Mapping of individual building heights reveals the large gap of urban-rural living spaces in the contiguous US

Yangzi Che; Xuecao Li; Xiaoping Liu; Xiaocong Xu; Kangning Huang; Peng Zhu; Qian Shi; Yimin Chen; Qiusheng Wu; Jay H. Arehart; Wenping Yuan; Xia Li

doi:10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2024.100069

The Innovation Geoscience > 2024 Vol. 2 > No. 2 > 100069

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Mapping of individual building heights reveals the large gap of urban-rural living spaces in the contiguous US

1.
Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
2.
College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
3.
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China
4.
New York University Shanghai, Shanghai 200122, China
5.
Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996, USA
6.
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder 80302, USA
7.
School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
8.
Key Lab of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
9.
These authors contributed equally

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Corresponding authors: liuxp3@mail.sysu.edu.cn(X.L.); shixi5@mail.sysu.edu.cn(Q.S.); lixia@geo.ecnu.edu.cn (X.L.)
Received Date: September 19, 2023

Accepted Date: April 15, 2024

Published Online: April 18, 2024

The Innovation Geoscience 2(2), https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2024.100069 | Cite this article

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1. We proposed a building-scale height map at the conterminous U.S.
  
  The mapped building heights show distinct variation within and across cities.
  
  Limited living spaces in urban regions reduce the inequality compared to rural areas.
  
  Building volume (3D) reveals larger gap of living spaces than building footprints (2D).

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

Living spaces are a crucial component of communities and social interactions, whereas the vertical structure of buildings in these spaces, particularly at a large-scale, has received limited attention yet. Here, we produced a detailed height map of each building in the conterminous United States (US) in circa 2020. Leveraging multi-source satellite observations and building footprint data, our study aimed to shed light on the spatial variations in building heights and their implications to measure the inequality of living spaces. Our results revealed a significant spatial variation in building heights, with downtown areas exhibiting an average height of 12.4m, more than double the average height of suburban areas at 5.4m. Moreover, our study highlighted the urban-rural gap in living spaces, with urban regions offering limited living spaces compared to rural areas. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in urban planning and lays the foundation for future investigations aimed at improving living conditions and fostering sustainable communities.

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Che Y., Li X., Liu X., et al., (2024). Mapping of individual building heights reveals the large gap of urban-rural living spaces in the contiguous US. The Innovation Geoscience 2(2): 100069. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2024.100069

Che Y., Li X., Liu X., et al., (2024). Mapping of individual building heights reveals the large gap of urban-rural living spaces in the contiguous US. The Innovation Geoscience 2(2): 100069. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2024.100069

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Mapping of individual building heights reveals the large gap of urban-rural living spaces in the contiguous US

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Mapping of individual building heights reveals the large gap of urban-rural living spaces in the contiguous US

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