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Diffusion and Coalescence of the Houston Metropolitan Area: Evidence Supporting a New Urban Theory

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  • Charles Dietzel

    (Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara, 3611 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA)

  • Hakan Oguz

    (Department of Forest Science, Texas A&M University, Forest Science Building, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

  • Jeffery J Hemphill
  • Keith C Clarke
  • Nicholas Gazulis

Abstract

The authors build on a recent development in urban geographic theory, providing evidence of an oscillatory behavior in spatiotemporal patterns of urban growth. With the aid of remotely sensed data, the spatial extent of urban areas in the Houston (USA) metropolitan region from 1974 to 2002 was analyzed by spatial metrics. Regularities in the spatial urban growth pattern were identified with temporal periods as short as thirty years by means of spatial metric values, including mean nearest-neighbor distance, mean patch area, total number of urban patches, and mean patch fractal dimension. Through changes in these values, a distinct oscillation between phases of diffusion and coalescence in urban growth was revealed. The results suggest that the hypothesized process of diffusion and coalescence may occur over shorter time periods than previously thought, and that the patterns are readily observable in real-world systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles Dietzel & Hakan Oguz & Jeffery J Hemphill & Keith C Clarke & Nicholas Gazulis, 2005. "Diffusion and Coalescence of the Houston Metropolitan Area: Evidence Supporting a New Urban Theory," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 32(2), pages 231-246, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:32:y:2005:i:2:p:231-246
    DOI: 10.1068/b31148
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    Cited by:

    1. Yiliang Wan & Chuxiong Deng & Tao Wu & Rui Jin & Pengfei Chen & Rong Kou, 2019. "Quantifying the Spatial Integration Patterns of Urban Agglomerations along an Inter-City Gradient," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-21, September.

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