Urban spatial structure and land use fragmentation: the case of Milan FUA

Abstract

We study the relationship between urban spatial structure and land use fragmentation in the Functional Urban Area (FUA) of Milan to understand if and how the urban morphology influences the patterns of land use at the metropolitan scale. Using Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, we find that the spatial structure of the urbanisation in the study area follows the traditional monocentric distribution in the south while multi-centricity characterises the north to the largest extent. Findings suggest clearly that different urban spatial structures lead to diverse patterns of land use. In particular, it appears that the degree of discontinuity of residential areas is lower in the presence of secondary sub-centres compared to the mono-centric distribution.