The polycentricity of German metropolitan areas - development of a remote sensing-based approach for measuring morphological polycentricity

多中心都市圈的出现是近30年来城市化地区最显著的结构变化之一。国际研究将目前西方工业国家城市区域的中心描述为围绕中心和副中心组织的复杂的、功能上的工作共享网络。迄今为止，关于德国这种从单中心到多中心的聚落结构转变过程的进展，还没有系统的研究证据。这是由于难以对城市和区域中心系统进行经验表征。在此背景下，本研究计划的目的是分析多中心的现状和多中心城市结构在选定的德国大都市区的历史发展。为此，一套新的方法工具旨在提供城市化区域中心性布局的信息，主要解决建筑空间的形态特征。基于详细的就业数据和高分辨率遥感信息，拟议的工作流程有望产生选定研究区域的三维结构模型，能够揭示多中心程度。该项目为有关都市转型过程及其对城市形态影响的实证研究做出了重大贡献。此外，它旨在通过分析定义“中心”的地点和设施的特征来解释潜在过程的根本原因。两位在城市研究和遥感领域有丰富经验的申请人的合作是成功实施本项目的重要前提。

The emergence of polycentric metropolitan regions has been one of the most significant structural changes of urbanized regions throughout the last 30 years. International research describes current centers in city regions of Western industrial countries as a complex, functionally work-sharing network organized around centers and sub-centers. To date, there is no systematic research evidence about the progress of this transformation process from monocentric to polycentric settlement structures in Germany. This is due to the difficult empirical representation of urban and regional central systems. Against this background, the objective of this research proposal is to analyze the current state of polycentricity and the historical development of polycentric urban structures in selected German metropolitan areas. For this purpose, a new methodological set of instruments aims to deliver information on the layout of centrality within urbanized regions, addressing mainly morphological characteristics of built-up spaces. Based on detailed employment data and high-resolution remote sensing information, the proposed workflow is expected to result in a three-dimensional structural model of selected study areas, capable of revealing the degree of polycentricity. The project contributes substantially to empirical research related to metropolitan transformation processes and their effects on urban form. In addition, it aims to explain root causes of the underlying processes by analyzing the characteristics of the locations and facilities that define a “center”. The cooperation of two applicants with a proven track record in urban research and remote sensing is an important prerequisite for the successful implementation of this project.