Defining urban sprawl: A systematic review of 130 definitions

Abstract

Urban sprawl is one of the significant topics in urban planning and land use management, yet it remains an ambiguous and debatable concept with different meanings for individuals and various fields. Each definition tends to focus on one or a few aspects of urban sprawl, lacking an integrated and holistic perspective that covers all relevant dimensions of this phenomenon. Various categorizations of definitions have been attempted, but they come with certain shortcomings and gaps. Thus, it is necessary to establish a new classification for definitions of urban sprawl and subsequently present an integrated and holistic definition for it. Therefore, the present study examines the key approach of different disciplines in the definition of urban sprawl. It has also focused on a systematic review and qualitative coding of the definitions provided by different authors and considered different categories of definitions of urban sprawl. Its output is a six-fold category (pattern-oriented, process-oriented, nature-oriented, location-oriented, actors-oriented, and factors-oriented). This category provides a suitable field for theorists and scholars to fill the gaps in academic discourses in providing definitions. It also helps them make a clear framework for the definition of urban sprawl. Also, removing the ambiguity of the definition of this phenomenon, facilitates the possibility of providing effective policies for its management.