Method evidence record

Compactness Index

A compactness index measures how compact the shape of a settlement, district, or built-up area is, almost always by comparing it to the circle — the most compact shape enclosing a given area. Classic indices such as the Polsby–Popper or Richardson ratio compare a polygon's area to its perimeter, while more elaborate measures compare interpoint distances or fitted circles, all returning a value of one for a perfect circle and falling toward zero as the shape becomes elongated, indented, or fragmented. Angel, Parent and Civco systematized these into a coherent family by showing that the circle is optimal on ten distinct geometric properties, clarifying which index answers which question.

Sources recorded, not reviewed

Source record

Citations copied verbatim from the method’s source record. No claim-level verification is inferred from them.

Compactness Index (Geometric Shape Measures of Settlement Form)

Taxonomic method record · process-pipeline / urban-studies

Angel, S., Parent, J., & Civco, D. L. (2010). Ten compactness properties of circles: Measuring shape in geography. The Canadian Geographer, 54(4), 441–461. · DOI 10.1111/j.1541-0064.2009.00304.x

Open full method

Curated claims

Claims persisted in the evidence ledger, each with its own assessment.

No curated claims yet

This view does not invent a claim assessment when the ledger has none.

Related methods

Generated from the method graph and shown as machine-suggested relations — no evidence claim is inferred.

Same method familyStreet Network Analysismachine-suggested · Relational suggestion, not evidence.See alsoUrban Density Gradient Modelmachine-suggested · Relational suggestion, not evidence.Same method familyUrban Form Morphometricsmachine-suggested · Relational suggestion, not evidence.Same method familyUrban Sprawl Measurementmachine-suggested · Relational suggestion, not evidence.