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Incessant spatial expansion of cities, the increasing socio-spatial segregation, and rising levels of emissions severely affect the underlying environment and generate emerging and unsustainable structures. The approach of complex systems, urban ecology and landscape ecology helps us to understand some of the properties of this urban growth. In order to do this, the urban landscape fragmentation of 43 Chilean urban systems were calculated, between 1993, 2003 and 2011, using landscape metrics: fragmentation, elongation and isolation. Spatial layers of the Urban Observatory (MINVU) were processed in Fragstat program. Also, a scaling of the cities according to the level of CO2 emissions is carried out in an exploratory way. The results show that Santiago presents the highest percentages of fragmentation and maximum growth, along with the cities Arica and Calama; most of the cities undergo elongation processes and most of them increase their isolation (Illapel, San Antonio and Copiapó). On the other hand, the scaling of the emissions presents sublineal pace (0,8). The data show a heterogeneous allometry that depends very closely on the quality of the data used, moving from a model city relatively compact to a diffuse and disperse one. The spatial simulation methods of urban sprawl and urban scaling can be useful as a proxy of urban sustainability, aiding to determine the global trends of urban sprawl and forecasts how will be the evolution of the urban systems.