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the sites of former agricultural land. The north-western part is largely agricultural, while
most urban development is located in the south close to Genil river. Water supply in the
area comes from the Genil river. The selected site has 1875 Ha
Urban sprawl has been traditionally assessed from demographic information, and most
communities continue to rely on occasional and expensive aircraft flights for aerial
photography from which to update their land use and land cover maps. Since regional
land cover changes brought about by human activity tend to occur incrementally,
communities often do not realize the extent of their development and therefore, the
possible changes in their environment. In this regard, satellite data holds great potential
for practical application to regional planning and urban ecology. The satellite data can
also be used to derive a variety of biophysical surface parameters, providing both spatial
and temporal comparisons.
Despite the rising interest in surface microclimate among researchers, the use of satellite
remote sensing within an urban context has generally been restricted to studies of the
so-called urban heat island and to the creation of land cover maps via conventional
image classification techniques notes, however, that much more quantitative biophysical
information can be extracted from existing satellite data than is suggested by this
preoccupation with land use and land cover mapping. For example, fraction impervious
surface cover and urban-induced surface runoff (RO) are currently estimable.
Temperature trends result from natural and anthropogenic factors; the latter (especially
CO2 resulting from human activities) has been mainly seen as the result of increasing
concentrations of greenhouse gases (IPCC 2001). Recent investigations have also
shown that climate forcing from land use/land cover (LULC) change also significantly
impacts temperature trends (e.g. Bonan, 1997; Gallo
et al
., 1999; Chase
et al
., 2000;
Feddema
et al
., 2005; Christy
et al
., 2006, Roy
et al
., 2007). Some studies suggest that
new metrics should be considered for characterizing climate changes (e.g. Pielke
et al
.,
2007b; Joshi
et al
., 2003; NRC, 2005). Consequently, attention has been increasingly
given to the impact of LULC change on climate. For example, it has been reported that
land use changes due to agriculture lead to decreased surface temperatures (Mahmood
et al
., 2006; Roy
et al
., 2007; Lobell and Bonfils, 2008). LULC change can significantly
influence climatological variables such as maximum, minimum and diurnal temperature
range (Gallo
et al
., 1996; Hale
et al
., 2006, 2008). The effects of urbanization on climate
trends have been analyzed using classifications of meteorological stations as urban or
rural based on population data
There are, therefore, two points of view to focus on this problem. On the one hand, the
study architectural and landscape of the recovery of the soil for traditional use; this is the
object of this work. On the other hand, the study from the physical point of view of the
trends of temperature changes caused by the change of land use due to urbanization,
which is a second part that is currently under development.
3. - Background.
Currently, the Granada highway bypass marks the physical and urban boundary of the
city of Granada, beyond it lies the agricultural Vega of Granada on which different crops
besides rooted important part of the reason for being and the identity of the city.
Accepting that from the moment when the city settled with her, and its original
inhabitants began to work the land, the valley of the river Genil lost its original condition,
it is anticipated that the concept of "natural" had to be invented at some point to refer to
