Multidimensional urban sprawl in Europe: A self-organizing map approach

The paper considers urban sprawl in Europe from a multidimensional and exploratory point of view. Several studies on the topic (mainly from urban economics, but also from other fields, such as urban planning or regional science) are reviewed in order to identify the key dimensions of the urban sprawl phenomenon in Europe. These comprise the following six elements: connectivity, decentralization, density, scattering, accessibility to open space, and land-use mix. Several indicators are defined and calculated to measure each of these for a representative sample of 209 European cities. The data are next employed in a self-organizing map (SOM) algorithm to investigate how the different dimensions interact with each other, and what is their behaviour. The results of the SOM reveal very interesting patterns that could not be unveiled otherwise. The paper also presents neat results of an exploration on the relationship between geographical location and population size, and characterizes the cities considered in terms of their degree and variety of sprawl. JEL C45, R0, R12, R14.