Assessing Land Fragmentation at the Boundaries within Urban Regions

Abstract

This research aims to develop a GIS-based land fragmentation index that can be applied to assess the level of land fragmentation along the municipal boundaries. Land fragmentation happens when there are differences in densities and site details along the borders where one community permit much higher densities than the neighbor or when there is active conservation initiative which preserves more or less continuous habitat immediately adjacent to a developed land.
We’ve applied DID (Difference in Difference) approach to compare the spatial change along the boundaries within urban regions. Our study site is Portland Metropolitan Area in Maine, where local governments defined as towns and cities were established in the 17th century when colonists fixed the boundaries of the local government as the limits of convenient transportation by foot.