ABSTRACT Urban sprawl is known as a multidimensional phenomenon as well as an ambiguous topic. Numerous researchers have endeavored to measure urban sprawl. Although many of their solutions are outstanding, they depend largely on high‐resolution census data with many overlapping characteristics. This reliance is a disadvantage for most of those solutions, especially in cases of developing countries, because developing countries often lack the data needed to make those methods applicable. This study begins with a succinct yet thorough examination of urban sprawl. The literature review highlights the major characteristics of urban sprawl and measurement techniques. Furthermore, the study introduces a hybrid methodology that incorporates tools including remote sensing, geographical information systems, landscape ecology indices, and multiple centrality assessments. Ultimately, this hybrid method was utilized in the city of Famagusta, located in the developing region of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, to measure urban sprawl independent of high‐resolution census data, statistical datasets, and census tracts. The current study, employing a hybrid methodology, found that the current growth pattern of Famagusta does not constitute sprawl, despite having previously exhibited such characteristics. This study reveals the differences between sprawl, expansion, and infill, helping the reader to see the growth form of Famagusta today. Besides the measurement of the built environment, the current study also considered other land covers and revealed that Famagusta is dealing with intensifying agriculture and fragmentation of both barren and forested lands.
Kamyar Fuladlu (Wed,) studied this question.