To grow or to sprawl? Land Cover Relationships in a Mediterranean City Region and implications for land use management

► Athens city region is an example of the monocentric, compact cities undergoing sprawl. ► Land cover changes significantly differed during 'compact growth' and 'sprawl' phases. ► Cropland was the land cover class with the highest probability to undergo edification. ► Environmental policy was relatively ineffective in protecting peri-urban forests.