Intensive global urbanization has many positive effects on human prosperity and well-being. However, this rapid urban growth also makes cities a major factor in climate change, as they become the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, urban areas produce 70% of global CO2 emissions, leading to higher surface temperatures and the urban heat island effect. This urban expansion often replaces natural landscapes, further increasing heat in city centres. Urban green spaces, especially dense and viable broad-leaved trees, play an extremely important role in mitigating climate change and specifically in curbing urban temperatures. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of urban green spaces, such as amount and density, location, and identification of plant types and species, is critical for urban planning and human health.
The primary objective of this study is to significantly enhance the accuracy of land use and land cover classification, with a particular emphasis on urban green areas. This will be achieved through the integration of multispectral space imagery with principal components analysis and the textural features it identifies. The advancement in classification accuracy is critical for conducting a comprehensive temporal analysis and monitoring of changes in the land use and land cover of Krakow, Poland, driven by urbanization. Achieving this goal is of immense importance, as it will provide a more precise and nuanced understanding of urban development and environmental changes. The study highlights the significant urbanization of Krakow from 1993 to 2023, with the most notable change being the transition from Grassland to Urban areas.
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