Land use changes have been demonstrated to exert a significant influence on urban planning and sustainable development, particularly in regions undergoing rapid urbanization. Tehran Province, as the political and economic capital of Iran, has undergone substantial growth in recent decades. The present study employs sophisticated Geographic Information System (GIS) instruments and the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to comprehensively track and analyze land use change over the past two decades. A comprehensive analysis of Landsat images of the Tehran metropolitan area from 2003 to 2023 has yielded significant insights into the patterns of land use change. The methodology encompasses the utilization of GIS, GEE, and TerrSet techniques for image classification, accuracy assessment, and change detection. The Kappa coefficients for the maps obtained for 2016 and 2023 were 0.82 and 0.87 for four classes: built-up, vegetation cover, barren land, and water bodies. The findings suggest that, over the past two decades, Tehran Province has undergone a substantial decline in ecological and vegetative areas, amounting to 2.4% (458.3 km2). Concurrently, the urban area and the barren lands have expanded by 287.5 and 125.5 km2, respectively. The increase in water bodies during this period is likely attributable to the reduction of vegetation cover and dam construction in the region. The present study demonstrates that remote sensing and GIS are excellent tools for monitoring environmental and sustainable urban development in areas experiencing rapid urbanization and land use changes.

In order to address severe siltation and enhance urban green spaces in Xianyang Lake, the research offers a sustainable solution by proposing an innovative integration of ecological dredging and landscape transformation. The key findings are as follows: Firstly, an ecological dredging mechanism was established by directly transporting sediment from Xianyang Lake to its central greenbelt, reducing dredging costs and environmental impact while creating a sustainable funding cycle through revenue from eco-tourism activities. Secondly, the landscape artistic conception of the central greenbelt was significantly improved by leveraging the natural distance between the lakeshore and the greenbelt, offering diverse viewing experiences and enhancing the cognitive abilities and urban life satisfaction of tourists. Thirdly, the project demonstrated substantial economic and social benefits, including revenue generation from paid activities like boat tours, increased public awareness of biodiversity through ecological education, and improved community well-being. The central greenbelt also enhanced the urban environment by improving air quality, mitigating the "heat island effect", and providing habitats for wildlife. This integrated approach serves as a model for sustainable urban development, offering valuable insights for cities facing similar ecological challenges. Future research should focus on long-term monitoring to further evaluate the ecological and socio-economic impacts of such projects.