The Measurement of Suburban Sprawl: An Evaluation

We review and analyze how suburban sprawl has been conceptualized and measured in recent urban research. We find that indexes created to measure sprawl in metropolitan areas do so in three different ways. Some measures are based on residential population density, others specifically measure the extent of job or employment sprawl, and others consider sprawl a multidimensional land use phenomenon (and provide separate indexes for each dimension). Our analyses show that (1) most residential population density indexes reflect other dimensions of sprawl; (2) it is useful to think of metropolitan areas as positioned on two distinct dimensions of sprawl (i.e., centeredness and density–mixed land use); and (3) job sprawl and residential sprawl vary independently from each other. We provide recommendations regarding which sprawl measures are most appropriate for research applications.

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Modelling urban mixed land-use prediction using influence parameters

GeoScape ◽

10.2478/geosc-2021-0006 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 66-78

Author(s):

Poulomee Arun Ghosh ◽

Pratap M. Raval

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Population Density ◽

Spatial Data ◽

Overlay Analysis ◽

Land Uses ◽

Weighted Overlay ◽

Weighted Overlay Analysis ◽

Mixed Land Use ◽

Influencing Parameters ◽

The City

Abstract Mixed land-use is a popular concept in urban planning due to its expected role in improving environmental sustainability as well as citizen’s quality of life. Land use planning and regulations are not stringent in many cities like those in India, and policies are liberal towards mixed land uses. In these cities, mixed land-uses are a natural phenomenon manifesting under various influencing parameters. However, for studies on mixed land-uses, these cities pose data insufficiency challenges, as vital comprehensive spatial information related to land-uses is not available. Moreover, there is no standardised methodology established to assess the spatial distribution of mixed land-uses at the city level. This research has developed a GIS-based model using Weighted Overlay Analysis to predict and visualise the probability of mixed land-use at the macro or city level for the case of Pune, India. The model uses the easily available spatial data of influencing parameters of mixed land-use as input for prediction instead of comprehensive real land-use data. The model is validated by comparing the predicted mixed land-use intensities with established indicators of mixed land-use for four neighbourhoods. It is found that parameters that influence mixed land-use such as connectivity, grain pattern, population density and access to amenities can be used to predict the probability of mixed land-use. Around 35 per cent of the city area of Pune has more than 0.67 probability of mixed land-use. The model can produce the probable mixed land-use distribution across the city and can be used to compute mixed land-use intensities for neighbourhoods. Highlights for public administration, management and planning: • Mixed land-use probability distribution for Pune City, India is generated using Weighted Overlay Analysis in GIS. • As vital spatial data of land-use was unavailable, the prediction model uses data of influencing parameters of mixed land-uses such as population density, connectivity, grain pattern and access to amenities. • The mixed land-use probabilities predicted can be used to compute mixed land-use intensities of neighbourhoods. It is validated by comparing with traditional mixed land-use indicators.

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SENSITIVITY OF FLUVIAL SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS IN A MIXED LAND-USE ENVIRONMENT: OTTER CREEK, FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY

10.1130/abs/2019sc-327124 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Cara Peterman ◽

◽

Alan Fryar ◽

Dwayne Edwards ◽

Lillian Gorman-Sanisaca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Source Contributions ◽

Mixed Land Use

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Distinguishing Wastewater Contamination From On-site Systems In Mixed Land Use Watersheds

10.13031/2013.24021 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Phillip M Geary ◽

Steven A Lucas ◽

Richard H Dunstan ◽

Peter J Coombes

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Mixed Land Use

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Correlating elements content in mosses collected in 2015 across Germany with spatially associated characteristics of sampling sites and their surroundings

Environmental Sciences Europe ◽

10.1186/s12302-019-0260-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Stefan Nickel ◽

Winfried Schröder

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Population Density ◽

Atmospheric Deposition ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Spatial Density ◽

