Process Of Urban Growth Research Articles

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Drivers of land cover and land use changes in St. Louis metropolitan area over the past 40 years characterized by remote sensing and census population data

In this study, we explored the spatial and temporal patterns of land cover and land use (LCLU) and population change dynamics in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. The goal of this paper was to quantify the drivers of LCLU using long-term Landsat data from 1972 to 2010. First, we produced LCLU maps by using Landsat images from 1972, 1982, 1990, 2000, and 2010. Next, tract level population data of 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010 were converted to 1-km square grid cells. Then, the LCLU maps were integrated with basic grid cell data to represent the proportion of each land cover category within a grid cell area. Finally, the proportional land cover maps and population census data were combined to investigate the relationship between land cover and population change based on grid cells using Pearson's correlation coefficient, ordinary least square (OLS), and local level geographically weighted regression (GWR). Land cover changes in terms of the percentage of area affected and rates of change were compared with population census data with a focus on the analysis of the spatial-temporal dynamics of urban growth patterns. The correlation coefficients of land cover categories and population changes were calculated for two decadal intervals between 1970 and 2010. Our results showed a causal relationship between LCLU changes and population dynamics over the last 40 years. Urban sprawl was positively correlated with population change. However, the relationship was not linear over space and time. Spatial heterogeneity and variations in the relationship demonstrate that urban sprawl was positively correlated with population changes in suburban area and negatively correlated in urban core and inner suburban area of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. These results suggest that the imagery reflects processes of urban growth, inner-city decline, population migration, and social spatial inequality. The implications provide guidance for sustainable urban planning and development. We also demonstrate that grid cells allow robust synthesis of remote sensing and socioeconomic data to advance our knowledge of urban growth dynamics from both spatial and temporal scales and its association with population change.

Spatiotemporal variability of urban growth factors: A global and local perspective on the megacity of Mumbai

The rapid growth of megacities requires special attention among urban planners worldwide, and particularly in Mumbai, India, where growth is very pronounced. To cope with the planning challenges this will bring, developing a retrospective understanding of urban land-use dynamics and the underlying driving-forces behind urban growth is a key prerequisite. This research uses regression-based land-use change models – and in particular non-spatial logistic regression models (LR) and auto-logistic regression models (ALR) – for the Mumbai region over the period 1973–2010, in order to determine the drivers behind spatiotemporal urban expansion. Both global models are complemented by a local, spatial model, the so-called geographically weighted logistic regression (GWLR) model, one that explicitly permits variations in driving-forces across space. The study comes to two main conclusions. First, both global models suggest similar driving-forces behind urban growth over time, revealing that LRs and ALRs result in estimated coefficients with comparable magnitudes. Second, all the local coefficients show distinctive temporal and spatial variations. It is therefore concluded that GWLR aids our understanding of urban growth processes, and so can assist context-related planning and policymaking activities when seeking to secure a sustainable urban future.

Typologies of Peri-Urban Klaten-Central Java: A study based on Socio-Economic Perspective

<p>Urbanization as a socio-economic change in developing countries has been leading to the existence of a region with a mixture of rural and urban character so called Peri-Urban Areas (PUA). PUA has been emerging as a part of urban growth process as well as rural growth, regarded as rural-urban transition. This phenomenon could be clearly observed in Klaten District, Central Java Province. Located between two strategic cities in Central Java, i.e. Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Klaten has been experiencing a significant land conversion (among the highest in the province) and a significant economic growth in comparison to other districts in the province. Accordingly, Klaten was chosen as the case study to understand the PUA development in Central Java. By focusing on socio-economic perspective, this paper aims to determine PUA typology in Klaten and further analyze the driving factors of the emerging PUA typology. Quantitative analysis using GIS tools and scoring method was applied to create the typology based on secondary socio-economic data taken from statistics report. As the results of the analysis, it has been shown that most of villages in the study area are highly rural in terms of social character. On the contrary, in economic aspect such as employment, the PUA of Klaten community has a strong urban character. It is classified as the fourth typology (highly rural in social character and highly urban in economic character) among the four identified PUA typologies in Klaten. The underlying influential factor of the development of PUA in Klaten is very much its local potential, i.e. the local economic activity. This may provide an evidence that urban and rural growth could be taken place as a part of ‘local’ growth which does not necessarily take place as a part of urban growth (expansion) of the main city (growth center).</p>

Urban growth and its determinants across the Wuhan urban agglomeration, central China

