Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A typology of metropolitan spatial structure: a systematic review

  • Review
  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study attempts to form a typology of metropolitan spatial structure. In order to achieve this goal, we reviewed the studies carried out in this field through a systematic review. The statistical population of this study consists of English-based scientific articles published in prestigious scientific journals from 1980 to 2019, which were obtained through a search in scientific information databases and by using keywords related to the metropolitan spatial structure. After searching for related studies and based on the relationship between the title, keywords, content, and citation, 175 articles were selected and carefully examined. The results show that the metropolitan spatial structures can be categorized into 4 main patterns of “convergent, divergent, homogenous, and heterogeneous” according to centripetal–centrifugal and concentrated–deconcentrated forces. In accordance with these patterns, 23 subpatterns were identified. This article provides a new typology for a deeper understanding of the metropolitan spatial structure and opens a new window for theorizing and presenting a useful guide for policy-makers and spatial planners in the debate of spatial patterns knowledge.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adolphson, M. (2009). Estimating a polycentric urban structure case study: urban changes in the stockholm region 1991–2004. Urban Planning and Development., 135(1), 19–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, A., Giuliano, G., & Redfearn, Ch. L. (2012). Strangers in our midst: The usefulness of exploring polycentricity. The Annals of Regional Science, 48(2), 433–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agyemang, F., Silva, E., & Poku-Boansi, M. (2019). Understanding the urban spatial structure of Sub-Saharan African cities using the case of urban development patterns of a Ghanaian city-region. Habitat International, 85(2019), 21–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alidadi, M., & Dadashpoor, H. (2017). Beyond monocentricity: Examining the spatial distribution of employment in Tehran metropolitan region Iran. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 22(1), 1–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anas, A., Arnott, R., & Small, K. A. (1998). Urban spatial structure. Economic Literature, 63(3), 1426–1464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angel, S., & Blei, A. M. (2015). The spatial structure of American cities: The great majority of workplaces are no longer in CBDs, employment subcenters, or live-work communities. Cities, 51, 21–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arribas-Bel, D., & Fernando, S. (2014). The validity of the monocentric city model in a polycentric age: US metropolitan areas in 1990, 2000 and 2010. Urban Geography, 35(7), 980–997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asikhia, M. O., & Ndidi, F. N. (2013). Polycentric employment growth and the commuting behaviour in Benin metropolitan region Nigeria. Geography and Geology, 5(2), 1916–9787.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagheri, B., & Nedae Tousi, S. (2018). An explanation of the urban sprawl phenomenon in the Shiraz metropolitan area (SMA). Cities, 73, 71–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, N., & Turok, I. (2001). Central Scotland as a polycentric urban region: Useful planning concept or chimaera? Urban Studies, 38(4), 697–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartosiewicz, B., & Marcinczak, S. (2021). Urban structure in transition: evidence from Poland, 1983–2011. Regional studies, 1–12. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1878125

  • Berliant, M., & Wang, P. (2008). Urban growth and subcenters formation: A trolley ride from the staples centre to disneyland and the rose bowl. Urban-Econ, 63(2), 679–693.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boland, A., Cherry, M. G., & Dickson, R. (2017). Doing a systematic review: A student's guide. SAGE publishing.

