Urban Land Suitability Analysis Using Landslide Data for Urban Growth Assessment in the Himalayan Region: A Case of Solan District, Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Unregulated urban growth in hilly areas poses serious environmental concerns, as physiography plays a crucial role in development within fragile terrain. Key terrain factors such as slope, aspect, elevation, land use and land cover, distance from roads, drainage density, and geomorphology are vital for identifying suitable land for urban development. This study assesses land suitability for urban development in the Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, using a geospatial framework. The Analytical Hierarchy Process, expert opinions, and existing literature are used to assign factor weights in ArcGIS software. Final weights are derived through a pairwise comparison matrix to generate the land suitability map. The map classifies land into highly suitable (5.77%), moderately suitable (36.14%), marginally suitable (53.33%), less suitable (4.72%), and least suitable (0.02%). Suitability outputs are overlaid with a landslide inventory to evaluate development patterns relative to terrain characteristics. The highest landslide density occurs in the marginally suitable zone (49.5/100 km2), indicating high terrain instability. A high coefficient of determination (R² = 0.993) from non linear polynomial analysis shows strong coherence between suitability classes and landslide distribution. The research suggests incorporating hazard and risk analysis in urban development and offers a land-management decision-support system to delineate priority, conditional, restricted and no-development areas in vulnerable Himalaya. The results can help planners control urban growth, minimise landslide-related land-use disputes and encourage hazard-sensitive land use.