Area Index ◽

Explanatory Variables ◽

Tree Layer

Abstract Background The aim of the study was a statistical evaluation of the statistical relevance of potentially explanatory variables (atmospheric deposition, meteorology, geology, soil, topography, sampling, vegetation structure, land-use density, population density, potential emission sources) correlated with the content of 12 heavy metals and nitrogen in mosses collected from 400 sites across Germany in 2015. Beyond correlation analysis, regression analysis was performed using two methods: random forest regression and multiple linear regression in connection with commonality analysis. Results The strongest predictor for the content of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and N in mosses was the sampled species. In 2015, the atmospheric deposition showed a lower predictive power compared to earlier campaigns. The mean precipitation (2013–2015) is a significant factor influencing the content of Cd, Pb and Zn in moss samples. Altitude (Cu, Hg and Ni) and slope (Cd) are the strongest topographical predictors. With regard to 14 vegetation structure measures studied, the distance to adjacent tree stands is the strongest predictor (Cd, Cu, Hg, Zn, N), followed by the tree layer height (Cd, Hg, Pb, N), the leaf area index (Cd, N, Zn), and finally the coverage of the tree layer (Ni, Cd, Hg). For forests, the spatial density in radii 100–300 km predominates as significant predictors for Cu, Hg, Ni and N. For the urban areas, there are element-specific different radii between 25 and 300 km (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, N) and for agricultural areas usually radii between 50 and 300 km, in which the respective land use is correlated with the element contents. The population density in the 50 and 100 km radius is a variable with high explanatory power for all elements except Hg and N. Conclusions For Europe-wide analyses, the population density and the proportion of different land-use classes up to 300 km around the moss sampling sites are recommended.

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Assessing CO2 Emissions from Passenger Transport with the Mixed-Use Development Model in Shenzhen International Low-Carbon City

Land ◽

10.3390/land10020137 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 137

Author(s):

Xianchun Tan ◽

Tangqi Tu ◽

Baihe Gu ◽

Yuan Zeng ◽

Tianhang Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Travel Demand ◽

Development Model ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Passenger Transport ◽

Transport Accessibility ◽

Mixed Use ◽

Mixed Land Use ◽

Low Carbon City

Assessing transport CO2 emissions is important in the development of low-carbon strategies, but studies based on mixed land use are rare. This study assessed CO2 emissions from passenger transport in traffic analysis zones (TAZs) at the community level, based on a combination of the mixed-use development model and the vehicle emission calculation model. Based on mixed land use and transport accessibility, the mixed-use development model was adopted to estimate travel demand, including travel modes and distances. As a leading low-carbon city project of international cooperation in China, Shenzhen International Low-Carbon City Core Area was chosen as a case study. The results clearly illustrate travel demand and CO2 emissions of different travel modes between communities and show that car trips account for the vast majority of emissions in all types of travel modes in each community. Spatial emission differences are prominently associated with inadequately mixed land use layouts and unbalanced transport accessibility. The findings demonstrate the significance of the mixed land use and associated job-housing balance in reducing passenger CO2 emissions from passenger transport, especially in per capita emissions. Policy implications are given based on the results to facilitate sophisticated transport emission control at a finer spatial scale. This new framework can be used for assessing the impacts of urban planning on transport emissions to promote sustainable urbanization in developing countries.

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Relationship between Land Use Mix and Walking Choice in High-Density Cities: A Review of Walking in Seoul, South Korea

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13020810 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 810

Author(s):

Eun Yeong Seong ◽

Nam Hwi Lee ◽

Chang Gyu Choi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Neighborhood Environment ◽

Single Family ◽

Housing Type ◽

General Belief ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Land Use Mix ◽

Family Housing ◽

Mixed Land Use ◽

Major Factors

This study confirmed the general belief of urban planners that mixed land use promotes walking in Seoul, a metropolis in East Asia, by analyzing the effect of mixed land use on the travel mode choice of housewives and unemployed people who make non-commuting trips on weekdays. Using binomial logistic regression of commuting data, it was found that the more mixed a neighborhood environment’s uses are, the more the pedestrians prefer to walk rather than drive. The nonlinear relationship between the land use mix index and the choice to walk was also confirmed. Although mixed land use in neighborhoods increased the probability of residents choosing walking over using cars, when the degree of complexity increased above a certain level, the opposite effect was observed. As the density of commercial areas increased, the probability of selecting walking increased. In addition to locational characteristics, income and housing type were also major factors affecting the choice to walk; i.e., when the residents’ neighborhood environment was controlled for higher income and living in an apartment rather than multi-family or single-family housing, they were more likely to choose driving over walking.