  • Brezzi, M., & Veneri, P. (2015). Assessing polycentric urban systems in the OECD: Country, regional and metropolitan perspectives. European Planning Studies, 23(6), 1128–1145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burger, M. J., de Goei, B., van der Laan, L., & Huisman, F. J. M. (2011). Heterogeneous development of metropolitan spatial structure: Evidence from commuting patterns in english and Welsh city-regions, 1981–2001. Cities, 28(2), 160–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burger, M., & Meijers, E. (2012). Form follows function? Linking morphological and functional polycentricity. Urban Studies, 49(5), 1127–1149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burger, M., Martijn, J., Meijers, E., & Frank, G. V. O. (2014). Regional spatial structure and retail amenities in the Netherlands. Regional Studies, 48(12), 1972–1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, G., Shi, Q., & Liu, T. (2016). An integrated model of urban spatial structure: Insights from the distribution of floor area ratio in a Chinese city. Applied Geography, 75, 116–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catalan, B., Sauri, D., & Serra, P. (2008). Urban sprawl in the Mediterranean? patterns of growth and change in the Barcelona metropolitan region 1993–2000. Landscape and Urban Planning, 85, 174–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cervero, R., & Wu, K. L. (1997). Polycentrism, commuting, and residential location in the San Francisco Bay area. Environment and Planning A, 29(5), 865–886.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Champion, A. G. (2001). A changing demographic regime and evolving polycentric urban regions: Consequences for the size, composition and distribution of city populations. Urban Studies, 38(4), 657–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charles, C. Z. (2003). The dynamics of racial residential segregation. Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 167–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charney, I. (2005). Re-examining suburban dispersal: evidence from suburban Toronto. Urban affairs., 27(5), 467–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, H., & Shaw, D. (2017). Polycentric development practice in master planning: The case of China. International Planning Studies, 23(2), 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chorianopoulos, I., Tsilimigkas, G., Koukoulas, S., & Balatsos, T. (2014). The shift to competitiveness and a new phase of sprawl in the mediterranean city: Enterprises guiding growth in messoghia – athens. Cities, 39, 133–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, W. A. V., & Kuijpers-Lindle, M. (1994). Commuting in restructuring urban regions. Urban Studies, 31(3), 3465–3483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coffey, W. J., & Shearmur, R. G. (2001a). Intra-metropolitan employment distribution in Montreal, 1981–1996. Urban Geography, 22(2), 106–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coffey, W. J., & Shearmur, R. G. (2001b). The identification of employment centres in Canadian metropolitan areas: The example of Montreal, 1996. The Canadian Geographer, 45(3), 371–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, C., & Lee, S. (2019). The evolution of urban spatial structure in Brasília: Focusing on the role of urban development policies. Sustainability, 11(553), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cutsinger, J., & Galster, G. (2006). There is no sprawl syndrome: A new typology of metropolitan land use patterns. Urban Geography, 27(3), 228–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dadashpoor, H., & Nateghi, M. (2017). Simulating spatial pattern of urban growth Dadashpoor, H., Azizi, P., & Moghadasi, M. (2019a). Land use change, urbanization, and change in landscape pattern in a metropolitan area. Science of the Total Environment, 655 (2019), 707-719.

  • Dadashpoor, H., & Malekzadeh, N. (2021). Evolving spatial structure of metropolitan areas at a global scale: a context-sensitive review. GeoJournal, 1–28.

  • Dadashpoor, H., & Alidadi, M. (2017). Towards decentralization: Spatial changes of employment and population in Tehran metropolitan region Iran. Applied Geography, 85, 51–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dadashpoor, H., Azizi, P., & Moghadasi, M. (2019). Analysing spatial patterns, driving forces and predicting future growth scenarios for supporting sustainable urban growth: Evidence from Tabriz metropolitan area Iran. Sustainable Cities and Society, 47, 1–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dadashpoor, H., & Malekzadeh, N. (2020). Driving factors of formation, development, and change of spatial structure in metropolitan areas: A systematic review. Journal of Urban Management, 9(3), 286–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dadashpoor, H., & Saeidi Shirvan, S. (2019). Measuring functional polycentricity developments using the flow of goods in Iran: A novel method at a regional scale. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 23(4), 551–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davoudi, S. (2003). Polycentricity in European spatial planning: From an analytical tool to a normative agenda. European Planning Studies, 11, 979–999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz-Pacheco, J., & García-Palomares, J. C. (2014). Urban sprawl in the mediterranean urban regions in Europe and the crisis effect on urban land development: Madrid as a study case. Urban Studies Research, 14(2014), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dong, T., Jiao, L., Xu, G., Yang, L., & Liu, J. (2019). Towards sustainability? analysing changing urban form patterns in the United States, Europe, and China. Science of the Total Environment, 671(2019), 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egermann, M. (2009). The saxon triangle – a polycentric metropolitan region from an actor-oriented perspective. Urban Research & Practice, 2(3), 269–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elinbaum, P., & Galland, D. (2016). Analysing contemporary metropolitan spatial plans in Europe through their institutional context, instrumental content and planning process. European Planning Studies, 24(1), 181–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R. (1997). Is Los Angeles-style sprawl desirable? American Planning Association, 63(1), 107–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez-Maldonado, A. M., Romein, A., Verkoren, O., & Pessoa, R. P. (2014). Polycentric structures in Latin American metropolitan areas: Identifying employment sub-centres. Regional Studies, 48(12), 1954–1971.