Territorial Expansion of Bahía Blanca: Characterization of the Peri-urban Area in the western sector of the City

Abstract

The city of Bahía Blanca is in full expansion and growth, which is why the need arises to carry out adequate planning and organized territorial ordering. In this way, prevent and/or mitigate consequences derived from the interaction of the land to be occupied and the civil works and land uses carried out there during its progress. Although there is data in the area on soil properties (surface and underground hydrology, granulometry, geomorphology, uses), an integrated study of them is necessary since their interrelationships define the behavior of the terrain. In this research, it is proposed to carry out the corresponding cartography using a GIS (Geographic Information System) based on the available data and new results obtained on land use and lithological, sedimentological and geomorphological characteristics of the studied terrain. This study is considered of interest for the area, which constitutes a possible expansion zone for the city.

The software used allows results and data to be dumped in the form of layers and displayed simultaneously, carrying out an efficient study. In this way, providing the information to identify and characterize the suitability of the soil for engineering purposes, contributing to a responsible and sustainable urban expansion, avoiding geological risks. The combination of data through this methodology allows the analyzed parameters to be integrated, and in this way constitute a tool to predict the behavior of the terrain, establish guidelines for the management of urban expansion.