Patterns in Morphological Evolution: Comparing Changes in Six Medieval City-Centres in the Low Countries (1720-2020)

Understanding the urban form is crucial in determining the structure of a city in terms of physical and nonphysical aspects. The physical aspects include built-up areas that can be seen on the earth surface, and the nonphysical aspects include the shape, size, density, and configuration of settlements. The objectives of this study are to (i) analyse the elements of historical urban form that are suitable for the site and (ii) to study on the elements of urban form in Melaka. Content analysis was adopted to analyse the literature of urban form and Melaka. Results show that the following four elements of urban form are suitable to be used for historical urban form analysis: (i) streets, (ii) land use, (iii) buildings, and (iv) open space. The findings also indicate that the selected urban form has successfully delineated in the historical of Melaka as the selected urban elements can be specifically scrutinized with the content analysis. Further study will focus on the historical urban form within the Malay Peninsula.

Understanding the urban form is crucial in determining the structure of a city in terms of physical and nonphysical aspects. The physical aspects include built-up areas that can be seen on the earth surface, and the nonphysical aspects include the shape, size, density, and configuration of settlements. The objectives of this study are to (i) analyse the elements of historical urban form that are suitable for the site and (ii) to study on the elements of urban form in Melaka. Content analysis was adopted to analyse the literature of urban form and Melaka. Results show that the following four elements of urban form are suitable to be used for historical urban form analysis: (i) streets, (ii) land use, (iii) buildings, and (iv) open space. The findings also indicate that the selected urban form has successfully delineated in the historical of Melaka as the selected urban elements can be specifically scrutinized with the content analysis. Further study will focus on the historical urban form within the Malay Peninsula.

The importance of urban form as a key factor affecting future development and transformation patterns is well-recognised in urban morphology. However, despite the need for a diachronic approach to rigorously understand the form-change relationship, studies utilising longitudinal datasets remain scarce, and only a small fraction employs quantitative methodologies and morphometric approaches. This paper aims to quantitatively examine how the character of urban form elements and their spatial arrangements influence patterns of physical change, and to assess the performance of geometric and configurational urban form measures of plots, buildings, and streets in explaining physical change patterns over time. We hypothesise that configurational measures, being more sensitive to the relations between urban form elements, can better explain physical changes compared to conventional geometric measures predominantly adopted thus far. To test this hypothesis, we present a diachronic and quantitative methodology to measure urban form conditions and the patterns of physical change in Midtown Manhattan through four time frames (1890, 1920, 1956, and 2021), using a longitudinal geospatial database generated from historical cartographic resources and recent digital datasets. The association between urban form and physical change is demonstrated through statistical analysis. The findings prove that while the prevailing hypotheses emphasising the effect of geometric measures, such as size and shape, are often off the mark, configurational and access-based measures of plots and streets can accurately describe the dynamic relationships between form and change. The character of urban form patterns and structures measured by configurational variables is more reliable than the individual and geometric quality of urban form elements in explaining the dynamics of physical change and persistence. Our empirical findings add to the rapidly expanding fields of urban morphometrics and provide data-informed insights to improve the resilience and adaptive capacity of urban spaces.

<p><b>In recent decades there has been growing recognition of the adverse effects that dispersed urban form has on the environment and wellbeing of urban residents. In response to growing urban populations and a global call for urban sustainability, spatial planning has shifted away from the case by case method of regulating urban development which facilitated sprawl, toward a long term strategic approach to planning future land use. Under this approach, a more sustainable vision of a city’s future layout is developed by local councils and implemented through a strategic spatial plan. However if strategic planning is to increase urban sustainability, it must address the most significant issue of sprawling cities; vehicle dependant urban transport systems, which result in high CO2 emissions among other impacts. Integrating transport and urban form elements is argued to be a key approach to address these issues. Planning urban form to increase density, destination accessibility, and diversity, reduce distance to public transport, and design (coined as the 5Ds of sustainable urban form by R Ewing, Bartholomew, Winkelman, Walters, and Chen (2007) all function to reduce travel demand and induce a shift to alternative modes of transport. This reduces vehicle kilometres travelled by people in urban areas and its associated impacts. If strategic spatial planning aims to increase urban sustainability then, it needs to integrate transport and urban form through incorporating and considering these five urban form elements.</b></p> <p>In 2014, Porirua City Council, carried out a strategic spatial planning exercise to envision a future housing development scenario in its northern periphery over the next 30 years. The plan aimed to ensure sustainable, integrated, and coordinated urban and rural development. This thesis took the form of a case study to assess the extent to which the process integrated urban form and transport in its quest to achieve urban sustainability, using the incorporation of the 5Ds as a benchmark. While opportunities to support more sustainable transport modes were identified early on in the process, the planning process did not integrate transport into decisions about urban form in a way that maximised these. This was due to a range of factors including: the lack of transport related objectives; perceptions of increased density; funding issues; and resource capacity issues within the local council.</p>

