Future scenario simulation in the metropolitan area of Granada using models based on cellular automata

The planning and design of metropolitan growth scenarios establishes an opportunity to explore possible future urban growth trends and patterns. Simulations models constitute a useful tool to show the spatial characteristics of different scenarios and their subsequent evaluation and assessment. This paper explores three possible urban growth scenarios (2020) for the Metropolitan Area of Granada, which have been simulated using a model based on cellular automata (CA) specifically developed for this task. The results will show the spatial characteristics of the three scenario set, as well as the suitability of the model to simulate different urban growth trends and patterns.