Browsing by Author "OJOK OBWONA MICHAEL"

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    Hurban Development And Natural Vegetation Change: A Historical Analysis Of Gulu City From 1911 To 2021
    (Gulu Uiversity, 2023-10) OJOK OBWONA MICHAEL
    This was a historical study of urban development and natural vegetation change of Gulu City from 1911 to 2021. The global society has of recent been witnessing spatial expansion of urbanization which has a bearing on natural vegetation. There however, seemed to be no proper documentation of the effects urban development on natural change to guide future redirection in low resourced urbanizing societies, Gulu City being one of them. The study was therefore set to determine the historical urban development of Gulu city from 1911 to 2021 and its effect on the natural vegetation of the area. It precisely documented the trend of urban development, determined the status of the gazetted urban green spaces, and assessed the effect of the spatial extent of urbanization on natural vegetation. The study adopted a historical research design which was descriptive in nature - secondary data sources were analyzed and later triangulated with qualitative data from older persons of both gender who witnessed the changing pattern of urbanization and natural vegetation changes. The findings show that Gulu City has been witnessing an increasing population size which though declined at some point due to insecurity, generally rose at an increasing rate over the years between 1911 and 2021. The study also found that the urban built up area has been evolving over the years at an exponential rate with natural green spaces constituting of the wetlands and the planted forests alongside the forest reserves coexisting. The study concluded that the exponential spatial expansion of the built-up area of Gulu City was crucial to the characteristic decline in the natural vegetation over the years from 1911 to 2021. The study recommended among others, the need for the urban planning authority of Gulu City in collaboration with the local leadership to foster faster tracking of the preservation of the natural green spaces identified and earmarked in the urban plans. The study also recommended that the physical planners for the various residential setups, institutions, and factories for industrial development along the commercial buildings should develop plans that integrate alternative approaches to natural greening of the prospective urban setups.