Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan Regions
Assuming that settlement morphologies and landscape structures are the result of economic transformations, the present study illustrates a statistical framework investigating metropolitan growth due to the inherent changes in landscape configurations <i>vis à vis</i> socio-demographic fu...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-09-01
|
| Series: | Urban Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/8/4/150 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850084851406864384 |
|---|---|
| author | Ioannis Vardopoulos Marco Maialetti Donato Scarpitta Luca Salvati |
| author_facet | Ioannis Vardopoulos Marco Maialetti Donato Scarpitta Luca Salvati |
| author_sort | Ioannis Vardopoulos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Assuming that settlement morphologies and landscape structures are the result of economic transformations, the present study illustrates a statistical framework investigating metropolitan growth due to the inherent changes in landscape configurations <i>vis à vis</i> socio-demographic functions. Focusing on the evolution of their spatial drivers over time, metropolitan development was studied by adopting land parcels (or ‘patches’, as they are referred to in the ecological literature) as the elementary analysis unit—with the individual surface area and a specific shape indicator as the dependent variables and background socioeconomic attributes as predictors of landscape change over time. We specifically ran a Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) testing the spatial dependence of the size and shape of landscape parcels on a vast ensemble of socioeconomic factors in a dense region (metropolitan Athens, Greece) with natural landscapes exposed to increasing human pressure. To investigate the spatial direction and intensity of the settlement expansion and landscape change, local regressions using the parcel area and fractal index (perimeter-to-area ratio) as the dependent variables and the elevation, distance from selected economic nodes, transport infrastructures, and natural amenities as the predictors were run separately for 1990 and 2018, representative of, respectively, a mono-centric configuration and a moderately polycentric organization of economic spaces. In a strictly mono-centric setting (1990), the parcel size showed a linear dependence on the distance from business districts, elevation, and wealth. Changes in the relationship between the parcel size and spatial (economic and non-economic) drivers may suggest a latent process of settlement de-concentration, and a possible shift toward polycentric development (2018), as documented in earlier studies. By integrating socioeconomic and ecological dimensions of landscape analysis and land evaluation, the empirical results of this study outline the increased complexity of dispersed landscape structures within dense metropolitan regions and along urban–rural gradients in Europe. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0cdd9d2c2f044a59a48ea46f43e35e4c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-0cdd9d2c2f044a59a48ea46f43e35e4c2025-08-20T02:43:54ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512024-09-018415010.3390/urbansci8040150Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan RegionsIoannis Vardopoulos0Marco Maialetti1Donato Scarpitta2Luca Salvati3School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics, Harokopio University of Athens (HUA), 17676 Kallithea, GreeceIndependent Researcher, 00195 Rome, ItalyIndependent Researcher, 84067 Santa Marina, ItalyDepartment of Methods and Models for Economics, Territory and Finance (MEMOTEF), Faculty of Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, ItalyAssuming that settlement morphologies and landscape structures are the result of economic transformations, the present study illustrates a statistical framework investigating metropolitan growth due to the inherent changes in landscape configurations <i>vis à vis</i> socio-demographic functions. Focusing on the evolution of their spatial drivers over time, metropolitan development was studied by adopting land parcels (or ‘patches’, as they are referred to in the ecological literature) as the elementary analysis unit—with the individual surface area and a specific shape indicator as the dependent variables and background socioeconomic attributes as predictors of landscape change over time. We specifically ran a Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) testing the spatial dependence of the size and shape of landscape parcels on a vast ensemble of socioeconomic factors in a dense region (metropolitan Athens, Greece) with natural landscapes exposed to increasing human pressure. To investigate the spatial direction and intensity of the settlement expansion and landscape change, local regressions using the parcel area and fractal index (perimeter-to-area ratio) as the dependent variables and the elevation, distance from selected economic nodes, transport infrastructures, and natural amenities as the predictors were run separately for 1990 and 2018, representative of, respectively, a mono-centric configuration and a moderately polycentric organization of economic spaces. In a strictly mono-centric setting (1990), the parcel size showed a linear dependence on the distance from business districts, elevation, and wealth. Changes in the relationship between the parcel size and spatial (economic and non-economic) drivers may suggest a latent process of settlement de-concentration, and a possible shift toward polycentric development (2018), as documented in earlier studies. By integrating socioeconomic and ecological dimensions of landscape analysis and land evaluation, the empirical results of this study outline the increased complexity of dispersed landscape structures within dense metropolitan regions and along urban–rural gradients in Europe.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/8/4/150land parcellandscape metricsurban–rural gradientagglomeration economiesgeographically weighted regressionMediterranean Europe |
| spellingShingle | Ioannis Vardopoulos Marco Maialetti Donato Scarpitta Luca Salvati Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan Regions Urban Science land parcel landscape metrics urban–rural gradient agglomeration economies geographically weighted regression Mediterranean Europe |
| title | Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan Regions |
| title_full | Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan Regions |
| title_fullStr | Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan Regions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan Regions |
| title_short | Spatially Explicit Analysis of Landscape Structures, Urban Growth, and Economic Dynamics in Metropolitan Regions |
| title_sort | spatially explicit analysis of landscape structures urban growth and economic dynamics in metropolitan regions |
| topic | land parcel landscape metrics urban–rural gradient agglomeration economies geographically weighted regression Mediterranean Europe |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/8/4/150 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ioannisvardopoulos spatiallyexplicitanalysisoflandscapestructuresurbangrowthandeconomicdynamicsinmetropolitanregions AT marcomaialetti spatiallyexplicitanalysisoflandscapestructuresurbangrowthandeconomicdynamicsinmetropolitanregions AT donatoscarpitta spatiallyexplicitanalysisoflandscapestructuresurbangrowthandeconomicdynamicsinmetropolitanregions AT lucasalvati spatiallyexplicitanalysisoflandscapestructuresurbangrowthandeconomicdynamicsinmetropolitanregions |