Identifying exurbs: A multi-criteria approach for Germany

Autor: Philipp Gareis, Christian Diller
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: European Spatial Research and Policy, Vol 30, Iss 2, Pp 71-89 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1231-1952
1896-1525
DOI: 10.18778/1231-1952.30.2.06
Popis: The debate about exurbanites and exurbs has ever been an Anglo-American phenomenon. Due to the limitless space for growth and the individual preferences of living in single-family homes, the exurban census tracts were the fastest growing urban type in the USA for several decades. The increase in highway infrastructure lead to an auto-centric development of land and an ongoing urban sprawl in search for natural amenities and affordable housing. This was not the case in Europe for a long time as Europeans preferred to live closer to the place of work and the historically grown structures of the urban development. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic and the restructuring of a new office culture with remote work as the new condition and growing preferences for more living space and green amenities, exurbs could also evolve in the European context. In this investigation, the authors try to identify exurbs in the German context based on a multi-criteria analysis. We find that they are mostly located in the east and north of Germany around Hamburg and Berlin, and to a minor extent to the west and south of Germany. While there has not been a significant increase of exurbs in the past years, the question remains whether the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the exurbanisation and the related issues to a sustainable urban development according to SDG 11. Further research on the characteristics of exurbs is needed to provide additional policy recommendations and monitor the development of potential exurbs in the future.
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