This study investigates spatio-temporal paradigm of the impact of road networks on urban ecosystem dynamics (UED) by analysing the composition and configuration of land use land cover (LULC) and land surface temperatures (LST) derived from Landsat data for the years 2000 and 2017. The results indicate a positive association between road network and built-up land showing higher concentration of built-up land closer to the road network. This increase in grey infrastructure has led to an increase in the maximum LST by 6 °C to 7.5 °C along primary and tertiary roads, whereas 4 °C to 5 °C along secondary roads. Rapid intensification of road network along with the associated disproportionate changes in LULC and LST are deemed to be the major contributors to UED. Findings from this study will serve as baseline for examining the influence of road network on regional urban growth and assist in sustainable road infrastructure planning. © 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Shalini Rankavat

Civil Engineering

(SoE) School of Engineering

Mann D.

Joshi P.K.

<p>Shiv Nadar University is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, research-focused, and student-centric University offering a full range of academic programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, the University comprises of academic wings, sophisticated labs, international standard sports facilities, amphitheaters, auditorium, conference rooms and smart classrooms. The University&rsquo;s goal is to become internationally recognized for the quality of its research and creative endeavors and their applicability to improving quality of life, generating new insights and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge creativity. Committed to excellence in teaching, research and service, the University aims to serve the higher education needs of India and the world beyond.</p>

Shiv Nadar University

Road network drives urban ecosystems - a longitudinal analysis of impact of roads in the central Himalaya

Geocarto International

Global road network has expanded at an unprecedented rate in the last century, and is needed for economic and social growth. However, the road networks through forest landscapes open it up for further exploitation and act as permanent scars on these fragile ecosystems. This has driven greater interest in studying ecological impacts of the road networks on forest cover dynamics. Our study assessed changes in forest canopy density (FCD) using satellite-based indices, and forest fragmentation using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) for 2000 and 2016 in the Central Himalaya. The analysis reports reduction in areas with high FCD from 85\% of geographical area in 2000 to 76\% in 2016. Specific to road sites, maximum change has taken place owing to expansion of national highway (NH) 72 from two-lane in 2000 to four-lane in 2016. MSPA results also support this argument as forest fragmentation has substantially increased along the road transects, especially NHs and metalled roads. The study asserts that metalled forest roads at lower elevations and closer to the forest periphery have greater detrimental effects on surrounding ecosystems than unmetalled forest roads. Reason being continuous disturbance due to heavy traffic load, ease of accessibility to forest and added anthropogenic disturbances near the periphery. As ecological impacts of road network have not been mainstreamed into research and policy making in Himalaya, the findings from this study shall improve knowledge on the current status and potential future pathways of sustainable infrastructure development in Himalaya in particular and mountains around the globe in general. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

Ecological Engineering

Spatio-temporal forest cover dynamics along road networks in the Central Himalaya

Science of The Total Environment

Access roads impact enzyme activities in boreal forested peatlands

Impact of highway construction on land surface energy balance and local climate derived from LANDSAT satellite data

Nature Sustainability

Environmental challenges for the Belt and Road Initiative

Current Biology

Economic, Socio-Political and Environmental Risks of Road Development in the Tropics