SATELLITE STUDY SAYS CITIES ARE GROWING UPWARD RATHER THAN OUTWARD

Mon 12 August 2024:

Cities, which traditionally began as small towns expanding their boundaries over time, are now increasingly defined by their towering structures. A groundbreaking study published in Nature Cities reveals a significant shift in urban development: cities are growing upward at a faster rate than they are spreading out. This finding has profound implications for how we manage resources and the environment.

The study was conducted by a diverse team of Earth scientists, environmental engineers, and geomaticists who analyzed satellite data to assess the footprint and height of buildings in more than 1,500 cities worldwide from the 1990s to the 2010s. By utilizing two types of satellite data—one measuring the city’s two-dimensional footprint and the other using microwaves to capture three-dimensional growth—the team could accurately map the trend towards vertical development, particularly with the rise of skyscrapers.

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According to the findings, the phenomenon of cities growing upward instead of outward is especially pronounced in Asia. Historically, urban expansion involved occupying more land, but this paradigm is shifting. David Wilson, a geography professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, remarked on the study’s significance, noting that this transition from horizontal to vertical urban growth brings both benefits and challenges.

“This trend is very positive for promoting sustainability and resource management. Fewer blocks, neighborhoods, and communities will require government intervention to allocate limited resources for services like policing, fire protection, and housing,” Wilson explained to Newsweek. However, he also cautioned, “The prognosis for fostering equity in the city is grim. Dramatic increases in vertical development, especially in mega-cities, often signal the realities of downtown gentrification kicking into hyperdrive, a notorious process for displacing and further isolating the poor and the stigmatized.”

The study highlights that larger cities, particularly those with populations exceeding 10 million, are at the forefront of this vertical transformation. In recent decades, China’s urban growth has notably shifted from widespread outward expansion to a focus on vertical development, with taller buildings gradually replacing shorter structures. In contrast, European cities have maintained their traditional growth patterns, with outward expansion still prevalent and vertical development progressing slowly.

While rapid upward growth was a rarity in the 1990s, it became considerably more common by the 2010s. Conversely, the rate of rapid outward development has declined during the same period, indicating a clear trend towards vertical urbanization in modern cities.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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