Objetives To identify the patterns of growth that currently affect the main urban areas in Spain. To analyse the processes of urban development that have taken place in the metropolitan areas of Madrid and Granada, to discover what their main explanatory elements are. Also, assessing the impact that the land planning policy instruments have had on the patterns of urban development observed in those study areas. To generate both predictive and normative simulation models in order to produce scenarios of future urban development. To design a method for the estimation of a Total Land Value (derived from the social, economic and natural values), together with a system of geo-indicators for assessing the sustainability of urban growth. Such assessment will be applied to both the current state of the two study areas and the hypothetical scenarios generated, so that all these configurations can be compared and used to inform future planning decisions. To validate the different procedures and models developed (using sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, among others) to assess the reliability of the results obtained and their relevance for future decision making.

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