Unraveling latent transformations in metropolitan structures: a local-scale analysis of urban landscapes and social functions

Identifying the intimate mechanisms underlying urban growth and the resulting impact on local-scale landscape structures is an intriguing issue worldwide. Metropolitan expansion in the last decades resulted in (more or less) scattered settlements consuming (or degrading) semi-natural areas devoted to agriculture and forestry. This process has progressively led to multi-faceted landscape configurations influenced by different socioeconomic, demographic, cultural and political factors. At the same time, lack of comparable information among metropolitan areas prevents a comprehensive investigation of patterns and processes of urban expansion. Based on these premises, our study investigates the micro-scale structure of urban landscapes using a spatially-explicit analysis based on Geographic Information Systems tools. This approach was applied to a comparative, fine-grained analysis of landscape structures in three Southern European metropolitan areas characterized by different socioeconomic contexts (Barcelona, Rome and Athens). Results of this paper shed light on the intrinsic linkage between landscape structure and social functions, providing an informed knowledge of land-use transformations in contemporary cities. Rethinking complex interactions between contemporary landscapes and the (evolving) socioeconomic background is particularly urgent in urban contexts characterized by weak planning systems and limited participation to land-use decisions.