Spatial Metrics and Urban Planning

Degree Awarded: M.A. School of International Service. American UniversitySustainable development of urban environments is a key political issue worldwide and is of particular urgency in the developing world. The largely unplanned growth of megacities makes it difficult for policy makers to evaluate properly urban conditions, which ultimately leads to ineffective mitigation and improvement strategies.Recent advances in cartographic technologies such as remote sensing, digital photography, satellite imagery, photogrammetry, and 3D (and 4D) modeling facilitate the mapping of the urban landscape. They allow for efficient and detailed data collection on urban habitats that are often inaccessible due to physical or social complications.Urban sustainability is a luxury for nations that can afford the additional cost and intellectual capital. Spatial metrics in poorer countries is limited to ex post facto uses such as the analysis of disaster areas or long-ignored slum neighborhoods. Capabilities of new cartographic technologies continue to increase while their costs fall. The improved access to powerful spatial measuring tools can expand the quantity and quality of information on urban environments in all regions and lead to more nuanced and effective policies for sustainable development