Urban Atlas Research Articles

The performance of two urban flood regulation models using different input data

Increasing climate change has led to an increase in urban flood events. Events with a return period of twenty years become events with a period of two to three years. The primary objectives of this study are to evaluate the performance of flood regulation models using different input data and compare their performance for flood regulation supply (FRS) assessment. The assessment of the ecosystem services of urban FRS was performed using two models: Urban Flood Risk Mitigation (UFRM) by Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) and IMECOGIP Waterflow Regulation (Retention Model) (WRRM). They rely on relatively accessible open-source data, require a short time to model each scenario and provide opportunities to interpret results in different spatial and measurement units. We performed several improvements to the input data, including updating the national ecosystem-type assessment for the case study area by connecting it with the Urban Atlas typology and proposing an approach for soil data refinement. The outputs of the two models show significant differences in FRS values for each land-use/land-cover (LULC) class. The UFRM assesses different impervious urban classes with different values, varying from very low to medium. In contrast, the WRRM assesses the FRS in densely sealed areas with one fixed value for low supply (where nearly all rainfall is transformed into runoff).

A novel multi-hazard risk assessment framework for coastal cities under climate change

Coastal cities, as centres of human habitation, economic activity and biodiversity, are confronting the ever-escalating challenges posed by climate change. In this work, a novel Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment framework is presented with the focus on Coastal City Living Labs. The methodology provides a comprehensive assessment of climate-related hazards, including sea-level rise, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, land flooding, heavy precipitation, extreme temperatures, heatwaves, cold spells, landslides and strong winds. Its application is illustrated through a case study: the Coastal City Living Lab of Benidorm, Spain. The methodology incorporates remote sensing data from various satellite sources, such as ERA5, Urban Atlas and MERIT DEM, to evaluate multiple hazards through a systematic and standardized indicator-based approach, offering a holistic risk profile that allows for comparison with other European coastal cities. The integration of remote sensing data enhances the accuracy and resolution of hazard indicators, providing detailed insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of climate risks. The incorporation of local expertise through the Coastal City Living Lab concept enriches data collection and ensures context-specific adequacy. The integration of local studies and historical extreme climate events enhances the validity and context of the risk indicators. The findings align with regional trends and reveal specific vulnerabilities, particularly related to heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding. Despite its strengths, the MHRA methodology faces limitations, including reliance on outdated datasets and the complexity of integrating multiple hazards. Continuous updates and adaptive management strategies are essential to maintain the accuracy and relevance of risk assessments. The broader implications of the methodology for global coastal cities highlight its potential as a model for developing targeted adaptation strategies.

Towards a more realistic estimation of urban land take by combining cadastral parcels and building footprints

Despite its importance as a research issue, a widely accepted methodology of estimating land take resulting from urbanization has not yet been reached. Accurate geospatial datasets are currently available at a European and global level; however, different methods of quantifying urban land take could lead to diverse outputs, potentially resulting in underestimation. This can be alarming as encroaching urban sprawl is emerging as a major environmental challenge by destroying natural habitats, consuming productive agricultural land, and contributing to climate change by increasing energy demands. To address this knowledge gap, we propose an estimation of urban land take that combines cadastral parcels and building footprints. Land parcels can be considered as a suitable minimum mapping unit as they are directly related to the spatial level where economic decisions on land use conversion are made. The proposed geospatial method is compared to methods that depend on datasets of High Resolution Layer Imperviousness, Global Building Footprints (alone), Corine Land Cover, Urban Atlas, and Global Human Settlement Layer. The method is exemplified in case studies in Greece, specifically: (a) two islands of the South Aegean Region (Mykonos and Thera), that are heavily impacted by tourism development and sprawl and (b) a peri-urban zone (Thermaikos-Michaniona) within the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, impacted by intense suburbanization. Results show that urban land consumes important shares of available land since the mid-20th century, this fact highlighting the dynamic encroachment of urban development. Calculation shows that other methods could underestimate urbanized areas by up to 80%–90%. In the discussion section, the advantages of shifting the focus from the pixel to the parcel are further justified, while explicit links to spatial planning policies for sprawl containment are drawn. Such policies could be informed by more realistic estimations of urban land take, in order to proceed with strategic and regulatory measures to support the ‘no net land take’ policy of Europe.

