Investigating processes of change in regional spatial structures is a relevant issue in the identification of mono-centric, polycentric and scattered (or dispersed) urban models. The present work introduces an empirical framework grounded on complex system’s theory and aimed at a diachronic analysis of the spatial distribution and structure of built-up parcels with the aim to assess metropolitan transformations. A relational approach based on 13 metrics (parcel area and shape, nearest neighbor parcel area and shape, elevation, distances from urban centers, road infrastructures and sea coastline) was developed to investigate direction and intensity of the spatial relationship among parcel’s attributes, with the final objective to assess the level of mono-centrism or polycentrism of metropolitan regions under different socio-economic contexts. The proposed methodology was applied to the analysis of long-term expansion (1948-2012) of the Athens’ metropolitan region (Greece), taken as a representative example of cities shifting from compact to scattered settlement models. Simplified mono-centric urban structures observed in 1948 and 1975 were characterized by a persistent dichotomy between central cities and peripheral districts. Since the early 1990s, a progressive shift from a mono-centric spatial organization to more dispersed structures has determined a rapid increase in morphological entropy and fractal dimension of built-up parcels, with a declining importance of the distance to central cities as a factor orienting short-term urban growth. Our approach integrates socio-economic analysis into a landscape ecology perspective and contributes to the identification and characterization of the intimate relationships between local development and changes in the spatial configuration of metropolitan regions, providing an operational base for supervised classification of patterns and processes of urban expansion.

The latent engine of cities. Discriminating mono-centric from polycentric development with a relational approach / Salvati, L. - In: REVUE D'ÉCONOMIE RÉGIONALE ET URBAINE. - ISSN 0180-7307. - 1:(2019), pp. 55-96.

The latent engine of cities. Discriminating mono-centric from polycentric development with a relational approach

Salvati L
2019

Abstract

Investigating processes of change in regional spatial structures is a relevant issue in the identification of mono-centric, polycentric and scattered (or dispersed) urban models. The present work introduces an empirical framework grounded on complex system’s theory and aimed at a diachronic analysis of the spatial distribution and structure of built-up parcels with the aim to assess metropolitan transformations. A relational approach based on 13 metrics (parcel area and shape, nearest neighbor parcel area and shape, elevation, distances from urban centers, road infrastructures and sea coastline) was developed to investigate direction and intensity of the spatial relationship among parcel’s attributes, with the final objective to assess the level of mono-centrism or polycentrism of metropolitan regions under different socio-economic contexts. The proposed methodology was applied to the analysis of long-term expansion (1948-2012) of the Athens’ metropolitan region (Greece), taken as a representative example of cities shifting from compact to scattered settlement models. Simplified mono-centric urban structures observed in 1948 and 1975 were characterized by a persistent dichotomy between central cities and peripheral districts. Since the early 1990s, a progressive shift from a mono-centric spatial organization to more dispersed structures has determined a rapid increase in morphological entropy and fractal dimension of built-up parcels, with a declining importance of the distance to central cities as a factor orienting short-term urban growth. Our approach integrates socio-economic analysis into a landscape ecology perspective and contributes to the identification and characterization of the intimate relationships between local development and changes in the spatial configuration of metropolitan regions, providing an operational base for supervised classification of patterns and processes of urban expansion.
2019
L’étude des processus de changement dans les structures spatiales régionales est un problème pertinent dans l’identification de modèles urbains mono-centriques, polycentriques et dispersés. Cet article propose un cadre empirique qui se réfère à la théorie du système complexe et basé sur une analyse diachronique de la structure spatiale des parcelles construites dans le but d’évaluer les transformations métropolitaines. Une approche relationnelle basée sur 13 métriques (zone et forme de parcelle, zone de parcelle la plus proche et forme, élévation, distances des centres urbains, infrastructures routières et littoral de la mer) a été développée pour étudier la direction et l’intensité de la relation spatiale entre les attributs des parcelles individuelles. L’objectif final est d’évaluer le niveau de monocentrisme ou de polycentrisme des régions métropolitaines dans différents contextes socio-économiques. La méthodologie proposée a été appliquée à l’analyse de l’expansion à long terme (1948-2012) de la région métropolitaine d’Athènes (Grèce), considérée comme un exemple représentatif du passage de la compacité urbaine à la dispersion. Les structures simplifiées monocentriques observées en 1948 et 1975 ont été caractérisées par une dichotomie persistante entre les villes centrales et les districts périphériques. Depuis le début des années 1990, le passage d’une organisation spatiale mono-centrée à des structures plus dispersées a déterminé une augmentation rapide de l’entropie morphologique et de la dimension fractale des parcelles construites, avec une diminution de l’importance de la distance aux villes centrales comme facteur qui influence l’expansion des zones urbaines. Notre approche intègre l’analyse socio-économique dans une perspective d’écologie du paysage et contribue à comprendre les relations entre le développement local et les changements dans la configuration spatiale des régions métropolitaines, fournissant une base opérationnelle pour la classification supervisée des modèles et des processus d’expansion urbaine.
agglomeration economies; European city; spatial structure; urban gradient
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The latent engine of cities. Discriminating mono-centric from polycentric development with a relational approach / Salvati, L. - In: REVUE D'ÉCONOMIE RÉGIONALE ET URBAINE. - ISSN 0180-7307. - 1:(2019), pp. 55-96.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1647679
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