Metropolitan Cartography, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems

All metropolitan areas identifed in the world have some common features and elements, that can be used to determine, from many points of view (e.g. socioeconomic indices, demographic definition, urban planning rules), what a metropolitan system is and is made of. Several studies on metropolitan areas show that monocenter structures have been evolving into complex and interconnected spatial organizations, described by the same basic features that can shape metropolitan aggregates, through the composition of green, grey, and blue infrastructures (GGBIs). Effectively recognizing this basic structures and analyzing their localization choices and evolution is a relevant activity for the metropolitan development of the future, to mitigate the effects of risks and catastrophes (from anthropic and/or natural sources; see WHO, 2017) and to promote a sustainable use and organization of existing and future resources in urban systems.