Using Remote Sensing Data for Improving the Distinction Between Distinct Types of Urban Land Use and Form Using Spatial Metrics

This research presents alternative urban metrics for describing the composition and con- figuration of building and non-building areas, characteristics of individual dwellings, and the ver- tical component of buildings, for distinguishing distinct types of urban morphology at urban block level. A case study was carried out on the Brussels-Capital region, using both large-scale vector data and high-resolution satellite data. Using a decision-tree classifier insight was gained on the decisive urban metrics for distinguishing distinct types of urban morphology. Although applying this technique shows clear potential, there are several issues that require further research, such as the relation between different types of urban morphology and urban land use, as well as the poten- tial of satellite imagery for performing similar studies in urban areas where large-scale vector data describing the built-up environment is lacking.