ABSTRACT
The accurate mapping and analysis of urban sprawl has been a major challenge to urban planners. This has links to the shortcomings of known procedures and techniques of analysis involving the use of manual methods, the Shannon's entropy and the GIS and Remote Sensing techniques. Consequently, the debate has existed on the need to develop viable tools to confront these challenges. This thesis demonstrates the application of a unified frame of sprawl analysis based on the integration of GIS, remote sensing and the Shannon's entropy as the improvement over the known tools. The major advantage of the tool is that it permits the concurrent time series mapping and analysis of the magnitude of sprawl as well as the simulation of sprawl implications. The argument being that establishing the pattern and urban management implications of sprawl on multiple spatial and temporal scales is needed to permit better management of urban areas. The approach also provides urban planners and managers with an accurate, precise, flexible and cost effective means of assessing sprawl.