised maximum likelihood classification algorithm in ERDAS Imagine 9.1. Post- classification comparison was used for producing growth/change map. Results show that for the past 24 years, 1990-2014, FCC Abuja has been undergoing extensive land cover change. The built up area in the city has grown from 14,693.85hectares in 1990 to 34,425.90hectares in 2002 and to 50,964.21hectares in 2014. The highest rate of urban growth is observed during the first period of urbanization (1990 to 2002) in which the built up area increased more than twice (40.17%) within 12 years, and in the second period of urbanization there was a change of 19.37%. In total, 36,270.36hectares of non-built up land has been converted to urban area. Regression Analysis was also applied to forecast future change in urban development; the results indicated that by 2020 FCC will have grown from 50,964.21hectares to 105365hectares in urban area. In this study it has been possible to successfully capture the changing subtleties of physical development patterns and trends in the FCC, Abuja. However it is recommended that further studies be carried out about development trends of other areas of the FCT, Abuja, so that a comparative analysis can be made between the FCC and other areas of the FCT, Abuja. Keywords: Change Detection, Land cover / Land use, Remote Sensing, Urban Development I. INTRODUCTION Understanding the phenomenon of development and analyses of development trends would help in addressing the needs of the present and future needs of a region. This plays a key role in planning for infrastructure and becomes crucial in regional planning especially when resources are scare (Sudhira et. al., 2000). The physical development of both the city of Abuja and its region started in earnest in 1980 after its creation in 1976. As a result, there has been a remarkable change in the level of physical development in the FCT. This is primarily due to the introduction of a large number of socio-economic infrastructures and developmental institutions through the activities of both the public and private sectors. These, which are indeed innovations, consequently induced a modern development of its urban environment, with very profound effects on the social and economic well being of the residents of the FCT. Also since the early 1980s, there has been an influx of a large number of Nigerians of diverse ethnic origins into the FCT as employees in the public and private sectors, and as entrepreneurs in the informal sector (Balogun, 2001). This is a very strong response to the ongoing socio-economic and physical development in Abuja. There is therefore, a need for a continuous geospatial mapping and analysis of the development trends in the FCT in order to be able to plan for the future.