Atlas of Urban Expansion, by Shlomo Angel et al. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2012. 397p bibl ISBN
9781558442436 pbk, $40.00
With half the world's population residing in cities and speculation that this percentage will rise to nearly three-quarters by 2050, metropolitan growth has been a focus of demographic analysis. Population growth will be concentrated in less developed countries where urban land areas must expand significantly to accommodate the expected urban population of 6.2 billion by 2050. This atlas is part of a long-term research project that includes related publications and
online resources. Three phases complete this project: analysis of satellite imagery and census data of 120 sample cities representing nearly every continent, a survey of these cities' planning history, and a created set of metrics for measuring urban spatial structure. Accompanying color mapping and data compare metrics over time by key attributes of urban expansion: population, built-up areas, density, fragmentation, compactness, and new development. This pictorial atlas is visually instructive.Data are graphed for easy comparison across cities with projections to halfway through this century. Also offered are current and historical bibliographic resources, along with references to additional data sets the Lincoln Institute hosts.This reference work will be useful for all libraries supporting the study of urban development. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above; general readers. -- J. Gelfand, University of California, Irvine