Sensitivity Analysis and Parameterization of Gridded and Lumped Models Representation for Heterogeneous Land Use and Land Cover

Hydrological processes can be highly influenced by changes in land use land cover (LULC), which can make hydrological modelling also very sensitive to land cover characterization. Therefore, obtaining up-to-date LULC data is a crucial process in hydrological modelling, and as such, different sources of LULC data raises questions on their quality and applicability. This is especially true with new data sources, such as citizen science-based land cover maps. Therefore, this research aims to explore the influence of LULC data sources on hydrological models via their parameterization and by performing sensitivity analyses. Kiffissos catchment, in Greece, a poorly gauged and highly urbanized basin including the city of Athens, is the case study area. In total, 12 continuous hydrological models were developed by mainly varying their structure and parametrization (lumped and gridded) and using three LULC datasets: coordination of information on the environment (CORINE), Urban Atlas and Scent (citizen-based). It was found that excess precipitation is negligibly contributed to by soil saturation and is dominated by the runoff over impervious areas. Therefore, imperviousness was the main parameter influencing both sensitivity to land cover and parameterization. Lastly, although the parametrization as lumped and gridded models affected the representation of hydrological processes in pervious areas, it was not relevant in terms of excess precipitation.

A sacrifice for the greater good? On the main drivers of excessive land take and land use change in Hungary

Despite continuous population decline or stagnation, many Central and Eastern European cities experience urban sprawl and expansion, accompanied by excessive land take and land use change. This paper investigates recent trends in land take and land use change in Hungarian cities, aiming to identify the drivers of these processes. The study utilizes the Urban Atlas (UA) databases from 2006 and 2018 to analyze land use change in selected Hungarian cities, employing QGIS software to compile the database and MS Excel to conduct the statistical analysis. A linear trajectory model is employed to project land use change by 2026, based on 2006–2018 UA data. Additionally, via the in-depth analysis of Debrecen, the study highlights the recent acceleration of land use change to compare the projected trend with the forecasted one. Local climate strategies focus on addressing environmental concerns, including changes in land use at the city level. Therefore, this study reviews the relevant documents associated with each city to assess its commitment to reducing land take. The results indicate that despite its declining population, Hungary has seen a significant expansion in artificial surfaces, primarily due to industrialization and population policies introduced by the central government, which is likely to continue in the coming years. Unfortunately, local climate strategies have been insufficient in preventing cities from experiencing urban sprawl and expansion and preserving local ecosystem services. This underscores the inability of municipalities to defend local interests against central government directives. The findings of this study indicate that the current central policies are the main drivers of land take and urban sprawl and expansion. Prioritizing the compact city model and brownfield developments could effectively mitigate these issues. Finally, the paper advocates that complete jurisdiction over land use decisions be restored to local governments, enabling them to reject investments that may jeopardize local environmental goals.

A fuzzy-based emotion detection method to classify the attractiveness of urban green spaces

In European studies, the most used definition of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) is based on the European Urban Atlas, which includes public green areas primarily used for recreation and green areas adjacent to urban areas that are managed or utilized for recreational purposes. UGS play a vital role in creating sustainable and resilient cities, as they provide essential social benefits for the well-being and health of urban residents. Both planners and scientists acknowledge the importance of involving, actively or passively, citizens in defining criteria for designing and managing inclusive and functional UGS. According to a post-normal science approach, the integration of hard data from scientific sources with soft data gathered from citizens’ engagement holds the potential to shape an innovative support system for public policies addressing significant, urgent, and uncertain challenges pertaining to UGS. Nowadays, the abundance of data generated through online reviews, opinions, and comments allows for collecting valuable information about people’s opinions and sentiments towards UGS. This study proposes a methodological framework that utilizes emotion detection techniques to identify and analyze citizens’ emotions concerning UGS through social reviews. To balance computational costs and classification accuracy, the framework introduces a fuzzy emotion-based classification method called FREDoC (Fuzzy Relevance Emotions Document Classification). This method incorporates a lightweight natural language pro-cessing (NLP) approach to detect and annotate terms associated with specific emotional categories within the text. The framework adopts the psycho-evolutionary classification approach based on R. Plutchik’s observations of general emotional responses. This model is implemented within a Geographical Information System (GIS) for the purpose of categorizing UGS, specifically green parks, according both to WHO report key indicators and to the detected relevant emotions. The outcome is a novel classification model of UGS that can assist decision-makers in identifying the attractiveness of UGS as catalysts for urban transformation processes.

