Ahyuni, Hamdi Nur
Indonesia is undergoing rapid urbanization, with half its population living in urban areas. A significant rural-to-urban reclassification characterizes this phenomenon. This study investigates the reclassification pattern of rural-to-urban in West Sumatra Province from 2010 to 2020. The findings reveal the patterns of urban expansion: 1) contiguous expansion of urban areas within regencies, 2) urban area expansion in urban fringe of municipalities, 3) emergence of new dispersed urban areas in regencies, and 4) formation of contiguous urban corridors connecting urban centers in the BUKAPALIPATAR region (Bukittinggi, Agam, Payakumbuh, Limapuluh Kota, Padang Panjang, and Tanah Datar). Urbanization in rural regions has significantly contributed to urbanization in West Sumatra Province. Consequently, spatial planning at the provincial and regency levels should consider this urban reclassification trend by focusing policies and programs on infrastructure and urban facilities in urbanized rural regions. © 2025 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.
Department of Geography, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia; Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Universitas Bung Hatta, Padang, Indonesia
