Context:

Given the increasing population concentration, both the proximity of the town of Madrid to the city of Bogotá and the growing metropolitan area around the latter have a significant influence on the increased urbanization and the change in land use in the town of Madrid, Cundinamarca.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to carry out a multitemporal analysis of the change in coverage and land use caused by urban expansion in the municipality of Madrid between 1977 and 2020.

Methodology:

Satellite images were observed through supervised classification, following the Corine Land Cover methodology, which was adapted for the Colombian context, and utilizing geographic information systems. Area variation analyses were performed for each classification in each of the evaluated years.

Results:

The data obtained show that the forest cover area and seminatural zones have been reduced by 86% in a period of 43 years, and that artificial territories have progressively become predominant in each of the years, even reaching a coverage greater than 50% of the municipality area. The agricultural territories have maintained 66,95% of the surface of the municipality, and they correspond the land use with the largest occupied area for the evaluated period, which shows the importance of the soil for the economic development of the population.

Conclusions:

This situation shows that population growth and urban expansion cause variations in coverage and land uses. Their valuation is an aspect that must be considered when elaborating development plans for municipal entities.