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filion, P., Bunting, T., McSpurren, K., & Tse, A. (2004). Canada-US metropolitan density patterns: Zonal convergence and divergence1. Urban Geography, 25(1), 42–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filion, P., Bunting, T., Pavlic, D., & Langlois, P. (2010). Intensification and sprawl: Residential density trajectories in Canada's largest metropolitan regions. Urban Geography, 31(4), 541–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finka, M. (2009). Sustainable territorial development and concepts of polycentricity in slovak territorial development. Urban Research & Practice, 2(3), 332–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Firman, T. (1995). The emergence of extended metropolitan regions in Indonesia: Jabotabek and bandung metropolitan area. Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, 7, 167–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forester, C. (2006). The challenge of change: Australian cities and urban planning in the new millennium. Geographical Research, 44(2), 173–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujii, T., Yamashita, H., & Itoh, S. (2006). A comparative study of metropolitan multi-nucleation suburban centres and commuter flows within the metropolitan areas of Atlanta, USA, and Melbourne Australia. Applied GIS, 2(2), 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fujita, M., & Ogawa, H. (1982). Multiple equilibria and structural transition of non-monocentric urban configurations. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 12(2), 161–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fung-Shuen, S. V. (1996). Mega-city, extended metropolitan region, desakota and ex-urbanization: An introduction. Asian Geographer, 15(1–2), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Lopez, M. A. (2010). Population suburbanization in Barcelona, 1991–2005: Is its spatial structure changing. Journal of Housing Economics, 19(2), 119–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Lopez, M. A., Adelheid, H., & Viladecans-Marsal, E. (2015). Suburbanization and highways in Spain when the Romans and the Bourbons still shape its cities. Urban Economics, 85, 52–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Lopez, M. A., Hemet, C., & Viladecans-Marsal, E. (2017). Next train to the polycentric city: The effect of railroads on the subcenters formation. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 67, 50–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Lopez, M. A., & Muniz, I. (2010). Employment decentralisation: Polycentricity or scatteration? The case of Barcelona. The Urban Study, 47(14), 3035–3056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geoi, B., Burger, M. J., van Oort, F., & Kitson, M. (2009). Functional polycentrism and urban network development in the Greater South East UK: Evidence from commuting patterns, 1981–2001. A Regional Study, 44(9), 1149–1170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geyer, H., & Geyer, p & Geyer, M. (2015). The south african functional metropolis –A synthesis. Town and Regional Planning., 67, 13–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giuliano, G., & Small, K. A. (1991). Subcenters in the Los Angeles region. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 21(2), 163–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giuliano, G., & Small, K. A. (1999). The determinants of growth of employment subcenters. Journal of Transport Geography, 7(3), 189–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golem, S., & Mustra, V. (2013). Decentralization of economic activities in the metropolitan area of the split. European spatial research and policy, 20(2).

  • Gordon, I. R., & McCann, P. (2000). Industrial clusters: Complexes, agglomeration and/or social networks. Urban Studies, 37(3), 513–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, P., & Richardson, H. W. (1996). Employment decentralization in US metropolitan areas: Is Los Angeles an outlier or the norm? Environment and Planning a: Economy and Space, 28(10), 1727–1743.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, N. (2007). Functional polycentricity: A formal definition in terms of social network analysis. Urban Studies, 44(11), 2077–2103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffith, D. A., & David, W. W. (2007). Modelling population density across major US cities: A polycentric spatial regression approach. Geography System, 9(1), 53–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grunfelder, J., Nielsen, T., & Groth, N. B. (2015). Changes to urban form and commuting patterns: Trends in two Danish city regions. Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography, 115(2), 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutierrez, J., & Garcia-Palomares, J. C. (2007). New spatial patterns of mobility within the metropolitan area. Transport Geography, 15(1), 18–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hajrasouliha, A. H., & Hamidi, S. (2016). The typology of the American metropolis: Monocentricity, polycentricity, or generalized dispersion? Urban Geography, 38(3), 420–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hakim, I., & Parolin, B. (2008). Spatial structure and spatial impacts of the Jakarta metropolitan area: A Southeast Asian EMR perspective. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2, 227–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. G., & Pain, K. (2006). The Polycentric Metropolis: Learning from mega-city regions in Europe. Earth scan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamann, C., & Horn, A. C. (2015). Continuity or discontinuity? Evaluating the changing socio-spatial structure of the city of Tshwane. South Africa Urban Forum, 26(1), 39–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hassan, A., & Abdelhalim, M. (2011). Changing in the urban spatial structure of the greater Cairo metropolitan area, Egypt. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, XXXVIII-4/C21. 28–30.