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Urban access across the globe: an international comparison of different transport modes

npj Urban Sustainability ◽

10.1038/s42949-021-00020-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hao Wu ◽

Paolo Avner ◽

Genevieve Boisjoly ◽

Carlos K. V. Braga ◽

Ahmed El-Geneidy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Road Network ◽

Urban Economics ◽

Metropolitan Areas ◽

Transport Infrastructure ◽

Compact Development ◽

Unit Of Measurement ◽

In Transit ◽

The Relationship ◽

American Cities

AbstractAccess (the ease of reaching valued destinations) is underpinned by land use and transport infrastructure. The importance of access in transport, sustainability, and urban economics is increasingly recognized. In particular, access provides a universal unit of measurement to examine cities for the efficiency of transport and land-use systems. This paper examines the relationship between population-weighted access and metropolitan population in global metropolitan areas (cities) using 30-min cumulative access to jobs for 4 different modes of transport; 117 cities from 16 countries and 6 continents are included. Sprawling development with the intensive road network in American cities produces modest automobile access relative to their sizes, but American cities lag behind globally in transit and walking access; Australian and Canadian cities have lower automobile access, but better transit access than American cities; combining compact development with an intensive network produces the highest access in Chinese and European cities for their sizes. Hence density and mobility co-produce better access. This paper finds access to jobs increases with populations sublinearly, so doubling the metropolitan population results in less than double access to jobs. The relationship between population and access characterizes regions, countries, and cities, and significant similarities exist between cities from the same country.

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Landscape controls on riverine export of dissolved organic carbon from Great Britain

Biogeochemistry ◽

10.1007/s10533-021-00762-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer L. Williamson ◽

Andrew Tye ◽

Dan J. Lapworth ◽

Don Monteith ◽

Richard Sanders ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Great Britain ◽

Population Density ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽

Forest Cover ◽

River Systems ◽

C Cycle ◽

Global Land ◽

Doc Export

AbstractThe dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export from land to ocean via rivers is a significant term in the global C cycle, and has been modified in many areas by human activity. DOC exports from large global rivers are fairly well quantified, but those from smaller river systems, including those draining oceanic regions, are generally under-represented in global syntheses. Given that these regions typically have high runoff and high peat cover, they may exert a disproportionate influence on the global land–ocean DOC export. Here we describe a comprehensive new assessment of the annual riverine DOC export to estuaries across the island of Great Britain (GB), which spans the latitude range 50–60° N with strong spatial gradients of topography, soils, rainfall, land use and population density. DOC yields (export per unit area) were positively related to and best predicted by rainfall, peat extent and forest cover, but relatively insensitive to population density or agricultural development. Based on an empirical relationship with land use and rainfall we estimate that the DOC export from the GB land area to the freshwater-seawater interface was 1.15 Tg C year−1 in 2017. The average yield for GB rivers is 5.04 g C m−2 year−1, higher than most of the world’s major rivers, including those of the humid tropics and Arctic, supporting the conclusion that under-representation of smaller river systems draining peat-rich areas could lead to under-estimation of the global land–ocean DOC export. The main anthropogenic factor influencing the spatial distribution of GB DOC exports appears to be upland conifer plantation forestry, which is estimated to have raised the overall DOC export by 0.168 Tg C year−1. This is equivalent to 15% of the estimated current rate of net CO2 uptake by British forests. With the UK and many other countries seeking to expand plantation forest cover for climate change mitigation, this ‘leak in the ecosystem’ should be incorporated in future assessments of the CO2 sequestration potential of forest planting strategies.

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