Urbanization drives progressive transformation of land cover in large cities, with direct consequences for hydrological regime, microclimatic conditions, and the ecological resilience of urban geosystems. This study quantifies land cover dynamics in Kyiv over a twenty-year period (2005–2025) by comparing two temporal cross-sections derived from an identical sample of point observations. The administrative boundary of the city was delineated in QGIS using open OpenStreetMap geodata. Classification was performed in i-Tree Canopy using a random point-sampling method (2,503 points, seven cover classes); for the retrospective analysis, identical points were exported in KML format and re-assessed against archival Google Earth Pro imagery from 2005, with reclassification restricted to points whose cover state had changed. The results indicate a decline in the combined share of vegetated cover (Tree/Shrub and Grass/Herbaceous) from 66.16% to 57.85% of the city area, most pronounced in the Grass/Herbaceous class (from 11.43% to 5.07%). The aggregate share of impervious surfaces (Impervious Buildings, Road, and Other) increased from 22.09% to 25.01%, while the area of bare soil nearly doubled (from 5.51% to 10.47%), reflecting active construction pressure on open land. The Water class remained comparatively stable (6.23–6.67%). Despite the observed decline, tree and shrub vegetation retains a dominant position within the cover structure, underscoring the substantial ecological potential of Kyiv’s green infrastructure network. These findings provide an analytical basis for monitoring vegetation loss, planning green space, and guiding spatial development under conditions of intensifying anthropogenic pressure.
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