Land-change patterns and models
are striking examples ofdensification(Kuan and Rowe 2004, Wu 2006). Other
internal changes in urban land use, such as park establishment, gentrification,
infrastructure construction, and industrial development, could be included in
theurbanization concept even if they involve no change in population density
(Schwartz2004). These internal structural changes in a city or metropolitan area
tend tobe quite important in how it works (Hall2002). The concept of urban-
ization used here is more specific than some definitions, such as the spatial
diffusion of people that creates new landscape patterns, or the transformation
of landscapes formed by rural life styles into urban ones (Antrop2000).
With this book’s focus on urban regions, particularly beyond the city, the
outward spreador expansion component of urbanization is primary. Numerous
expansion patterns of the built environment outside a metropolitan area have
been described, and others are possible. Therefore, rather than attempting to
briefly address numerous types of development, we focus on the few central
widespread urbanization patterns for which others seem to be variations.
Straight-forward analyses and simple spatial models to understand urban-
ization are an important goal of this chapter. These analyses and models lead
toquite interesting results and principles, the other primary goal. The process
and results presented are based on a landscape ecology perspective, 38 large-to-
small cities on all continents, a dual focus on natural systems and their human
uses, and 18 useful informative attributes in urban regions. Additional perspec-
tives, cities, major dimensions, and detailed variables should be explored in
future work to see which, if any, patterns and principles should be refined or
replaced.
Land-change patterns and models
Imagine kangaroos hopping around our kitchen, while we carefully pour
aglass of wine, measure a bit of salt for the soup, and examine some small
grape-sized objects on the floor. The place would change and not for the better.
Surely we would notice and do something. Analogously, the urban region is
changing. Unnoticed? Noticed too late? An inevitable result of the tyranny of
small decisions (Odum1982)? Growth and market economics will take care of
any problems (Chapter3)? Urban regions are too big and complex to do anything?
Or? Looking at the process of urbanization is a useful start.
Common urbanization patterns on the land lead off this section. Spatial mod-
els are then introduced to help understand the urbanization patterns. Finally, a
section on attributes for evaluating patterns and models highlights the impor-
tance of number, type, and breadth of measures for evaluating quite-different
urbanization alternatives.