Urban Flood Modeling for Sustainability Management: Role of Design Rainfall and Land Use

This study aimed to evaluate how different methods of determining design rainfall levels and land usage affect flood hydrographs in an urban catchment; specifically, the catchment in southern Poland. The data included daily precipitation records from 1981 to 2020 and land cover information from Corine Land Cover and Urban Atlas databases for 2006 and 2018. The analysis involved examining precipitation data, determining design rainfall levels, analyzing land usage databases, exploring the influence of design rainfall levels on hydrograph characteristics, and investigating the database’s impact on these characteristics. No discernible trend in precipitation was found. The highest design rainfall values followed the GEV distribution, while the lowest followed the Gumbel distribution. Both land usage databases indicated an increasing human influence from 2006 to 2018. This study conclusively showed that the method used for estimating design rainfall and the choice of the land usage database significantly affected hydrograph characteristics. Multivariate analyses are recommended for design rainfall assessments, while the Urban Atlas database is preferred for urban catchment land usage determinations due to its detailed information.

Exploring Land Use/Land Cover Dynamics and Statistical Assessment of Various Indicators

Current information on urban land use and surface cover is derived from the land classification of cities, facilitating accurate future urban planning. Key insights are driven by multi-year remote sensing data. These data, when analyzed, produce high-resolution changes on the Earth’s surface. In this context, publicly accessible Urban Atlas data are employed for the high-precision and high-resolution classification and monitoring of terrestrial surfaces. These datasets, which are useful for preserving natural resources, guiding spatial developments, and mitigating pollution, are crucial for monitoring changes and managing cities. This research aims to analyze and contrast land use and land cover (LULC) changes in Gaziantep (Turkey) between 2010 and 2018 using Urban Atlas data, and to investigate correlations between the city’s statistical data and LULC changes. Gaziantep’s urban dynamics were analyzed using Urban Atlas datasets from 2010 to 2015 and 2012 to 2018, the latter part of Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Programme. To understand the impact of LULC changes on urban landscapes, people, and the environment, official environmental and demographic statistics spanning four years were sourced and studied. The findings reveal a trend of agricultural and vacant lands evolving into residential and industrial zones, with such changes likely to increase in the near future, given the growth of building zones. While some land classes have shown consistent area values annually, residential and industrial zones have expanded in response to housing and employment demands. The most significant alterations have occurred in the last three years. Shifts in urban configurations align closely with migratory patterns, reflecting notable variations in factors like population, consumption, and pollution.

Spatial Diversity Changes in Land Use and Land Cover Mix in Central European Capitals and Their Commuting Zones from 2006 to 2018

This article investigates the land use and land cover (LULC) mosaic as a function of distance to the city centre. The research area is four Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) of the capitals of Central European countries: Czechia (Prague), Poland (Warsaw), Slovakia (Bratislava), and Hungary (Budapest). The article presents LULC mix changes in these FUAs in the context of transformations in urban cores and commuting zones of capital city metropolises, which have large populations and prominent positions in the country or region. The study makes use of Urban Atlas LULC data for 2006, 2012, and 2018. LULC change was analysed using a hexagonal tessellation with the hexagon as the basic spatial unit. Spatial entropy (ENT) and Simpson’s Diversity Index (SIDI) were employed. The change in ENT and SIDI were determined as a function of distance to urban cores, as well as changes on the first level of Urban Atlas nomenclature for 2006–2012 and 2012–2018, as well as on the third level of nomenclature for 2012–2018. The research shows that changes from 2006 to 2012 were more considerable than from 2012 to 2018. It also revealed that, if LULC classes are considered on the first level of nomenclature, diversity in urban cores grows and then declines in commuting zones. An analysis of diversity on the third level of nomenclature demonstrated its decline with the growing distance to the urban core. It has also been demonstrated that the mean values of ENT and SIDI are approximately twice as high in urban cores as in commuting zones, indicating a plateau of the mean value of ENT and SIDI over the study period in urban cores compared to an increase in commuting zones around them. The conducted research will be helpful to urban planners and decision-makers in directing the further, inevitable development of metropolitan areas in accordance with sustainable environmental management.

