Urban sprawl assessment model in the context of sustainable development

Abstract

The disordered urban growth may prove catastrophic for the future of cities if preventive measures are not taken. The increase of built-up areas, the growing need for implementation of urban infrastructures, the resulting increase in soil sealing, the excessive consumption of natural resources, the elevated need for car use on daily travels, the increase in travel distances, etc., are examples of the negative effects caused by urban sprawl. In order to implement measures to halt or avoid the damage caused by urban sprawl on the environment, society and economy, it is necessary to know which areas to intervene. In this sense, a multicriteria analysis model is presented that combines sustainable development indicators, with the main objective of calculating an index of sustainable urban expansion. This model, developed according to the Analytical Hierarchy Process, comprises three levels of analysis. At the first level, the indicators of urban sustainable development are aggregated and associated withsix criteria. The weighted aggregate of composite indicators, which constitute the second level of analysis, allows evaluating different scenarios and studying the level of influence of urban sprawl on the diverse dimensions. In the last level of analysis, an index is calculated,resulting from the aggregation of all indicatorsconsidered along the hierarchical structure. Thus, the proposed model allows quantifying the level of sustainability of urban sprawl, according to the lines of sustainable development defined for this work, serving as a tool to support urban planning interventions.