China has witnessed rapid urban growth over the past two decades, which has resulted in vast ecological and environmental issues, both in urban and peri-urban areas. It is therefore extremely important to explore the driving factors, and thus gain an insight into the process of urban growth, to be able to provide help for urban planning and policy making. This paper examines the features and spatial determinants of urban growth in the Wuhan urban agglomeration (WUA) from 1988 to 2011. Four landscape metrics (patch density, landscape shape index, aggregation index, and total area) were selected to characterize the urban landscape features at two scales (5 km and 10 km grid sizes). Spatial regression models were then used to explore the relationships between urban landscape change and its spatial determinants. The results showed that the urban area of the WUA increased from 4.19 × 104 ha in 1988 to 49.29 × 104 ha in 2011, with an annual growth rate of 46.75% over the past two decades. The WUA landscape has also become more fragmented and irregular. Spatial autocorrelations were common in the urban growth changes at the two different scales. Both physical and proximity factors have significantly influenced the urban landscape changes, and they have varied with time and scale. Among these variables, all the levels of road network have had a considerable effect on the shape and density changes of the urban landscape, while distance to railway and highway did not show obvious effects on the total area change of the urban growth. In addition, city center has had an increasing effect on patch density, and a decreasing impact on the total area of the urban landscape. The different land-use policies should be compromised and reconciled so that the objectives of promoting socioeconomic development and farmland protection can be balanced. These results could help us to better understand the process of urban growth, and thus have important implications for urban management and policy making in metropolitan areas in developing countries.

Vernacular Pattern of House Development for Home based Enterprises in Malang, Indonesia

In the process of building and maintaining houses, residents as individuals and social human beings depend on their respective interests for improving their dwellings. The strength of tradition supports the element of stability from one generation to another. It indicates that there are groups of people whose traditions will generally be passed on to the next generation. Tradition is still maintained when utilizing the home as a Home-based Enterprise (HBE). HBE developments are based on a family’s economic growth rate and also consider their household needs. In homogeneous houses, it appears that there is vernacular activity in building or repairing homes. As an example, in the case of HBEs, housing activities are maintained during the process of urban growth. Houses need to be expanded according to the needs of households and business activities within a limited urban area. In this research the pattern of house development based on vernacular HBEs, encompassing both living activities and business activities, has been investigated.

Detecting multi-scale urban growth patterns and processes in the Algarve region (Southern Portugal)

The importance of urban growth processes and their spatial characteristics has led to a growing interest in monitoring these phenomena. Spatial metrics are widely employed for this purpose, appearing in an increasing number of studies where they are used to characterise growth patterns and their evolution over time. This paper presents an analysis of urban growth patterns using spatial metrics in the Algarve (southern Portugal), an area of considerable urban dynamics associated with tourism. Two datasets were used (CORINE 1:100,000 maps and COS 1:25,000 maps) and two time periods (1990 and 2006–2007) in order to compare the different urban land use patterns detected and their evolution over time. The results show differences in urban land use patterns and associated processes at each scale, with stable land use patterns predominating at the 1:100,000 scale whereas the 1:25,000 scale showed a move towards more dispersed patterns. These results have enabled an assessment of the principal differences in urban growth patterns observed at both scales, and the implications for planning these entail.

Modeling urban growth by the use of a multiobjective optimization approach: environmental and economic issues for the Yangtze watershed, China.

Urban growth is an unavoidable process caused by economic development and population growth. Traditional urban growth models represent the future urban growth pattern by repeating the historical urban growth regulations, which can lead to a lot of environmental problems. The Yangtze watershed is the largest and the most prosperous economic area in China, and it has been suffering from rapid urban growth from the 1970s. With the built-up area increasing from 23,238 to 31,054 km(2) during the period from 1980 to 2005, the watershed has suffered from serious nonpoint source (NPS) pollution problems, which have been mainly caused by the rapid urban growth. To protect the environment and at the same time maintain the economic development, a multiobjective optimization (MOP) is proposed to tradeoff the multiple objectives during the urban growth process of the Yangtze watershed. In particular, the four objectives of minimization of NPS pollution, maximization of GDP value, minimization of the spatial incompatibility between the land uses, and minimization of the cost of land-use change are considered by the MOP approach. Conventionally, a genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to search the Pareto solution set. In our MOP approach, a two-dimensional GA, rather than the traditional one-dimensional GA, is employed to assist with the search for the spatial optimization solution, where the land-use cells in the two-dimensional space act as genes in the GA. Furthermore, to confirm the superiority of the MOP approach over the traditional prediction approaches, a widely used urban growth prediction model, cellular automata (CA), is also carried out to allow a comparison with the Pareto solution of MOP. The results indicate that the MOP approach can make a tradeoff between the multiple objectives and can achieve an optimal urban growth pattern for Yangtze watershed, while the CA prediction model just represents the historical urban growth pattern as the future growth pattern. Moreover, according to the spatial clustering index, the urban growth pattern predicted through MOP is more reasonable. In summary, the proposed model provides a set of Pareto urban growth solutions, which compromise environmental and economic issues for the Yangtze watershed.

