for each satellite image (Dar es Salam, Delhi, Mex...

Dar es Salaam (coastal East Africa)

Morphological features (what the city “looks like” in plan)

• Coastal/harbor-oriented form: the urban core hugs the shoreline and estuaries; water bodies strongly shape the edge.
• Radial expansion inland: major corridors/arterial roads appear to radiate from the core into the interior.
• Patchy urban fabric: built-up areas look mottled rather than uniformly dense, with many green/bare gaps.
• Green/wetland intrusions: darker green patches and riverine zones penetrate close to built-up areas.

Evidence of urban sprawl (how you can identify it here)

• Diffuse, low-density outskirts: the city’s edge is not a clean boundary; it grades into scattered settlements.
• Leapfrog development: separated “islands” of built-up land appear beyond the continuous urban mass, with open land in between.
• Ribbon growth along roads: thin, linear bands of development trace transport routes into the hinterland.
• Encroachment toward wetlands/valleys: irregular development pushing into greener drainage corridors is a common sprawl signature in fast-growing coastal cities.

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Delhi / New Delhi (Indo-Gangetic plain)

Morphological features

• Mega-agglomeration: a very large, continuous built-up field dominates the scene.
• River structure: the Yamuna corridor creates a distinct linear feature cutting through the urban area.
• Polycentric form: multiple dense nodes and corridors suggest satellite centers rather than a single compact core.
• Large planned blocks/infrastructure: big, bright/rectangular patches (e.g., airport/industrial/institutional land) sit within the urban fabric.

Evidence of urban sprawl

• Peri-urban patchwork: at the fringe, built-up land mixes with remaining agricultural/open plots—classic “urban–rural mosaic.”
• Corridor-driven expansion: outward growth aligns with major highways/arterials; development thickens along these routes.
• Coalescence of settlements: formerly separate towns/settlements appear to be merging into one continuous urban region.
• Irregular, sprawling edge: the boundary is jagged and expansive, indicating outward spread rather than compact infill only.

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Mexico City (basin surrounded by mountains/volcanoes)

Morphological features

• Basin-filling urban blanket: dense development occupies the flatter valley floor.
• Topographic containment: steep, rugged mountains frame the city; natural vegetation remains darker on higher slopes.
• Strong grid texture in places: large areas show an organized street grid typical of extensive urbanization.
• Major infrastructure node: a large, distinct complex (airport/industrial) stands out as a major land-use block.

Evidence of urban sprawl

• Edge pushing into foothills: the urban footprint creeps up toward/onto slopes, producing a rough “bite-mark” boundary against mountainous terrain.
• Peripheral low-density zones: lighter-toned, more open-textured areas at the margins suggest newer, less compact development.
• Outward expansion to basin limits: development spreads until constrained by relief—sprawl often “fills the bowl” then climbs margins.
• Fragmentation near the fringe: small gaps and uneven density at the edge indicate ongoing outward growth (often faster than infrastructure consolidation).

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Perth (Australia; coastal metro)

Morphological features

• Linear coastal city: development forms a long north–south strip along the coast.
• River/estuary structuring: the Swan River/estuary system creates strong internal edges and bays.
• Suburban subdivision patterns: residential areas show large blocks and street layouts typical of low-rise suburbs.
• Large natural/bushland areas nearby: extensive darker vegetated zones lie adjacent to the metro, especially inland.

Evidence of urban sprawl

• Ribbon-like metropolitan footprint: long-distance spread along the coast is a classic sprawl geometry (growth by elongation).
• Fringe subdivision into bush/agricultural land: the urban edge pushes into surrounding natural/open land, creating a scalloped boundary.
• Low-density dominance: a wide suburban field (rather than a compact core) suggests car-oriented expansion.
• Leapfrog/patch expansion pockets: scattered built-up patches beyond the main continuous area indicate outward “step” growth.

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Quick note on “process”

With a single satellite snapshot, you identify sprawl mostly by spatial signatures (diffuse edges, leapfrogging, corridor growth, patchy peri-urban mosaics). To prove the process over time, you’d ideally compare multi-date imagery and map how built-up area expands along roads and into open land.