Urban, peri-urban and rural Flanders - breakdown by statistical sectors - state 2022

Based on the statistical sectors, the Flemish Region is divided into 3 spatial types: urbanised – peri-urban – rural. The classification is done fully automatically on the basis of a specially developed algorithm, based on a number of spatial variables and whether or not the sectors are adjacent. The spatial variables used are land take, employment density, population density and total number of inhabitants per cluster of sectors. For each spatial variable, a fixed threshold value is set based on a choice by experts, whereby the threshold values were assessed on their capacity to map known examples of urban, suburban and rural areas in a sufficiently discriminatory manner This distribution based on statistical sectors does not aim to be directly applicable to spatial policy, but rather to provide a spatial typological framework to carry out analyses across the Flemish territory. For example, the Space Report calculates key figures based on this spatial typology. More details about the method used for typological classification can be found in the technical report: Poelmans Lien, Crols Tomas, Vermeiren Karolien, Vanacker Stijn, Willems Peter, Pisman Ann (2024), Urban, suburban and rural areas in Flanders. Classification by statistical sectors. Situation 2013 – 2016 – 2019 - 2022, study commissioned by the Flemish Environmental Planning Bureau. https://archief.onderzoek.omgeving.vlaanderen.be/OMG_RefVITO_2024_VRL_v…