  • Hattie, I. (2013). Development centres of the territory in the polycentric system, management aspect the case of Latvia. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 3(9), 360–363.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helbich, M., & Leitner, M. (2010). Postsuburban spatial evolution of Vienna's urban fringe: Evidence from point process modeling. Urban Geography, 31(8), 1100–1117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderso, L., Craig, J., Willis, N. S., Tovey, D., & Webster, A. C. (2010). How to write a cochrane systematic review. Nephrology, 15(6), 617–624.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heris, P. M. (2017). Evaluating metropolitan spatial development: A method for identifying settlement types and depicting growth patterns. Regional Studies, Regional Science, 4(1), 7–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horton, F. E., & Reynolds, D. R. (1971). Effects of urban spatial structure on individual behaviour. Economic Geography, 47(1), 36–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houtum, H., & Lagendijk, A. (2001). Contextualising regional identity and imagination in the construction of polycentric urban regions: The cases of the Ruhr area and the Basque Country. Urban Studies, 34(4), 747–767.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoyler, M., Kloosterman, R. C., & Sokol, M. (2008). Polycentric puzzles–emerging mega-city regions seen through the lens of advanced producer services. Regional Studies, 42(8), 1055–1064.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., Sun, T., & Wang, L. (2018). Evolving urban spatial structure and commuting patterns: A case study of Beijing China. Transportation Research Part D, 59(2018), 11–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, D., Liu, Z., & Zhao, X. (2015). Monocentric or polycentric? the urban spatial structure of employment in Beijing. Sustainability, 7(9), 11632–11656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, D., Liu, Z., Zhaod, X., & Zhao, P. (2017a). Emerging polycentric megacity in China: An examination of employment. Cities, 69, 36–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, X., Yang, J., Güneralp, B., & Burris, M. (2017). US Metropolitan spatial structure evolution: Investigating spatial patterns of employment growth from 2000 to 2010. The urban study, 1(3), 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurian, H., Chengfeng, Y., Enru, W., Jinping, S., & Meng, Z. (2015). Evolution of jobs-housing spatial relationship in the Beijing metropolitan area: A job accessibility perspective. Chinese Geographical Science., 25(3), 375–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, G., Ma, W., Yanbo, A., Zhang, R., & Zhou, D. (2016). How does sprawl differ across urban built-up land types in China? a spatial-temporal analysis of the Beijing metropolitan area using granted land parcel data. Cities, 58, 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Junliang, D., Kaiyong, W., & Xiaolu, G. (2010). Spatial structure and land use control in the extended metropolitan region of Zhujiang River Delta China. Chinese Geographical Science, 20(4), 298–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassa, F. (2014). The rates and effects of urban sprawl in developing countries: The case of Addis Ababa. Ethiopia. International Journal of Area Studies, 9(2), 135–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kauffmann, A. (2015). Is the ‘central German metropolitan region’ spatially integrated? An empirical assessment of commuting relations. Urban Studies, 53(9), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keys, E., Wentz, E. A., & Redman, C. L. (2007). The spatial structure of land use from 1970–2000 in the phoenix, arizona, metropolitan area. The Professional Geographer, 59(1), 131–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H., Leeb, N. Y., & Kim, S. (2018). Suburbia in evolution: Exploring polycentricity and suburban typologies in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea. Land Use Policy, 75, 92–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knapp, W. (1998). The rhine-ruhr area in transformation: Towards a European metropolitan region? European Planning Studies, 6(4), 379–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koufogiannakis, D. (2012). Towards professional wisdom: practical deliberation in the people professions. Counselling & psychotherapy research. Journal Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 12(3), 241–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krehl, A. (2015). Urban spatial structure: An interaction between employment and built-up volumes. Regional Studies, 2(1), 290–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krehl, A., & Siedentop, S. (2018). Towards a typology of urban centres and subcenters – evidence from German city regions. Urban Geography, 39(10), 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krehl, A., Siedentop, S., Taubenböck, H., & Wurm, M. (2016). A comprehensive view on urban spatial structure: Urban density patterns of German city regions. Geo-Information, 5(6), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kunzmann, K. R. (1998). world city region in Europe: Structural change and future Challenges in Lo, Fu-Chen and Yeung. Globalization and the World of Large Cities, UNU Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, K., & Seo, M. (2018). Does the polycentric urban region contribute to economic performance? the case of Korea. Sustainability, 10(11), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Laan, L., Vogelzang, J., & Schalke, R. (1998). Commuting in multimodal urban systems: An empirical comparison of three alternative models. