Land use changes and urbanization have altered the landscape patterns of urban areas [1] due tosubstantial growth experienced by these areas in recent years [2,3]. The change in the landscapepattern is substantially caused by natural and human factors [4–7]. The results of changes in landscapepatterns through human activities (e.g., population increase, urban sprawl, and agriculture) can affectthe ecosystem [8] and alter the relationships between people and their natural environment [9–11].The concepts of ‘urban and rural’ have been manifested in land use change and urbanization research.An urban area can be defined as a region within the jurisdiction of a city. It can refer to cities or suburbswith a high population density where most inhabitants are not mainly engaged in agriculture [12].Rural areas have low population density and large quantities of undeveloped land [13], and they arethe main service providing units for urban areas, as they provide an environment-based livelihood forpeople [14]. Thus, the ‘rural-urban divide’ forms the basis for policy making in most of the developing countries [15]. Urbanization does not only deal with land-use change but also with lifestyle changes that concern rural-urban relationships in agriculture [16]. Similarly, the expansion of urban areasand continued sprawl is negatively affecting our environment and natural rural landscapes [17–19].Subsequently, this can lead to contamination of soil, water, and air [20] and greenhouse gas emissionsin urban-rural environments [21].