Analysis of the urban form using spatial metrics: land use patterns and housing characteristics in the region of Attica

Abstract

This research analyzes land use patterns, built-up densities and housing characteristics of the Attica region and the results are used to assess the urban form of the area. The 2006 Urban Atlas (UA) database and the 2011 Census are used to estimate built-up densities and housing characteristics for the whole region, the 11 Athens Master Plan subareas and each of the 113 municipalities (Kapodistrias). Land use distribution patterns are analyzed with spatial metrics that are estimated using a modified version of the UA dataset in which neighboring blocks of the same use have been merged. The metrics and the housing characteristics are analyzed with thematic maps, correlation analysis and distance diagrams. The results show that in the center of the region development is dense and continuous, whereas in suburban areas densities are low and built-up patterns discontinuous. The spatial and temporal analysis of the construction of the housing units documents that urban fabric expansion after 1960 mainly followed a path from the center to the periurban areas, however, there was also development in the hinterland around old villages/towns that are 30-50 km away from the center, as well as, construction of vacation homes in coastal areas.