Spatial Structures and Trends of Cities in Europe and Asia: A Joint Methodological Approach Based on the Global Human Settlement Layer

Human civilization reached a milestone in the first decade of the 21st century, when the global urban population became higher than rural for the first time. However, the process of urbanisation is not uniform across the globe, and striking differences exist in the spatial structure and trends of urbanisation in developed and developing regions because of varying rates of demographic and economic growth. The success of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on addressing urbanisation challenges with comparative knowledge of the spatial structure and growth pattern of the cities across regions. In this context, the present study examines the spatial structures and urbanisation trends of cities in Asia and Europe through standardised data and visualisation, with particular reference to India and Germany. The results show that ‘shrinking cities’ are more common in Europe and particularly in Germany. In contrast, Indian cities have registered an overall increase in population of cities, although at a slower growth rate. Also, the rate of growth of the built-up areas is relatively higher in India than Europe. However, both these geographies are experiencing higher growth of built-up areas as compared to population. A detailed analysis of the built-up areas in select cities of Europe and India in different time-periods reveals the cities’ growth pattern to be aligned with transport routes. The study concludes that developing a common methodological approach to study the spatial structures and trends of different geographies is a crucial prerequisite for achieving the goals set under SDGs and the New Urban Agenda.