Evaluating metropolitan spatial development: a method for identifying settlement types and depicting growth patterns

Regional Studies, Regional Science

Mehdi Pourpeikari Heris¹ 

[1] University of Colorado Denver;

关键词: Metropolitan spatial structure;    urban density;    density profiles;    settlement type classification;    growth patterns;    growth trends;    polycentric and monocentric metropolitan structures;   

DOI  :  10.1080/21681376.2016.1266285

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This research developed a method to explore density and growth rates in the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The outcomes of this method enable planners to understand the growth pattern of a region and compare it with other regions in the country. The main objectives of this research were: (1) to identify settlement types (high, medium and low density, suburbs, and urban fringes) in each metropolitan area; (2) to depict and compare general metropolitan structures across the nation; and (3) to evaluate the location of recently developed dwellings in relation to settlement types and structures and estimate growth trends. The paper combined the percentage of impervious surface raster dataset (30-m cell size) produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and block-level housing unit data produced by the Census Bureau to map housing density across the lower 48 states in 2000 and 2010. Neighbourhood density profiles were used to identify the settlement types (high, medium and low density, suburbs, and urban fringes). The paper then compared density-decay functions of 50 metropolitan areas to depict urban growth patterns and to quantify the number of housing units developed in each settlement type. This method effectively distinguishes regions with higher densification (infill development) rates versus regions with high-paced sprawl. The results showed that Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco metropolitan areas had high percentages of housing units developed in high-density areas between 2000 and 2010, while during the same period Birmingham, Nashville and Charlotte had high percentages of housing development in areas identified as suburbs.

【 授权许可】

Unknown