# Global urban structural growth shows a profound shift from spreading out to building up

*PRI Rank #19 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Land Use and Ecosystem Services Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/land-use-and-ecosystem-services/2026/rank-19*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #19 |
| 18m citations | 80 |
| Journal | Nature Cities |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s44284-024-00100-1 |
| Corresponding authors | Steve Frolking |
| Institution | University of New Hampshire, United States |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Land Use and Ecosystem Services Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/land-use-and-ecosystem-services/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1038/s44284-024-00100-1](https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-024-00100-1)

## Topics

urban building growth rates · space-borne sensors · scatterometers · Building fractional cover · Landsat imagery · Building fractional cover · microwave backscatter · Building volume · Urban expansion · vertical urban development · Asian cities · material and energy use · local climate · Urban expansion · densification

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Land Use and Ecosystem Services Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/land-use-and-ecosystem-services/2026. Accessed 2026-10-29.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```