Urban Green Connectivity Assessment: A Comparative Study of Datasets in European Cities

Urban biodiversity and ecosystem services depend on the quality, quantity, and connectivity of urban green areas (UGAs), which are crucial for enhancing urban livability and resilience. However, assessing these connectivity metrics in urban landscapes often suffers from outdated land cover classifications and insufficient spatial resolution. Spectral data from Earth Observation, though promising, remains underutilized in analyzing UGAs’ connectivity. This study tests the impact of dataset choices on UGAs’ connectivity assessment, comparing land cover classification (Urban Atlas) and spectral data (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI). Conducted in seven European cities, the analysis included 219 UGAs of varying sizes and connectivity levels, using three connectivity metrics (size, proximity index, and surrounding green area) at different spatial scales. The results showed substantial disparities in connectivity metrics, especially at finer scales and shorter distances. These differences are more pronounced in cities with contiguous UGAs, where Urban Atlas faces challenges related to typology issues and minimum mapping units. Overall, spectral data provides a more comprehensive and standardized evaluation of UGAs’ connectivity, reducing reliance on local typology classifications. Consequently, we advocate for integrating spectral data into UGAs’ connectivity analysis to advance urban biodiversity and ecosystem services research. This integration offers a comprehensive and standardized framework for guiding urban planning and management practices.

Urban growth character in 12 Hungarian middle-sized towns between 1990 and 2018

ABSTRACT This study reviews the land use changes between 1990 and 2018 with the presentation of 12 towns in Hungary focusing on the situation and change of land cover. The character and morphological aspect of new artificial surfaces are reviewed; the change of compactness and green infrastructure is shown with indicators; the different character of administrative areas and urban centres is highlighted. The study relies on data from the Corine Database and the Urban Atlas. Based on the analysis, the towns were grouped according to calculated indicators and the changes were presented on maps. Although the overall urban growth is relatively low, in all Hungarian second-tier towns an increase of artificial surfaces is experienced. New industrial and residential units appear connected to urban centres, which mostly occupy arable land and pastures, while new mine sites and transportation units are further from the central areas. The compactness and porosity decreased.

Measuring the quality and accessibility of urban greenery using free data sources: A case study in Bratislava, Slovakia

The importance of assessing urban greenery is growing, especially in the context of global warming and the emergence of urban heat islands. The paper proposes a set of measurements to evaluate the quality and accessibility of greenery based on freely available geographic data: Sentinel-2 satellite images, Urban Atlas, and Open Street Map. The quality (or availability) of urban greenery is derived from Sentinel-2 images by using the spectral Forest Index (FI). The proposed Neighborhood Green Quality Indexes (NGQI0/30, NGQI350) evaluate greenery in the near and far surroundings of the spatial unit by averaging the FI values. The Accessibility to Green Space Index (AGSI) measures accessibility to green spaces (GS) based on the number of theoretical functional levels within reach and the average normalised distance to the nearest GS across levels. We also propose to separately assess accessibility to parks with amenities through the Accessibility to Urban Parks Index (AUPI). Such areas attract specific groups of the population, such as elderly people and mothers with children, who are among the most vulnerable during heat waves. The proposed set of measurements can be applied to a square grid and to buildings. A mutual comparison of the proposed measurements in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, confirmed that each measurement captures different characteristics of urban greenery. The comparison of FI with two other widely used green quality indicators showed that FI achieves the highest correlation with the land surface temperature during hot summer days. When evaluating the precision of the NGQI0/30 calculation, Sentinel-2-derived FI proved to be a sufficient substitute for high-resolution urban greenery data sources. Since the proposed measurements do not require complex calculations and hard-to-obtain data, they are easily applicable to other cities.

Soil sealing changes in selected functional urban areas in Poland in 2012–2018

Soil sealing is a threat to soil and its ecosystem services. One of the main drivers of soil sealing is land degradation resulting from the expansion of urban areas, where it leads to such problems as the growing risk of flooding and local inundations, urban heat islands, or water shortages. The article focuses on analyses and quantification of the general degree of soil sealing in 2012–2018 in eight functional urban areas (FUA) in Poland, taking into account their division into the urban core (UC) and the commuting zone (CZ). We used the high resolution layer imperviousness density (HRL IMD) data to quantify soil sealing as well as data on land cover and land use with different spatial resolutions, i.e. from the European Urban Atlas project (UA) and the National Database of Topographic Objects (BDOT10k) to quantify artificial surfaces. The research determined the spatial differentiation of UCs and CZs in terms of the degree of soil sealing. We further observed higher average growth of sealed land in CZs. Quantitative and spatial analyses determined the spatial patterns of soil sealing in the FUA in Poland. Soil sealing intensified from 2012 to 2018. The process should be expected to continue in the coming years in light of the continuous transformation of vegetated areas into artificial ones. The conclusions should be considered valuable for the implementation of the spatial policy concerning sustainable land use and soil protection in suburban areas.

