Road Hierarchy Associated Landscape, Urbanization, and Socio-Economic Transformation: Insights from Dhanbad District, India

Abstract

Road transport facilities stimulate regional development by influencing land-use change, accessibility, and socio-economic transformations. However, the extent to which road hierarchy alone drives regional transformation remains unclear, particularly in resource-dependent regions. The study examines the association between road hierarchy and development along the road corridors in the Dhanbad district. Dhanbad, despite being resource-rich, is counted among India's backward districts, so this study will provide an insightful look at how the roads incorporate various development aspects as they traverse the district. This study uses multi-temporal land-use/land-cover data, landscape metrics, and village-level census data to assess changes along national highways, state highways, and major district roads. To evaluate corridor-specific development outcomes, a Comparative Corridor Development Index (CCDI) has been developed. The outcome reveals considerable inter-corridor variations. Corridors stretching across the mining and urban-industrial areas of the district recorded the highest development scores (NH218: 5.88 and NH18: 4.99), while NH419 and the state highway exhibited comparatively limited transformation, with CCDI values of 0.81 and 0.98, respectively. Additionally, the study observed strong positive associations between urbanization, landscape consolidation, and socio-economic development. The study presents a corridor-based framework for analyzing transportation-led regional development, providing valuable insights for balanced infrastructure planning in resource-abundant regions.