Delimiting urban areas is crucial for planning and managing cities. In Portugal, urban limits are exclusively decided at the municipal level according to the strategic vision of each municipality. Consequently, urban delimitation is a significantly changeable process. This paper presents a methodology to fill this gap aiming at delimiting urban areas based on objective and quantitative spatial data. A hybrid methodology combining morphological with demographic and land cover data is proposed to delimit urban boundaries. The methodology, which was based on using the most disaggregated spatial units – the census tracts, was applied in Guarda, a medium-sized Portuguese city. The obtained urban boundary shows a suitable spatial adjustment considering the consolidated urban area. The identified surrounding settlements were used to define expansion areas by fostering development towards these urban areas. In terms of planning, the method can be helpful in designing/revising municipal master plans and in implementing more sustainable planning policies. The described method could be useful for managing and evaluating the city's needs in a more efficient way.

中文翻译：

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划定城市区域的定量空间方法论–来自葡萄牙的案例研究

划定城市区域对于规划和管理城市至关重要。在葡萄牙，根据每个自治市的战略远景，仅在自治市一级确定城市界限。因此，城市划界是一个明显变化的过程。本文提出了一种方法来填补这一空白，旨在根据客观和定量的空间数据来划定城市区域。提出了一种将形态学与人口和土地覆盖数据相结合的混合方法，以划定城市边界。该方法基于使用人口统计数据中最分散的空间单位，该方法已在葡萄牙中型城市瓜达（Guarda）中使用。考虑到合并后的城市面积，所获得的城市边界显示出合适的空间调整。通过促进向这些市区的发展，使用确定的周边居民区来定义扩张区。在规划方面，该方法有助于设计/修订市政总体规划以及实施更可持续的规划政策。所描述的方法对于以更有效的方式管理和评估城市需求可能有用。