Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
12
A pluralistic approach to defining
andmeasuring urban sprawl
Amnon Frenkel and Daniel Orenstein
The term ''urban sprawl'' is often used as a synonym for undesired low-density or otherwise unplanned urban
spatial development. However, the precise definition and its desirability are debated. Remote sensing practitioners
can contribute to our understanding of urban spatial development by measuring its spatial characteristics and
dynamics and providing the data to planners and policy makers. By extension, such data can assist in defining
sprawl and assessing its presence and intensity in a given metropolitan area. In this chapter, we review the extensive
literature and controversial debate around the definition of urban sprawl, emphasizing common themes in
definitions and those quantifiable spatial characteristics that would be of specific interest to remote sensing
practitioners. The chapter shows that sprawl can be described by multiple quantitative measures, but that different
sprawl measures may yield conflicting results. As a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon, we suggest that sprawl
is best defined for a given case study, and quantified using a range of indicators specially selected to suit the
researcher's definition of sprawl, spatial scale of analysis and specific characteristics of the study site.
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