International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

India's urban landscape is undergoing one of the most rapid and spatially consequential transformations observed in the developing world, with urban land cover expanding by an estimated 2.5 times between 2001 and 2021. This expansion is proceeding largely at the expense of agricultural land, wetlands, water bodies, and ecologically productive green spaces that underpin critical ecosystem service (ES) provisioning, climate regulation, and hydrological functioning in urban and peri-urban regions. The resulting tension between urban growth imperatives and environmental sustainability constitutes one of the defining governance challenges of twenty-first-century India. This systematic review synthesises 76 peer-reviewed studies published between 2017 and 2025, supplemented by 16 foundational references, to critically examine the relationships between urban sprawl, land-use efficiency, ecosystem service valuation, and climate resilience across major Indian cities. Drawing on studies that employ multi-temporal remote sensing (Landsat, Sentinel-2, ResourceSat), Google Earth Engine (GEE)-based land use/land cover (LULC) change detection, ecosystem service valuation frameworks (InVEST, MIMES), and urban climate modelling tools, the review provides a comprehensive synthesis of empirical findings and methodological advances. Evidence consistently demonstrates that urban sprawl has reduced land-use efficiency indices by 40–60% across studied cities, eliminated 38–62% of original ecosystem service value in metropolitan regions, intensified urban heat island (UHI) effects by 2–4 °C, and amplified flood risk through impervious surface expansion. Critical governance failures—including the absence of ES-sensitive spatial planning, weak enforcement of environmental zoning, and the marginalisation of biodiversity considerations in master plans—are identified alongside a structured research agenda for advancing sustainable urban land governance in India.

S.Balaselvakumar, S.B.Hemavarthinii,"Urban Sprawl versus Environmental Sustainability: Assessing Land-Use Efficiency, Ecosystem Services, and Climate Resilience in India" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(3): Page(388-404) May-June 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.