An urban sprawl index based on multivariate and Bayesian factor analysis with application at the municipality level in Valencia

Abstract

Urban sprawl is now a common and threatening phenomenon in Europe, severely affecting environmental and economic sustainability. An analytical characterization and measurement of urban sprawl are required to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon and to propose the possible solutions. Traditional factor analysis techniques, especially Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis, have been commonly used. In this paper, we additionally test Independent Component Analysis with the aim to obtain a multidimensional characterization of the sprawl phenomenon. We also use Bayesian Factor Analysis to obtain a single (unidimensional) measuring index of sprawl, which also allows us to obtain the uncertainty of the inferred index, in contrast to traditional approaches. All these techniques have been applied to study the phenomenon of urban sprawl at the municipality level in Valencia, Spain using a wide set of variables related to the characteristics and patterns of urban land use.