Intra-Urban Radial Scaling Laws

This chapter offers a more general perspective by contrasting the monocentric approach to cities with the contemporary reality of European cities within the theoretical framework of urban scaling laws. Morphological scaling laws, where the attribute of interest in the system under study is related to its shape, have contributed significantly to the historical development of the study of scaling laws. The chapter focuses on the morphological phenomenon of urban densification and sprawl in terms of land use and transportation systems. In the study of morphological scaling laws, geometric constraints require the consideration of dimensionalities that may constrain the possible values of scaling factors. Morphological approach using radial profiles requires a mathematical formalism that is significantly different from traditional aggregate scaling laws. The radial population density profiles follow a different scaling law due to variations in building density between small and large cities.