Abstract
The principal aim of this paper is to present the capabilities of newly developed GIS tools for measurement analysis of urban spatial layouts, using the square grid method. The study of urban morphology and metrology is a multistage process, which involves the metrological analysis of town plans. The main research step is the determination of measurement modules of town layouts, using the square grid. By using GIS software, the authors developed a new tool, named HGIS Tools, which allow to create any number of modular grids with the selected cell size that corresponds to urban units of distance and surface area. When investigating a large number of towns and cities, this offers a significant improvement of the research procedure. The paper presents a test of the tool’s potential on the example of regular medieval towns from the area of the former Teutonic Order state (currently the territory of Poland), diversified in terms of size, genesis and morphometrics. The obtained results confirmed that HGIS Tools allowed to determine the hypothetical measurement module of the layout of the cities studied. The results were consistent with the analyses of other authors carried out with the traditional grid-square methods. The test of the HGIS Tools showed their significant potential in conducting morphometric analyses of spatial arrangements of urban spatial layout on a larger scale.
Highlights
The purpose of this paper is to present the possible use of GIS tools for the measurement analysis of urban spatial layouts, using the square grid method
The functionality of the HGIS Tool set was presented by overlaying a number of square grids on archival and modern maps of the chosen towns
This paper presents the possible use of the HGIS Tools set developed by the authors for measurement analysis of urban spatial layouts, using the square grid method
Summary
The purpose of this paper is to present the possible use of GIS tools for the measurement analysis of urban spatial layouts, using the square grid method. ̨. The main criterion for the selection of the research group was the regularity of spatial planning and similar period of origin and territorial vicinity, resulting from being located by the same investor—the State of the Teutonic Order. The article is an introduction to a study of the measurement of a larger group of cities in the area of former Prussia, and its main purpose is to present and test the tool. Morphological studies of the settlement are the domain of archaeology [3,4] Each of these disciplines uses its own research apparatus, which emphasizes the different methodological aspects and sources. The main barriers include the shortcomings of the source base, both written and cartographic, which often forces the hypothetical nature of many analyses [5,6]
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