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 89(4), 384–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lan, F., Da, H., Wen, H., & Wang, Y. (2019). Spatial structure evolution of urban agglomerations and its driving factors in Mainland China: From the monocentric to the polycentric dimension. Sustainability, 11(602), 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang, R. E., & Lefurgy, J. (2003). Edgeless Cities: Examining the noncentered metropolis. Housing Policy Debate, 14(3), 427–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, B. (2006). ‘Edge’ or ‘edgeless cities’? Urban spatial structure in US metropolitan areas, 1980 TO 2000. Journal of Regional Science, 47(3), 479–2151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S., & Green Leigh, N. (2007). Intrametropolitan spatial differentiation and decline of inner-ring suburbs: A comparison of four US metropolitan areas. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 27(2), 146–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, Y. Z., & Shin, H. (2012). Negotiating the polycentric city-region: Developmental state politics of new town development in the Seoul capital region. Urban Studies, 49(6), 1333–1355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., & Liu, X. (2018). how did urban polycentricity and dispersion affect economic productivity? A case study of 306 Chinese cities. Landscape and Urban Planning, 173, 51–59.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., & Monzur, T. (2017). The spatial structure of employment in the metropolitan region of Tokyo: A scale-view. Urban Geography, 39(2), 236–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., Peng, J., Yanxu, L., & Yi’na, H. (2017). Urbanization impact on landscape patterns in Beijing City, China: A spatial heterogeneity perspective. Ecological Indicators, 82, 50–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., & Phelps, N. (2016). Megalopolis unbound: Knowledge collaboration and functional polycentricity within and beyond the Yangtze River Delta Region in China, 2014. Urban Studies, 55(2), 1–17.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, W., Sun, B., Zhao, J., & Zhang, T. (2018). Economic performance of the spatial structure in Chinese prefecture regions: Evidence from night-time satellite imagery. Habitat International, 76(2018), 29–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X., Derudder, B., & W, k. (2016). Measuring polycentric urban development in China: An intercity transportation network perspective. Regional Studies, 50(8), 1302–1315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X., Derudder, B., & Wang, M. (2017). Polycentric urban development in China: A multi-scale analysis. Environment and Planning b: Urban Analytics and City Science, 45(5), 953–972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X., & Wang, M. (2016). How polycentric is urban China and why? A case study of 318 cities. Landscape and Urban Planning, 151, 10–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lizhu, D., Fung-Shuen, S. V., & Yanting, Zh. (2013). Formation and delimitation of extended metropolitan regions (Emrs) in Central China: A case study in the changzhutan EMR. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3(12), 265–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, R., & Hynes, H. P. (2003). Sprawl in the 1990s: measurement, distribution and trends. Urban Affairs Review, 38, 325–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, J. C. (1998). Patterns of spatial dispersion in metropolitan commuting. Urban Geography, 19(3), 232–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lv, Y., Zheng, X., Zhou, L., & Zhang, L. (2017). Decentralization and polycentricity: Spatial changes in employment in the Beijing metropolitan area China. Sustainability, 9(11), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahran Hashem, A., & Yamamura, E. (1992). Urban spatial pattern mobility interaction model for the Cario metropolitan area Environmental Science, Hokkaido University. Journal of the Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 14(2), 31–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, K. (2009). Polycentric development in the spatial development policy of the Czech Republic. Urban Research & Practice, 2(3), 319–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manzato, G. G., & da Silva, A. N. R. (2010). Spatial-temporal combination of variables for monitoring changes in metropolitan areas. Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy., 3(1), 25–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mariani, F., Zambon, I., & Salvati, L. (2018). Population matters: Identifying metropolitan sub-centers from diachronic density-distance curves, 1960–2010. Sustainability, 10(4653), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, J. F., & Prather, P. J. (1994a). Suburban employment centres: The case of Chicago. Urban Studies, 31(2), 201–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGee, T. G. (1992). The extended metropolis: Settlement transition in Asia. Asian Studies, 51(4), 866–867.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMillen, D. P. (2001). Polycentric urban structure: The case of Milwaukee. Economic Perspectives (federal Reserve Bank of Chicago), 25(2), 15–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMillen, D. P., & McDonald, J. F. (1998). Suburban subcenters and employment density in metropolitan Chicago. Journal of Urban Economics, 43(2), 157–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meeteren, M., Boussauwb, K., Deruddera, B., & Witlox, F. (2016). Flemish diamond or ABC-Axis? the spatial structure of the Belgian metropolitan area. European Planning Studies, 24(5), 974–995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijers, E. (2005). Polycentric urban regions and the quest for synergy: Is a network of cities more than the sum of the parts? Urban Studies, 42(4), 765–781.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijers, E. (2008). Measuring polycentricity and its promises. European Planning Studies, 16(9), 1313–1323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijers, E. J., & Burger, M. J. (2010). Spatial structure and productivity in US metropolitan areas. Environment and Planning A, 42(6), 1383–1402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijers, E. J., Hoogerbrugge, M., & Cardoso, R. (2017). Beyond polycentericity: Does strong integration between cities in polycentric urban regions improve performance? Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 109(1), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijers, E., Waterhout, B., & Zonneveld, W. (2005). Polycentric development policies in European countries: An introduction. Built Environment, 31(2), 96–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mieszkowski, P., & Mills, E. S. (1993). The causes of metropolitan suburbanization. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 7(3), 135–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohíno, I., Solís, E., & Urena, J. (2017). Changing commuting patterns in rural metro-adjacent regions: The case of Castilla-La Mancha in the context of Madrid Spain. Regional Studies, 51(7), 1115–1130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mu, X., & Yeh, A. (2016). Measuring polycentricity of mega-city regions in China based on the intercity migration flows. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, XLI-B6, 275–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadin, V., & Duhr, S. (2005). Some help with Euro-planning jargon. Town and Country Planning, 74(3), 82–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nam, K., & Kim, B. H. S. (2017). The effect of spatial structure and dynamic externalities on local growth in the Seoul metropolitan area. Urban Policy and Research., 35(2), 165–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nasri, A., & Zhang, L. (2018). A multi-dimensional multi-level approach to measuring the spatial structure of US metropolitan areas. The Journal of Transport and Land Use, 11(1), 49–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parr, J. (2004). The polycentric urban region: A closer inspection. Regional Studies, 38(3), 231–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parr, J. (2014). The regional economy, spatial structure and regional urban systems. Regional Studies, 48(12), 1926–1938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfister, N., Freestone, R., & Murph, P. (2000). Polycenrcity or dispersion? changing in centre employment in the metropolitan Sydney, from 1981 to 1996. Urban Geography, 21(5), 428–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du Plessis, D. (2015). Land-use mix in South African cities and the influence of spatial planning: Innovation or following the trend? South African Geographical Journal, 97(3), 217–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plessis, D. D., & Boonzaaier, I. (2015). The evolving spatial structure of South African cities: A reflection on the influence of spatial planning policies. International Planning Studies, 20(1–2), 87–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Redfearn, C. L. (2006). The emergence of centrality in a transition economy: Comparing land market dynamics measured under monocentric and semiparametric models. Journal of Regional Science, 46, 825–846.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romein, A., Otto, V., & Fernandez, A. M. (2009). Polycentric metropolitan form: Application of a ‘Northern’ concept in Latin America. Delft Architect Theory Journal, 29(5), 127–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romero, V., Solís, E., & Urena, J. M. D. (2014). Beyond the metropolis: New employment centres and historic administrative cities in the Madrid global city region. Urban Geography, 35(6), 889–915.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rouhut, D. (2017). Polycentricity–one concept or many? European Planning Studies, 1–17.

