A pluralistic approach to defining and measuring urban sprawl - Urban Remote Sensing: Monitoring, Synthesis and Modeling in the Urban Environment - page 162

TABLE 12.1 Sprawl measurements assessment.

Group of sprawl measurements Measurement Criteria

Objectivity Applicable to Appropriate Meaningful, Ease of

alarge for the useful, and simple application

number of spatial to understand

places scale

Change in total amount of urban land cover +++ +++ A +++ +++

Growth in residential area +++ +++ B ++ ++

Urban land cover and spatial growth a Growth in low-density residential area ++ ++ B ++ ++

Amount of and change in availability of developable land ++ + B +++ ++

Density Gross population density +++ +++ A +++ +++

Net population density +++ +++ B ++ ++

Current and expected population divided by developed and
developable land

++ + B ++ ++

Density as a function of accessibility to the C.B.D. ++ ++ A ++ ++

Density gradients +++ ++ A ++ +

Amount of population living in low-density ++ ++ B ++ ++

Relative population growth rates Sprawl Quotient A

+++ +++ ++ +++

Suburbs versus central city ++ + C ++ ++

Composition (Degree of Percentage contribution of each patch type +++ ++ C +++ ++

homogeneity/heterogeneity Mean patch size +++ ++ C ++ ++

in land use)

Edge shape (e.g. circularity) +++ ++ A ++ ++

Spatial Area to circumference ratio +++ ++ B ++ ++

Geometry b Continuity indices (applied primarily to open space) ++ ++ C ++ ++

Configuration Leapfrog indices (applied primarily to built space). Equal to ++ ++ A +++ ++

% built in urban core/% built outside urban core.
Fractal dimension +++ ++ A + +

Accessibility measures Road length/area +++ +++ A +++ ++

Household traveling time +++ +++ B +++ ++

Mean Proximity Index +++ +++ A +++ ++

Gravity/logit models +++ +++ A ++ ++

Key: Meets criteria well A Applicable at multiple spatial scales

+++