A RECONNAISSANCE GIS STUDY OF URBANIZATION ON STATEN ISLAND: THE ARTHUR KILL QUADRANGLE

Between the years 1990 and 2000, Staten Island’s population grew by 17 percent, making it the fastest growing county in New York State. This rapid urbanization on the island has eventually resulted in significant land use planning issues. We were interested in the pattern of urbanization since 1901. A substantial part of the urbanization took place in what is now covered by the Arthur Kill Quadrangle. In order to study this pattern of urbanization, digitized topographic maps of the Arthur Kill quadrangle ranging from 1955 to 1981 and the Staten Island Quadrangle of 1901 were analyzed for trends in urbanization using a GIS. Using the GIS, areas of urbanization were delineated and compared to the total area of the quadrangle. A series of maps were produced showing the expansion of urbanization. This gives us a clear history of urbanization patterns in the area covered by the Arthur Kill quadrangle.