Spatial Patterns of Land Take in a Mediterranean City: An Assessment of the SDG Indicator 11.3.1 in the Peri-Urban Area of Thessaloniki

Athena Yiannakou () and George Zografos
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Athena Yiannakou: School of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
George Zografos: School of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-23

Abstract: Urban sprawl, characterized by continuous or discontinuous spatial patterns of artificial surface expansion, has been a common trend in most cities, even in those with longstanding compact features, such as cities in the northern Mediterranean region. This paper assesses the land take patterns in the peri-urban area of a typical compact city that experienced significant sprawl trends after the mid-1990s, which are closely linked to the specificities of planning regulations regarding the development in peri-urban settlements as well as outside planned areas. Using the rapidly suburbanized southern peri-urban area of Thessaloniki, Greece, as a case study, the paper analyzes the factors influencing the land cover change in the middle-class-led peri-urbanization during the period 2000–2018 and provides an estimate of the SDG indicator 11.3.1 “ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate”, a suitable indicator for monitoring spatial changes. The main conclusions of the study indicate that, during the period examined, the peri-urban zone investigated in the case study exhibited a higher rate of population growth compared to that of artificial surfaces, with the latter showing a higher change during 2006–2012. However, the spatial pattern of urban expansion displays a fragmented yet linear form, creating fragmented enclaves of agricultural land.

Keywords: land take; land consumption; urban sprawl; SDG indicator 11.3.1; urban infill indicator; peri-urbanization; Mediterranean city; Thessaloniki; Greece (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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