<p>Urban expansion is a demographic and spatial process pertaining to the growing significance of towns and cities as a population concentration within a specific economy and society. Currently, medium-sized cities in emerging nations like India are witnessing a significant phenomenon of rapid development and urbanisation. Measuring urban expansion employing geospatial metrics is essentially gaining importance in the urban studies for future planning, especially for the industrial cities in developing countries. The present study uses satellite data to evaluate the projected spatial expansion of Durgapur Municipal Corporation (DMC), a rapidly expanding medium-sized city in East India, for the years 2000, 2010, and 2020. Analytical techniques and several geospatial measurements, GIS tools, and remote sensing data have been used to map, measure, and model urban expansion prevailing at DMC. Analytical techniques such as Pearson's chi-square and Shannon's entropy approaches are applied to quantify the growth of DMC and its sustainability. The findings include that the built-up area of DMC is experiencing a notable rise between 2000 and 2020, resulting urban expansion adjacent to industrial zones, roads, and mining sites. Most of the growth is concentrated around the western section of the National Highway-2 (NH-2). Urban growth concentrated near highways, mining zones, and industrial areas is most notable. The DMC has a compact nature with minimal sprawling, considering both pattern, process and given time span of 2000–2020. However, to predict the future expansion of the city, city administrators and planners must analyse urban growth pattern in the past and present. These findings offer valuable insights for sustainable urban planning in industrial regions of developing countries.</p>