A new study from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses satellite imagery to illustrate changes in land use associated with increasing urbanization and its impacts on local, regional, and national scales.

Twenty scientific contributions depict urban changes nationwide from historical, geographic, economic, and ecological perspectives. The analysis in "Rate, Trends, Causes, and Consequences of Urban Land-Use Change in the United States (Professional Paper 1726)" aims to provide insight to critical societal and scientific issues.

"How and why urban land use change occurs, coupled with a projection of its direction and likely effect, can be helpful in informing local, regional, and national decisions about land use… for years to come," Barbara Ryan, associate USGS director for geography, said in a statement.