Examining spatial efficiency of cities using fractal dimension

The urban space comes into being with mutual interaction of the user and the physical environment. These changes in the urban space cause different settlements develop unique patterns. The protected units in the space subsist in line with the requirements. The dynamic structure of the changes and the specification of the parameters affecting this process facilitate the perception, designing and description of the space. The aim of this study is to discuss the urban growth phenomenon based on sustainability principle and the urban macroforms, shaped as the spatial reflection of this phenomenon, accompanied by the indicators with methods of fractal dimension and regression analysis and to interpret through spatial sustainability. The study aims at developing a method suggestion for urban space analysis under the frame of the determined acceptances and limitations to be able to attain these purposes. In this sense, 29 randomly chosen cities with different dynamics out of 500 most populated cities of the world are defined as samples, the urbanization stains of the chosen cities are specified over satellite pictures and their fractal sizes are measured. The comparable parameters group, which are considered to affect the space-filling efficiency of the urban macroforms for sample areas, is formed and whether there is a reasonable relation between fractal dimension value, which is admitted to be the criterion of space-filling efficiency, and those parameters is measured through multiple direct regression analysis. In this framework, with the aim of explaining the space-filling efficiency of urban macroforms; the altitude of the cities, per capita income of the countries, establishment origin / age of the cities, the total survey of the countries, the number of the car for every 1000 people in countries, the m² unit price of the terrains in the cities out of 70 variotations are tried to be explained through multiple direct regression method. In the multiple regression model obtained for 18 cities, 92,0 per cent of response variable variance could be explained. The total survey of a country, the age of the city, vehicle ownership are found inversely proportional. The altitude of a city and the gross national product -per capita income- are found directly proportional with space-filling efficiency. Except vehicle ownership, all the variations are found meaningful statistically at the level of 0,05. The study is considered to contribute, accompanied by urban macroform parameters which is shaped as urban growth phenomenon and spatial reflection of that phenomenon, over the organization of the space and leading the development. Futhermore fractal parameter will be helpful for urban theories and urban planning and it is also considered that a new method approach based on the space-filling efficiency presented will have a leading role in the future for administration of urban systems and for urban planning.