Copernicus
Urban Atlas:
an update
Hugo Poelman
European Commission
DG Regional and Urban Policy
Analysis Unit
Regional
and urban
Policy
Overview
• Evolution of the Urban Atlas product
• Current planning
• Additional data and analysis opportunities
Regional
and urban
Policy
Urban Atlas land use/land cover data
• Copernicus Land component product
• Combining satellite imagery, imperviousness and
road network data
• Focus on urban land use classes
• Minimum mapping unit in urban areas 0.25 ha
• First project with reference year 2006
• EU-27
• 305 FUAs: covering cities with more than 100,000 inh.
Regional
and urban
Policy
Regional
and urban
Policy
Urban Atlas 2012 vs. 2006
• Second project: reference year 2012
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EU-28 + EFTA countries
Covering all FUAs (v. 2011)
More thematic detail in non-urban land use classes
Change layer 2006-2012 for all FUAs produced in
2006
• Additional layer on street trees (linear green along
streets in an urban environment)
Regional
and urban
Policy
Regional
and urban
Policy
Current Urban Atlas project
• Reference year 2012
• FUAs in Western Balkans and Turkey
• EU-28 and EFTA: revised and new FUAs
• Forthcoming reference year 2018
• Including change layer 2012-2018
• High-resolution building height layer for capital
cities
Regional
and urban
Policy
Data availability and additional data
• All Urban Atlas 2006 and 2012 datasets on
http://land.copernicus.eu/local/urban-atlas/
• Population estimates for individual Urban Atlas
polygons 2012
• Downscaled from 1 sqkm grid and/or sub-LAU2
census data 2011
• Ancillary data: land use types (Urban Atlas) and
location of built-up areas (JRC European
Settlement Map ESM)
Regional
and urban
Policy
Analysis opportunities
• Change analysis, e.g. changes in land
consumption, including per capita
• Forthcoming time series 2006-2012-2018
• Accessibility and proximity analysis
• Proximity of green urban areas
• Urban public transport services
• Inclusion of building height
• Enhanced estimates of population distribution
• Analysis of spatial patterns of cities
Regional
and urban
Policy
Working paper
Data updated since Copernicus Urban Atlas
has been completed (March 2017)
Regional
and urban
Policy
Working paper:
Analysis extended to more cities: update of the
paper is planned for 2017, including map viewer
Regional
and urban
Policy
References
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Copernicus Urban Atlas: http://land.copernicus.eu/local/urban-atlas
Mapping population density in Functional Urban Areas:
https://bookshop.europa.eu/en/mapping-population-density-in-functionalurban-areas-pbLFNA28194/
Access to urban public transport:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/workingpapers/2015/measuring-access-to-public-transport-in-european-cities
Proximity of green urban areas:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/workingpapers/2016/a-walk-to-the-park-assessing-access-to-green-urban-areas-ineurope-s-cities
Regional
and urban
Policy