Land use as key element for urban heat island inception in small cities. Case study: Barlad City, Romania

The study investigates the thermal characteristics of the urban area of Bârlad city, Romania, in relation with urban land use (LU) and land cover (LC). This was done using Land Surface Temperature (LST) data provided by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and mobile measurements conducted during stable atmospheric conditions. To identify important factors that influence Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) and Canopy Layer Urban Heat Island (CLUHI) two types of LU/LC classifications were used. At the annual level, during the day, the highest LST values are observed in the most densely built-up areas of the city, with values exceeding 18°C. The lowest LST instead are observed in the northern area of the city, with prevailing natural areas, where LST values reach 17.4°C. During the night, the urban area maintains constantly high LST above 4°C, while the lowest LST values are observed in the forested area in the eastern part of the city, where mean LST drops close to 3°C. The results of this study highlight the significant impact that LU/LC has on the inception of SUHI in small cities. Generally, built-up surfaces from Urban Atlas (UA) and Local Climate Zones (LCZ) classifications, are warmer than natural land cover types, both during day and night, with at least 0.5 to 1.5°C, which is enough to outline a clearly delimited SUHI especially during summer days. During stable atmospheric conditions the CLUHI exhibits large intensities emphasized by local cooling processes manifested especially during thermal inversion conditions.

Analysis Options for Urban Green Spaces Based on Unified Urban Masks: Selected Results for European Cities

At a time of rising urbanisation and climate change, urban green spaces (UGSs) are an essential element to help adapt to extreme weather events. Especially in urban core areas, heat and drought are regarded as human stress factors. The delineation of such areas constitutes an important reference geometry in topographic geodata (urban mask). This article deals with possibilities for investigating UGSs in European cities—based on unified urban masks—by applying city-wide metrics to Copernicus data (Urban Atlas including the Street Tree Layer). Both public and tree-covered urban green spaces are examined in detail. Selected results are presented for 30 European cities that display a wide range of urban structures. The spatial reference to uniformly delineated urban masks places the analytical focus of city-wide metrics onto corresponding core areas. In general, the values of UGS metrics vary considerably between cities, indicating the strong influence of city-specific factors on urban structures in Europe. For the comparative analysis of tree-covered urban areas, the Urban Green Raster Germany and a municipal tree register are used to provide additional data sources. The regular updating of the Copernicus dataset means that green spaces in European cities can be monitored, also using urban masks.

Working memory and fluid intelligence are differentially related to categories of urban fabric in older adults: Results from the Berlin aging study

Urbanization is Globally increasing at a rapid rate but its consequences for mental health, including cognitive functioning, are not well understood. In particular, little is known about the effects of different morphological features associated with urban development, such as variations in the densities of urban fabric (i.e., degrees of ground sealing). We investigated associations of episodic memory, working memory, and fluid intelligence with different densities of urban fabric, obtained from the European Urban Atlas, in a structural equation model framework. We used data on 1053 healthy participants aged 61–88 years (mean age 70.33; SD = 3.75; 51% female) drawn from the Berlin Aging Study II. All participants were living within the city of Berlin, Germany. Our data include the precise geographical coordinates of every household, thereby permitting the calculation of the share of each density type of urban fabric within a 1-km radius around the household. We found these types to be significantly related to working memory and fluid intelligence. No significant association emerged for episodic memory. All results were robust against the inclusion of a set of covariates known to be related to cognitive performance. We discuss the idea of enrichment effects due to morphological features of urban development as one possible mechanism.

Disaggregation of the Copernicus Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and Population Density Data to Fit Mesoscale Flood Risk Assessment Requirements in Partially Urbanized Catchments in Croatia

Flood risk assessment at the mesoscale requires data that are spatially and thematically detailed enough to provide reliable estimates at the catchment level. However, data availability and suitability are often contradictory: available data are rarely suitable at the required level of detail. To overcome this problem, numerous disaggregation methods have been proposed in recent decades, often based on somewhat generalised imperviousness characteristics derived from the available urban land use/land cover (LULC) nomenclature. To reduce generalisation, we propose a new disaggregation approach using a spatially distributed imperviousness density (IMD) layer at a very detailed spatial resolution of 10 m as ancillary data to improve the thematic detail of the urban classes of the available LULC datasets (Coastal Zones, Natura 2000) and the dasymetric mapping of the census data. The nomenclature of the urban classes and the impervious density thresholds were taken from the detailed Urban Atlas dataset. The disaggregation of the census data is then built on the resulting geometry of thematically improved residential classes. Assuming that IMD values indicate a built-up density, the proposed weighting scheme is IMD-dependent: it accounts for variability in the built-up density and, hence, variability in population. The approach was tested in three catchments in Croatia, each with a different degree of urbanisation. The resulting statistics (mean square error and percentage error) indicate that residential areas and population density depend on IMD. Using IMD as additional data therefore greatly improves the assessment of elements that are exposed to flooding and, consequently, the damage and flood risk assessment.