An allometric scaling relation based on logistic growth of cities

The relationships between urban area and population size have been empirically demonstrated to follow the scaling law of allometric growth. This allometric scaling is based on exponential growth of city size and can be termed “exponential allometry”, which is associated with the concepts of fractals. However, both city population and urban area comply with the course of logistic growth rather than exponential growth. In this paper, I will present a new allometric scaling based on logistic growth to solve the above mentioned problem. The logistic growth is a process of replacement dynamics. Defining a pair of replacement quotients as new measurements, which are functions of urban area and population, we can derive an allometric scaling relation from the logistic processes of urban growth, which can be termed “logistic allometry”. The exponential allometric relation between urban area and population is the approximate expression of the logistic allometric equation when the city size is not large enough. The proper range of the allometric scaling exponent value is reconsidered through the logistic process. Then, a medium-sized city of Henan Province, China, is employed as an example to validate the new allometric relation. The logistic allometry is helpful for further understanding the fractal property and self-organized process of urban evolution in the right perspective.

Developing the desert: The pace and process of urban growth in Dubai

It is generally acknowledged that Dubai is a rapidly developing urban area which has grown to support a large human population within a hyperarid environment. However, no publicly accessible information exists concerning the rate or form of the urbanization process in Dubai. Therefore, this investigation used a time series of remotely sensed data to quantify land cover change in Dubai emirate between 1972 and 2011. A hybrid classification method accurately discriminated urban and other land covers, despite the challenging desert environment, and landscape metrics were used to quantify the spatial evolution of the emirate. The results indicate a dramatic increase in urban area, with a compound annual growth rate of 10.03% over the study period, with a peak of 13.03% during 2003–2005, making Dubai one of the fastest growing cities in the world. While the population growth rate was high, this has been outpaced by the rate of increase in urban area and the declining population density is indicative of urban sprawl. The spatiotemporal dynamics of urban growth are closely associated with prevailing local and global economic conditions and the ambitious development strategies of the government. Notable aspects of this growth include the substantial increase in vegetation and water bodies, and the unprecedented rate of construction of offshore islands. Dubai has undergone oscillating phases of urban diffusion and coalescence, but with much more rapid transitions than other cities. Superimposed on these phases are spatial patterns of development which have been recognised elsewhere, but the sequence of patterns appears unique to Dubai. This study has provided new insights into the pace and process of urban growth in Dubai. It is now important to evaluate the environmental consequences of this form of rapid urban development.

New Urban Living and Mobility

Some cities across Europe currently experience new growth. Especially the inner-city areas are regaining their attractiveness as a residential area together with an influx of new residents and a diversification of the population structure (Herfert/Osterhage 2012; Haase/Kabisch 2010; Buzar et al., 2007). This process of urban population growth and change is oftentimes accompanied by an extension of the housing stock and the construction of new residential neighbourhoods within the existing built structure. Among these offers are new concepts for urban living that target specific demands of the residents and that potentially prevent urban sprawl and further suburbanization. The questions addressed in this article are which households relocate to these areas, what their motives are and how new urban development influences daily mobility. While it is established that compact mixed-use spatial structure rather supports low shares of motorized transport and short trip length, it is far from clear whether this is the case for new centrally located but rather low density areas. The results of a case study in Berlin suggest that this new type of urban living mostly attracts highly educated families with relatively high incomes. Residents mainly moved from other inner-city areas within Berlin to this newly developed location. The importance of some typically ‘suburban’ motives - a bigger apartment and a garden - for the decision to relocate indicates that new residents may have otherwise chosen to move out from the city centre. Daily mobility of residents is characterized by a rather high use of active modes such as walking and biking compared to the inner city population in general. Car use is about comparable despite a very high rate of car ownership. Overall, the study suggests that new inner city development, although with low density provides opportunities for sustainable mobility. At the same time, the potential of the area is far from being fully exploited.

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Between Flexibility and Reliability

Between Flexibility and Reliability

Viticulture and landscape, values for the society in Mendoza, Argentina

The landscape is a perception of the agroecosystem valued as aesthetic, cultural, recreational and touristic, for conservation, among others. It is considered an environmental service and cultural heritage according to the International UN Conference 1972 (Paris, France). The agroecosystem of Mendoza's Northern Oasis creates a landscape with the presence of vineyards framed by the Andes, which is a scenic resource characterized as an environmental cultural service. The disordered process of urban growth in North of Mendoza, threatens the provision of the mentioned service. In this paper, a qualitative and a quantitative assessment aim to characterize the perceptions of urban residents on the vineyards landscape. Two methodologies were applied: expert opinion through focus groups and survey data collection. By working with focus groups, positive impacts of this kind of landscape were recognized. In the 638 surveys made in the urban area of Mendoza, a six landscape images valuation was requested (with a score of 1 to 10, where 10 is the maximum). The highest average scores were for the view of Aconcagua, secondly the agricultural landscape with vineyards and mountains and thirdly another view of vineyards in the North Oasis.

