Spatiotemporal analysis of the housing bubble's contribution to the proliferation of illegal landfills – The case of Gran Canaria

Illegal landfills are the source of many impacts that can alter the environment and represent a public health risk. This study investigates their spatiotemporal distribution in two representative areas of Gran Canaria: northwest (Zone A) and east (Zone B). Illegal landfill occurrence was simulated between 2000 and 2018, to estimate and spatially locate the surface growth of illegal landfills based on cellular automata, cellular automata-Markov and multiobjective land allocation models. The proliferation of illegal landfills in 2018 was simulated following the calibration and validation of the proposed models. Models' accuracy was assessed using Kappa index and landscape metrics. The cellular automata-Markov model had the best performance. The model simulations predicted an increase of 52.3 ha and 81.5 ha affected by illegal landfills in Zone A and Zone B for 2018, respectively. The interannual growth rate of surfaces affected by illegal landfills for the period between 2000 and 2006 was 4.5% and 9.5% and between 2006 and 2012 it was 6.6% and 6.7%, for Zone A and Zone B respectively. The growth of illegal landfills between 2000 and 2006 was higher in urban areas, construction sites, and industrial zones, and may be closely related to the process of urban expansion linked to the real estate boom. The latter would have a deep impact on the landscape due to the proliferation of illegal construction and demolition waste. The growth rate of illegal landfills in urban environments fell during the later period of urban expansion. Overall, simulation outputs showed the model's ability to correctly reproduce the distribution patterns for illegal landfill proliferation. Even though the simulated spatial location of illegal landfills was not highly accurate, the models built in this study provide an informative tool to policy makers to aid the process creating policies for environmental protection as well as territorial planning. [Display omitted] •Housing bubble's impacts on illegal landfill (IL) proliferation in Gran Canaria (GC)•IL proliferation was higher in urban areas during the housing bubble.•Assessing cellular automata to forecast the proliferation of IL•Simulations predicted a 133.8 ha increase in ILs for 2018.