Measuring Urban Sprawl Patterns in Greater Cairo Metropolitan Region

Abstract

On the subject of informal sprawl in recent Egypt, this research takes Greater Cairo Region (GCR) as a case and puts forward that informal urban sprawl can be estimated from spatial disposition, informal sprawl efficacy and outer influences; and then evolves a geo-spatial indicators system for quantifying sprawl. So as to estimating these indicators, various data sources are selected, including land use maps, digitized map of the highways and town centers, and population statistical data, etc. GIS spatial analysis methods are used to spatialize these indicators into 120 m × 120 m cells. In addition, an incorporated sprawl index (ISI) is estimated by weight sum of these indicators. The results demonstrated that geo-spatial indicators system can captivate most of the exemplary attributes and interior differentia of urban sprawl. Building land in Cairo has kept quick growing with considerable amount of low efficacy and dysfunctional spatial disposition. The subsequent sprawl attributes are determined by each indicator’s exemplary spatial disposition of urban sprawling, conspicuous fragmentation and unevenness of landscape due to ineffective implementation of land use planning, improper pattern of exemplary discontinuous development, strip development and leapfrog development, low efficacy of sprawl, low development density, low population density output in newly developed areas; and unfavorable influences on agriculture and environment and population life.