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Between Flexibility and Reliability. Changing Planning Culture in China

Land use/cover change detection and urban sprawl analysis in Bandar Abbas city, Iran.

The process of land use change and urban sprawl has been considered as a prominent characteristic of urban development. This study aims to investigate urban growth process in Bandar Abbas city, Iran, focusing on urban sprawl and land use change during 1956–2012. To calculate urban sprawl and land use changes, aerial photos and satellite images are utilized in different time spans. The results demonstrate that urban region area has changed from 403.77 to 4959.59 hectares between 1956 and 2012. Moreover, the population has increased more than 30 times in last six decades. The major part of population growth is related to migration from other parts the country to Bandar Abbas city. Considering the speed of urban sprawl growth rate, the scale and the role of the city have changed from medium and regional to large scale and transregional. Due to natural and structural limitations, more than 80% of barren lands, stone cliffs, beach zone, and agricultural lands are occupied by built-up areas. Our results revealed that the irregular expansion of Bandar Abbas city must be controlled so that sustainable development could be achieved.

Investigation and comparison of land-cover change patterns in Xuzhou city, China, and Dortmund city region, Germany, using multitemporal Landsat images

Analyzing spatiotemporal characteristics of land-cover (LC) change is important for assessing environmental consequences of urban growth and supporting land management and planning. Less attention, however, has been given to the comparison between land-cover change patterns in developing and developed countries. In this study, Xuzhou city and Dortmund city region were selected as study areas. Multitemporal Landsat images were classified by using the integration method of maximum likelihood classifier, subpixel classifier, and multiple normalized difference vegetation index values based on Vegetation-Impervious Surface-Soil model. Urban growth patterns and processes of the two study areas were investigated and compared through land-cover change detection, buffer analysis, and jaggedness degree. The results indicated that the urban area in Xuzhou city increased more than threefold dramatically from 128.5 to 418.3 km 2 , and the increased sprawling development trend was observed during the study period, while Dortmund city region showed a slight increase from 498 to 715.5 km 2 in urban areas with an increasingly compact development trend. The results revealed a notable difference of spatiotemporal land-cover pattern dynamics between the two study areas as well as confirmed the effectiveness of the combined method of remote sensing and spatial analysis that can be used to support land management and policy decisions.

An integrated cellular automata evolutionary-based approach for evaluating future scenarios and the expansion of urban drainage networks

The paper describes and demonstrates an integrated cellular automata evolutionary-based approach for evaluating future scenarios including the expansion of urban drainage networks. The approach can be used to derive a drainage network layout based on future land use scenarios. Two techniques are used to derive the layout of the system: one using agent-based modelling and the other using similar principles built as a set of raster operations within ArcGIS. The tools and models are applied to a case study in Birmingham, UK. The results show that both techniques perform well for carrying out a scoping analysis at an urban scale. The case study shows that the application of the proposed approach for simulating urban growth processes and the consequent expansion of the drainage networks can achieve promising results. The interconnected drainage model for Birmingham shows that future developments will contribute further to flooding problems if no improvements are made to the existing drainage system. The same approach can be used to identify those drainage system elements that require immediate attention and which need to be replaced in order to improve the overall system performance.

Political Economy and Urban Poverty in the Developing Countries: Lessons Learned from the Sudanese Experience

Urbanization is rapidly growing all over the world with a high rate of growth in the developing countries. Several factors are presumed to be responsible for the unfolding of urban growth and urbanization processes, which include but not limited, massive rural-urban migration, imbalances in the provision of social services, change in land use policy, market liberalization, conflict, wars, natural disasters, and the consequences resulting from deficient economic policies and attendant practices. In a country like Sudan, rapid urban growth has a propensity of culminating in reduction of job opportunities, which is coupled with high cost of living that subjects urban dwellers particularly the vulnerable group to be plunged into deep poverty. This paper deals with the issue of urban poverty in the developing countries taking Sudan as an example. The overall objective is to uncover the current situation of urban poverty with particular emphasis on its pattern, causes, indicators and the policies adopted for tackling and alleviating urban poverty. By so doing, it is expected that this piece could help in bridging some gaps regarding the understanding and knowledge with regard to urban poverty. The political economy approach is used in order to link political and economic policies at both national and international levels. This approach shows that the urban poor in developing countries tends to be further impoverished mainly as a result of defective economic policies rather than other causative factors. It is believed that the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) prescribed by the World Bank could be held responsible for pushing a considerable number of urban dwellers into poverty. Since their accession to independence, most of the developing countries are induced by alleged benefits that could accrue from subscribing to western economic policy prescriptions that are in most cases irrelevant to the need of local communities. The establishment of big projects under the pretext of “new development” has always been a political decision that is shaped by the interests of national and international policymakers rather than local priorities and needs.