The concept of resilience was only recently introduced into urban studies to address the complexity and future uncertainty in cities. In particular, the interest in better understanding how it can be integrated into studying urban form—as the raw material of urban planning/design and key for the sustainability of cities—has been growing. However, resilience is a polysemic concept with different meanings/interpretations, which creates ambiguity and challenges in its operationalization. This paper resolves this issue through a systematic review of 106 peer-reviewed publications guided by recurring questions in the literature (e.g., resilience of/through what? To what? For whom? How? When? Where?). The results showed that the urban form–resilience relationship is complex, where many urban form elements can influence resilience to a great many disturbances (general/specified). In facing these disturbances, urban form exhibits different performances (i.e., persistence, adaptability and transformability) and where it can be either persistent/adaptable/transformable itself or can enhance people’s persistence/adaptation capacities. The review also showed that there are many actors for urban form resilience and potential trade-offs. Finally, an overview of existing definitions of urban form resilience is provided to improve clarity in the field, and examples of general urban planning/design recommendations were formulated to enhance the resilience of different urban form elements.

The increasing challenges of climate change and resource shortages have led to a global focus on sustainable development and energy consumption. Cities and buildings, as major energy consumers, play a key role in addressing these issues. Energy-efficient urban and architectural design has become a central focus for researchers and designers. While much attention has been given to building energy performance, buildings are also affected by their surrounding urban environment, meaning that district-scale urban form also impacts energy consumption. Previous studies have focused on elements such as density, floor-area ratio (FAR), and building height, but these alone do not fully describe the urban space created by buildings. Block-scale indicators should also be considered. These indicators affect public space quality and pedestrian experience, making it necessary to explore their relationship with building energy performance. This study proposes key public space indicators, such as alignment ratio, effective street length, and street space density, based on urban design guidelines and practice. By designing six urban form types with the same FAR but different public space indicators, the study simulates energy consumption for each type. The research results indicate that courtyard-dominated form types outperform tower and slab types in terms of both low energy consumption and high public space contribution. The difference between the best and worst energy performance is 9%, while the difference in urban design form indicators can be as high as 11.5 times. Additionally, for morphological types with similar energy consumption, the differences in urban design form indicators are approximately 1.7 times and 4.6 times, respectively. These results suggest the existence of urban form types that can simultaneously optimize energy performance and public space contribution. Even morphological types that perform slightly worse in one aspect have the potential for balance and optimization, thereby offering new possibilities and inspiration for early-stage considerations of morphological types in practical urban design processes. The study compares the results to examine the relationship between urban form elements, particularly design indicators, and building energy performance, aiming to offer a design perspective that balances low-energy districts with high-quality public spaces.

The premise of this paper is that cities, such as Lincoln, Nebraska, which possesses a modern architectural heritage (mainly American Victorian and early twentieth century), and are in a constant process of development, can offer unexplored urban form configurations typical for current urban circumstances. The study method is divided into two stages. The first stage of the analysis includes the identification of four predetermined categories of urban form elements. The urban form element as such is viewed as an integration of urban physical attributes (geometric shape, size, materials) and content (uses, activities). The second stage of the analysis attempts to identify ways by which urban form elements are arranged and create urban form configuration types. Six categories of arrangements have been identified. The criteria, used to analyse the attributes of the urban elements and their arrangements into typical form configurations, derive from ecological and anthropological sources.

This study investigates certain correlations of the impacts of the individual level, urban character, and urban form on individuals′ selection of cars as a means of transportation. It applies the 5Ds (density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, distance to transit), major elements of urban character and form which are believed to decrease the frequency of choosing to use a car. This expanded concept is widely understood to comprise means to promote walking while reducing automobile use. According to urban form theories, the compact city concept is deemed to reduce both vehicle travel and transport energy consumption. The study applies a hierarchical generalized liner model (HGLM), a statistical technique that simultaneously analyzes individual- and urban-level characteristics. The analysis results show that control at the individual level is required in order to properly analyze effective urban character and urban form elements; this enables a reduction in the choice of using a car. The 5Ds demonstrate a significant relation to decreasing the frequency of deciding to use a car. In contrast to existing research, this study drew more elaborate results by introducing a new research method for the more effective examination of individual- and urban-level characteristics.

Over the last decade, there has been a rapid increase in the amount of literature on the measurement of urban form simulation. The evolution of urban form studies have been conducted but in existing prediction changes of urban from have not been practiced especially in Sri Lankan spatial planning context. In this background, this research examines the applicability of Fractal Geometry as a method to simulate changes in urban form in Sri Lankan Context and study the relationship between the Fractal Dimension (FD) of Distribution of Transport Network and Buildings. This paper employs mass-radius method to identify the relationship between urban form elements in City of Colombo. Accordingly, study has been conducted urban form studies and calculated FD of road and built-up area has been done using mass-radius method. Findings of the study have revealed a strong correlation and linear relationship between the fractal dimensions of road and built-form. Since there is a strong relationship between FDs of urban form elements and urban form can be simulated. Finally the study concludes Fractal Geometry as a method to simulate urban form changes in Sri Lankan context.

