Monitoring urban sprawl is a controversial topic among scholars. Many studies have tried to employ various methods for monitoring urban sprawl in cases of North American and Northern and Western European cities. Although numerous methods have been applied with great success in various developed countries, they are predominantly impractical for cases of developing Mediterranean European cities that lack reliable census data. Besides, the complexity of the methods made them difficult to perform in underfunded situations. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new multidimensional method that researchers and planners can apply readily in developing Mediterranean European cities. The new method was tested in the Famagusta region of Northern Cyprus, which has been experiencing unplanned growth for the past half-century. In support of this proposal, a detailed review of the existing literature is presented with an emphasis on urban sprawl characteristics. Four characteristics were chosen to monitor urban sprawl’s development in the Famagusta region. The method was structured based on a time-series (2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016) dataset that used remote sensing data and geographical information systems to monitor the urban sprawl. Based on the findings, the Famagusta region experienced rapid growth during the last 15 years. The lack of a masterplan resulted in the uncontrolled expansion of the city in the exurban areas. The development configuration was polycentric and linear in form with single-use composition. Together, the expansion and configuration manifested as more built-up area, scattered development, and increased automobile dependency.
Urban sprawl measurement with use of VMT pattern: A longitudinal method in case of Famagusta
The sprawl as a result of rapid population growth appears when the city expands unplanned in the form of low-density development. The urban sprawl increase auto-dependency and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) because sprawl is a single-use and low-density development. Therefore, measuring urban sprawl is vital, since planners get the benefit of this measurement to curb future unplanned developments. The current study aims to measure sprawl with the VMT pattern. Accordingly, the non-traffic method provides a practical solution for estimating the annual VMT in the case of Famagusta. Secondly, the build-density calculated using Google™ Earth and Geographical Information System. Finally, the VMT will be coupling with build-density for measuring the urban sprawl. The current study in compared to the similar kinds has the following advantages: a) current method can be performed in case of developing countries; b) this method is independent of traffic odometers, high-resolution census data, and land-use maps; and c) current method able to measuring the urban sprawl together with pattern of accessibility.