  • Sahana, M., Hong, H., & Sajjad, H. (2018). Analysing urban spatial patterns and trend of urban growth using urban sprawl matrix: A study on Kolkata urban agglomeration India. Science of the Total Environment, 628–629(2018), 1557–1566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salahi, M. A., Soltani, A., & Parolin, B. (2017). Investigating the spatiotemporal changes in major activity centres in the Sydney metropolitan area. Sustainable Built Environment, 6(2), 574–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salvati, L. (2015). From sprawl to compactness and back: Population dynamics (1848–2011) and the economic structure of a Mediterranean city. GeoJournal, 81(2), 319–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salvati, L., Venanzoni, G., Serra, P., & Carlucci, M. (2016). Scattered or polycentric? Untangling urban growth in three southern European metropolitan regions through exploratory spatial data analysis. The Annals of Regional Science, 57(1), 1–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarzynski, A., Galster, G., & Stack, L. (2014). Typologies of sprawl: Investigating United States metropolitan land use patterns. Urban Geography, 35(1), 48–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sat, N. A. (2018a). Monocentric or polycentric? defining the morphological structure of the NUTS-2 regions of Turkey from 2000 to 2016. Geographica Pannonica, 22(1), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sat, N. A. (2018b). Polycentricity in a developing world: A micro-regional analysis for morphological polycentricity in Turkey. GeoScape, 12(2), 64–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, A., Chang, C., & Paulsen, K. (2015). The changing spatial form of cities in Western China. Landscape and Urban Planning, 135, 40–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwanen, T., Dieleman, F. M., & Dijst, M. (2002). the impact of metropolitan structure on commute behaviours in the Netherlands: A multilevel approach. Growth and Change, 35(3), 304–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shearmur, R. (2012). Are cities the font of innovation? a critical review of the literature on cities and innovation. Cities, 29(2), S9–S18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shearmur, R., Coffey, Wi., Dube, Ch., & Barbonne, R. (2007). Intrametropolitan employment structure: Polycentricity, scatteration, dispersal and chaos in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, 1996–2001. Urban Studies, 44(9), 1713–1738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigler, T., Searle, G., Martinus, K., & Tonts, M. (2016). Metropolitan land-use patterns by economic function: A spatial analysis of firm headquarters and branch office locations in Australian cities. Urban Geography, 37(3), 416–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sinclair-Smith, K. (2015). Polycentric development in the Cape Town city region: Empirical assessment and consideration of spatial policy implications. Development Southern Africa, 32(2), 131–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sohn, S. H., Kim, T. H., Lee, J. S., & Kim, H. K. (2010). Spatial analysis of urban structure changes in Korean mega-cities. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 9(1), 201–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweet, M. N., Bullivant, B., & Kanaroglou, P. S. (2016). Are major Canadian city-regions monocentric, polycentric, or dispersed? Urban Geography, 38(3), 445–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sýkora, L., Mulíček, O & Maier, K. (2009). City regions and polycentric territorial development: concepts and practice, 2(3), 233-239

  • Tache, A. V., Manole, S. D., & Petriosor, A. L. (2018). Metropolization of large urban centres in Romania: Analyses and solutions. Algerian Journal of Engineering Architecture and Urbanism, 2(1), 8–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tache, A., Tache, M., & Huzui-Stoiculescu, A. (2016). Assessment of functional policenricity in the Romanian county residence municipalities. Romanian review of the regional study XII, 1, 25–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taubenböck, H., Esch, T., Felbier, A., & Wiesner, M. (2012). Monitoring urbanization in mega cities from space. Remote Sensing of Environment, 117, 162–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taubenböck, H., Standfu, I., Wurm, M., Krehl, A., & Siedentop, S. (2017). Measuring morphological polycentricity - a comparative analysis of urban mass concentrations using remote sensing data. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 64, 42–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taubenböck, H., Wiesner, M., Felbier, A., Marconcini, M., Esch, S., & Dech, S. (2014). New dimensions of urban landscapes: The spatiotemporal evolution from a polynuclear area to a mega-region based on remote sensing data. Applied Geography, 47, 137–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, P. J., Evans, D. M., & Pain, K. (2008). Application of the interlocking network model to mega-city-regions: Measuring polycentricity within and beyond city-regions. Regional Studies, 42(8), 1079–1093.