Purpose While there have been improvements to urban fire risk reduction in recent decades, these gains have not been experienced in all locations. Historical precincts in developing countries are still at high risk of urban fire due to their urban form features. However, research on how to reduce risk in this context is limited. This research aims to investigate how the urban form of the Mandalay historical precinct contributes to urban fire risk, and how this risk might be addressed in future. Design/methodology/approach This research applied an embedded single case study approach. An analytical framework for the assessment of seven urban form elements was developed. The physical characteristics of these urban form elements in the Mandalay historical precinct were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings The results indicate that urban form in the Mandalay historical precinct contributes to increased urban fire risk due to the precinct’s concentrated and largely unplanned development pattern. Traditional building style, the lack of building setbacks, limited open space and narrow road networks are likely to facilitate the growth and spread of urban fire, should ignition occur. Moreover, a lack of access to functional fire hydrants can interrupt firefighting processes. The research identifies where improvement to the management of urban form can be made to decrease urban fire risk in the Mandalay historical precinct. Originality/value The research reported in this article contributes to improving urban fire risk reduction through urban form management in historical precincts. The article demonstrates how to assess urban fire risk in culturally important historic areas. The analytical framework developed can be applied to other cities in developing countries.

Urban form resilience: A meso-scale analysis

Urban renewal undertaken to respond to physical deterioration and decay within cities resulted in various changes. The changes can impact on physical, socio-economic, and meaning aspects attached to various features, thus affecting the urban landscape identity of the city. Urban renewal in Africa is undertaken in the existing built forms in post-colonial times with the works impacting on city identities. Cities are striving to be unique and distinct, in order to attract and promote world trade and tourism, making city identity an issue of great concern. This study postulates that a city’s uniqueness and distinctiveness lie in its landscape identity that should be highly considered when upgrading urban environments in renewals. This study aims to investigate the impact of changes in urban form elements, due to urban renewal, on landscape identity. This is a case study analysis of Kisumu City, Kenya, which has recently undergone the upgrading of urban forms. A sample of 384 participants were involved in the field survey, 12 participants for the photo elicitation interview (PEI), and four key informants. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. The survey results supported by PEI responses revealed that renewal changes of urban physical forms had a positive impact on the city’s landscape identity, thus making it a visually appealing place. The vast majority of the respondents were satisfied with both the various components implemented and the overall outcome. They opined that the city had become a different but better place. The article highlights concern for the preservation of urban landscape identity within urban renewal projects in the post-colonial era.

Starting the operation of the MRT in Jakarta will affect the urban form on pedestrian lanes around the MRT area. Urban form is used to describe the physical characteristics of a city. Which are the characteristics that build the area, including the shape, size, density, and configuration of settlements. This research wants to find out the impact of the presence of MRT on urban forms on pedestrian lanes before and after the MRT operates because it will cause changes in the characteristics and quality of urban forms on the pedestrian lanes of the MRT Region. There are several methods used in this research, literature studies, interviews, and observations of various urban form elements (density, land use, access and infrastructure, layout, and building characteristics) on pedestrian lanes in the Bundaran HI MRT station area. The conclusion of this research is to find out the characteristics and quality changes of urban forms on pedestrian lanes formed in the MRT area.

Due to urbanization, air pollution has become one of the most serious environmental problems, threatening human health and causing adverse effects on other environments. In order to improve air quality, it is necessary to analyze the relationship between urban form and air pollution and propose optimization strategies. This study is dedicated to collecting PM2.5 concentration data on different grades of roads through mobile monitoring technology, which is then corrected using national fixed monitoring stations. At the same time, combining the meteorological data obtained during the experiment by fixed-point monitoring, RF model was used to deeply analyze the influence of urban form on PM2.5 concentration, providing a scientific and effective reference basis for urban planning. The results showed that the PM2.5 concentration in autumn was significantly higher than that in summer, and the pollution in the southern region was heavier than that in the northern region. The influence of different urban forms on buffer radius is different. Mean building height, population density, floor area ratio and impervious surface proportion are the key urban form indicators affecting PM2.5. In future urban planning, it is recommended to reasonably control building heights within a 500-meter buffer zone along roads, optimize urban building layouts, and promote population relocation from old urban areas to expand urban green space and alleviate PM2.5 pollution in Urumqi. Therefore, quantitative analysis of the relationship between PM2.5 concentrations and urban form elements can assist decision-makers in urban planning and management.

Establishing new cities and communities to absorb the growth of the population is an urban regime for urban development; especially in developing countries like Egypt. Despite the massive construction done in new cities, people, as well as activities, are still attracted to traditional ones, where livability and walkability are well distinguished. That is all connected to what people perceive from the designed built environment. Much literature addresses this subjective relationship by specifying, measuring, and evaluating. Recent ones have correlated certain physical features and perceptual qualities related to walkability. This research aims to specify more this relationship by deducting design parameters that quantify perceptual walkable urban form. It measures 5 streets in 6 areas, which are already attracting walking and diverse activities in Greater Cairo. The research uses SPSS software to generate averages and ranges which represent values to describe certain urban form elements, the research concluded that different types of urban typologies endorse certain perceptual qualities more than others as well as present guiding design parameters for urban form elements that would help generate a well-perceived walkable urban form.