The Assessment of Urban Growth Spatial Structure, the Case of Shiraz Metropolis

Due to unprecedented population growth, urbanization and urban growth have become central to planning and political discourses. There are a variety of forces that affect urban growth internally and externally. As urban growth by nature influences different dynamics of urbanization such as population mobility, employment distribution, environmental functionality, and housing markets, it has become the core of urban and regional planning. Urban growth patterns play a critical role in the well-being of residents and the livability of the city. Scrutinizing urban form as the spatial reflection of the urbanization process is a necessity for urban development planning to reach more sustainable and resilient cities. The purpose of this research was to analyze urban growth based on the indicators of urban growth. In the present research, using satellite images for a 20-year period from 1996 to 2016, the urban growth of Shiraz metropolis was explored based on the spatial parameters of the urban growth form. The results of this research indicated that the metropolis of Shiraz has undergone many changes in terms of form in the studied period. These changes have occurred in different urban classes such as built buildings, green spaces and gardens, road networks and urban wastelands. The results of the quantitative analysis of urban growth changes in Shiraz metropolis indicated that urban fragmentation and division occurred in all urban classes and in the studied period, Shiraz metropolis has moved towards greater divisions. The fractal dimension of urban growth in Shiraz metropolis also demonstrated greater complexity in the form of urban growth.