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trapero, E. S., Sanz, I. S., & Francés, J. M. D. U. (2015). Global metropolitan-regional scale in evolution: Metropolitan intermediary cities and metropolitan cities. European Planning Studies, 23(3), 568–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasanen, A. (2012). Functional polycentricity: Examining metropolitan spatial structure through the connectivity of urban sub-centres. Urban Studies, 49(16), 3627–3644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Laan, L. (1998). Changing urban systems: An empirical analysis at two spatial levels. Regional Studies, 32(3), 235–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandermotten, C., Halbert, L., Roelandts, M., & Cornut, P. (2008). European planning and the polycentric consensus: Wishful thinking? Regional Studies, 42(8), 1205–1217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veneri, P. (2010). Urban polycentricity and the costs of commuting: Evidence from Italian metropolitan areas. Growth and Change., 41(3), 403–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veneri, P. (2013). The identification of sub-centres in two Italian metropolitan areas: A functional approach. Cities, 31, 177–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veneri, P., & Burgalassi, D. (2012). Questioning polycentric development and its effects. Issues of definition and measurement for the Italian NUTS-2 Regions. European Planning Studies, 20(6), 1017–1037.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., & Ikechukwu, N. M. (2018). Spatio-temporal urban growth dynamics of Lagos metropolitan region of Nigeria based on hybrid methods for LULC modelling and prediction. European Journal of Remote Sensing, 51(1), 251–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe, K., & Takeuchi, Y. (2010). Peripheries and future urban spatial structures of the Tokyo metropolitan area: Correspondence of regional planning. Disp - the Planning Review, 46(181), 60–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, F., & Knox, P. L. (2015). Spatial transformation of metropolitan cities. Environment and Planning A, 47(1), 50–68.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, C. H., Weidong, L., Wenqian, K. E., & Nyuying, W. (2018). Understanding spatial structures and organizational patterns of city networks in China: A highway passenger flow perspective. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 28(4), 477–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wentz, E. A., York, A. M., Alberti, M., Conrow, L., Fischer, H., Inostroza, L., & Taubenböck, H. (2018). Six fundamental aspects for conceptualizing multidimensional urban form: A spatial mapping perspective. Landscape and Urban Planning, 179, 55–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xigang, Z., Jing-Xiang, Zh., & Hu, C. H. (2002). A case study on concentration and decentralization: Behaviour and dynamic mechanism of spatial evolution in the metropolitan area, Nanjing China. Chinese Geographical Science, 12(3), 212–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, J., French, S., Holt, J., & Zhang, X. (2012). Measuring the structure of US metropolitan areas, 1970–2000. Journal of the American Planning Association, 78(2), 197–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y., Liu, Y., Li, Y., & Du, G. (2018). Quantifying Spatio-temporal patterns of urban expansion in Beijing during 1985–2013 with rural-urban development transformation. Land Use Policy, 74(2018), 220–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, X., Zheng, X.-Q., & Chen, R. (2014). A land use change model: Integrating landscape pattern indexes and Markov-CA. Ecological Modeling., 283, 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yue, W., Qiu, S., Xu, H., Xu, L., & Zhang, L. (2019). Polycentric urban development and urban thermal environment: A case of Hangzhou, China. Landscape and Urban Planning, 189, 58–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng, C., Liu, Y., & Stein, A. (2015). Characterization and spatial modelling of urban sprawl in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area, China. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 34, 10–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, M., Derudder, B., & Huang, J. (2017). Polycentric development in China’s mega-city regions, 2001–08: a comparison of the Yangtze and Pearl River Deltas. Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin, 148(1), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, X. P. (1991). Metropolitan spatial structure and determinants: A case study of Tokyo. Urban Studies, 28(1), 87–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhong, Ch., Arisona, S. M., Huang, X., Batty, M., & Schmitt, G. (2014). Detecting the dynamics of the urban structure through spatial network analysis. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 28(11), 37–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zitti, M., & Salvati, L. (2017). Recession and value of new dwellings: Changes in the spatial structure of Greece, 2003–2015. International Journal of Latest Trends Finance and Economic Science, 7(2), 1313–1319.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urban and Regional Planning Department, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Hashem Dadashpoor, Neda Malekzadeh & Sadegh Saeidishirvan

Authors
  1. Hashem Dadashpoor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Neda Malekzadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sadegh Saeidishirvan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hashem Dadashpoor.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dadashpoor, H., Malekzadeh, N. & Saeidishirvan, S. A typology of metropolitan spatial structure: a systematic review. Environ Dev Sustain 25, 13667–13693 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02641-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02641-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation