A Global, Standardized City Segment Morphological Deprivation (CSMD) Model: Preprocessing, Training, Predictions, and Cross-Dataset Comparisons

This repository archives the data products supporting the City Segment Morphological Deprivation (CSMD) model, a globally standardized framework for mapping morphological deprivation at the neighborhood scale across 5,132 cities in 103 countries.

The CSMD workflow integrates harmonized built-environment indicators from City Segments v1 with IDEABench reference labels to train a supervised Random Forest classifier. Internal validation is performed using a Leave-One-City-Out (LOCO) cross-validation framework, and the final production model is trained on 100% of the labelled data prior to global deployment. The trained model is subsequently applied to all available city segments to generate global-scale deprivation predictions.

This Zenodo record contains all the required scripts, files, figures, and datasets required to replicate the study, including:

• Final trained Random Forest model (.joblib)
• Global segment-level prediction outputs
• LOCO validation metrics
• Country-level and global aggregation tables
• Comparative alignment outputs with:
  • Slum Severity Index (SSI)
  • Million Neighbourhoods (MN)
  • WRI Intra-Urban Land-Use dataset
• Intermediate processed datasets required for reproducibility.

The folder is organized into:

1. Preprocessing (segment preparation and label construction)
2. Model training and LOCO validation
3. Global application and aggregation
4. Cross-dataset comparative analysis
5. Figures and tables for manuscript reproduction

The CSMD model is designed as a scalable screening and prioritization tool that can be iteratively updated as new labelled data and improved global geospatial products become available.

Veeravalli, S.G., Blei, A., Friesen, J., Tareke, B., Kuffer, M., Persello, C., Maretto, R., Abascal, A., Georganos, S. and Thomson, D.R., 2025. The Hidden Burden of Morphological Deprivation in Small and Medium Cities. Under Revision, Nature Cities