Data concerning mobility, urban infrastructure, urban services, urban  environment, and urban heat.

cities

Cities

Data concerning land use, including monitoring grasslands and pastures, agriculture, and  conservation. 

land-use-status

Land Use & Status

### Overview  
  
The city expansion index dataset shows outward and upward urban growth in 377 cities globally that have a population of over 1 million residents. Outward growth is the horizontal expansion of buildings and upward growth is the vertical expansion of buildings. The final dataset was normalized into comparable values called the Upward Growth Index and Outward Growth Index. A higher expansion index value means more growth is occurring. The dataset uses remote sensing data collected between 2000 and 2014.

  
  
This dataset was created by the World Resources Institute (WRI) as part of the World Resources Report (WRR) Towards a More Equal City. It is intended to highlight regional trends in urban expansion and differences in urban structure within and between cities. Ultimately, it can be used to help governments understand how urban expansion can be managed in a way that achieves more equitable access to core services for the under-served while bringing wider economic and environmental benefits to cities. For the dataset to paint a complete picture it should ideally be used in conjunction with a matching dataset on the socioeconomic information of the city.
  
  
### Methodology  
  
This dataset was created using a combination of remote sensing data to determine upward and outward expansion in cities with a metropolitan population greater than 1 million. Remote sensing data was collected from mean summer backscatter power ratio (PR) from NASA's SeaWinds microwave scatterometer (Ku-band, 13.4 GHz) and built-up area from the multitemporal Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL). The data showed the outward growth of urban built-up areas between 2000 and 2014 measured from the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) and upward growth between 2001 and 2009 measured using the power ratio (PR) from NASA’s SeaWinds microwave scatterometer. Each dataset was reprocessed to have the same spatial resolution of 0.05 degrees (about 5.6 km at the equator). To determine which cities had a metropolitan population greater than 1 million, Landscan data created by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory was combined with the Oxford Economics database to create a combined dataset of 377 cities. 
  
  
 Researchers overlayed an 11x11 pixel grid (121 total pixels) over each city using the dataset Populated Places from Natural Earth to create a unified boundary to measure the cities growth. The 11x11 grids were extracted and all grid cells with a built up value less than 20 percent were masked in GHSL. Total upward and outward growth were then calculated using the remaining pixels for each city by using a cluster analysis to group each pixel into similar urban growth patterns and structures. Finally, the values were converted into the upward urban growth index and outward urban growth index to allow for comparison of the values across cities. 
  
  
The final dataset was presented in raster format at a spatial resolution of 0.28 degrees (20.98 square kilometers at the equator). For the full documentation, please click on the “Learn more” button.
  
  
### Additional Information  
  
Resource Watch shows only a subset of the dataset. For access to the full dataset and additional information, click on the “Learn more” button.  
  
### Disclaimer  
  
Excerpts of this description page were taken from the source metadata.

Upward and Outward Growth: Managing Urban Expansion for More Equitable Cities in the Global South

cit-037-upward-outward-cities-expansion-index-rw

Cities by Outward Expansion (dot size) and Upward Expansion (dot color)

Outward Expansion Index

Upward Expansion Index

Analysis of the horizontal and vertical urban expansion of cities with a population of over 1 million residents between 2000 and 2014

No Team

City Expansion Index

Cities by Outward Expansion (dot size) and Upward Expansion (dot color)

Outward Expansion Index

Upward Expansion Index