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Abstract
Controlling urbanization and urban sprawl is internationally being recognized as a pressing issue
for environmental policy and spatial planning. However, there are currently significant infor-
mation gaps when it comes to a comprehensive assessment of controllable and desirable devel-
opment paths in the light of local and regional settings and spatial planning options. This disser-
tation introduces indicators that help to monitor urban land consumption using available spatial
databases and evaluates the results in terms of urban sprawl. A detailed analysis of the current
state of the art in urban sprawl research examines data and methodological options, as well as
the information needs for spatial planning and policy. The result shows the requirements for a
multicriteria approach that not only covers the current state of land use, but also the driving forc-
es of urban sprawl, the pressure and impacts on the environment it exerts, and the response op-
tions in terms of spatial planning policies. The dissertation introduces key publications by the
author in the appendix that cover methodological options for relevant indicators in these fields.
The main part uses a Pressure-State-Response model to conceptualize the interactions between
indicators. The subsequent interpretation of the results argues that the main research contribu-
tion lies in the activation of data options and the development of methodological aspects for
indicator formulation. The conclusion states that information science and monitoring options can
certainly help to inform spatial planning about urbanization and urban sprawl but does not re-
place qualitative assessments and expert discussions.
Key words: urban land use change, urban sprawl, land use monitoring
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