A GIS toolset for automated partitioning of urban lands

Urban growth models operating at finer spatial scale usually incorporate a subdivision module that carries out automated partitioning of the lands selected for future development. In this paper, we describe the development and implementation of Parcel-Divider - a GIS toolset for automated subdivision of land parcels. In addition to automating the process of generating urban layouts such as city blocks, streets and cadastral lots, the toolset is capable of extending roads to new subdivisions. Researchers can integrate the toolset into their modeling while planners can use it as a standalone application to visualize scenarios of infrastructure arrangements in growing areas of the city. Our tool-generated subdivision configurations closely match the subdivision styles observed in real-world cities when compared visually as well as statistically. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.