Monitoring and Mapping Urban Sprawl Over Heritage Hotspots Using Copernicus Land Monitoring Services: The case of periurban large-scale, wind-powered water extraction mills in Palma (Mallorca)

Among the varied group of human constructions of heritage interest are the old wind-powered water extraction mills that sometimes form large-scale sets in rural areas with high wind potential. On the Mediterranean island of Mallorca (Spain), up to 2,400 windmills dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries have been counted. The areas in which they are located are considered heritage ‘hotspots’, i.e., areas prone to specific problems, such as the progressive abandonment of ethnological heritage resulting from urban sprawl over areas with an agricultural orientation. This article aims to monitor urban sprawl in the municipality of Palma, to quantify and map its impact on a set of windmills located mainly in the plain of Sant Jordi, to the east of the city. The study has been carried out using methodologies and analysis techniques from the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service’s Urban Atlas and Imperviousness Density products. The study shows that areas with agricultural land uses have been progressively transformed into urbanised ones. This transformation has impacted, above all, windmills located in peri-urban areas adjacent to the city. The analysis aims to show the analytical possibilities of Copernicus services and products, and their applicability in the planning and management of peri-urban agro-industrial heritage.

Extracting Land Surface Albedo from Landsat 9 Data in GEE Platform to Support Climate Change Analysis

Land surface albedo is a relevant variable in many climatic, environmental, and hydrological studies; its monitoring allows researchers to identify changes on the Earth’s surface. The open satellite data that is provided by the USGS/NASA Landsat mission is quite suitable for estimating this parameter through the remote sensing technique. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potentialities of the new Landsat 9 data for retrieving Earth’s albedo by applying da Silva et al.’s algorithm (developed in 2016 for the Landsat 8 data) using the Google Earth Engine cloud platform and R software. Two urban areas in Southern Italy with similar geomorphologic and climatic characteristics were chosen as study sites. After obtaining thematic maps of the albedos here, a statistical analysis and comparison among the Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 results was performed considering the entire study areas and each land use/land cover class that is provided by the Copernicus Urban Atlas 2018. This approach was also applied to the data after being filtered through Tukey’s test (used to detect and remove outliers). The analysis showed a very good correlation between the Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 estimations (ρ > 0.94 for both sites), with some exceptions that were related to some mis-corresponding values. Furthermore, the Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 outliers were generally overlapping. In conclusion, da Silva et al.’s approach appears to also be reasonably applicable to the Landsat 9 data despite some radiometric differences.

Measurement and evaluation of urban growth and urban sprawl: Tekirdağ Example

With the increasing population, today's cities are undergoing rapid change and transformation. Increased human activities in cities result in numerous negative outcomes, such as the decline in biodiversity, increased environmental pollution, and the disruption of ecosystem cycles, ultimately leading to the degradation of nature. Especially, the uncontrolled growth and expansion of cities in response to increasing needs and demands can result in inappropriate land use, putting natural resources under pressure and leading to their loss. Indeed, especially in cities that are experiencing rapid population growth, this situation is more evident. In this context, urban sprawl, which indicates urban spread, has many negative effects if not managed correctly. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate urban growth and detect urban sprawl in three districts of Tekirdağ province, namely Süleymanpaşa, Çorlu, and Çerkezköy, which have been receiving rapid immigration and thus have seen a significant increase in their populations. In line with this, using the high-resolution data from the Urban Atlas, the land use situation for the years 2012 and 2018 has been presented. The results have shown an increase in artificial areas and a decrease in agricultural lands for all districts. For the detection of urban sprawl, the Normalized Urban Atlas Sprawl Indicator (NUASI) developed by Petrescu (2019) has been utilized. According to the NUASI findings, the urban sprawl trend in the Süleymanpaşa, Çorlu, and Çerkezköy have been determined as -1.90%, 0.70%, and 0.96%, respectively. This result indicates that Çerkezköy is the district with the highest urban sprawl development. Recommendations for spatial planning have been provided within the scope of the study.