Fractal assessment of street-level skylines: a possible means of assessing and comparing character

Abstract

Fractal analysis and the calculation of fractal dimension offers the potential for the numerical characterization of places by providing a synthetic measurement of place complexity. This paper provides a fractal analysis of street-scale urban skylines, linking the calculation of fractal dimension to the presence of the physical features making up a skyline. A technique for calculating skyline fractal dimensions is presented and suggestions are made about the use of fractal analysis in comparing the character of places.