Revising the position of a city block within the morphological frame of a traditional city: Contemporary perspectives

Abstract

This paper investigates the basic theoretical concepts of urban morphology related to the phenomena of a traditional city and its constitutive elements, including the city block. The traditional city is not considered an absolute model, but a subject of morphological analysis, by which its characteristics are detected, classified and described, becoming a base for new synthetic models in the context of contemporary designing and planning. The paper provides theoretical support to further studies dealing with the practical application of theoretical knowledge and concepts of urban morphology in designing and planning. It points out that the key characteristics of a traditional city identified by morphological analysis are contained within the architectural and urban entity of a city block, which can, therefore, be considered a generative element of its urban structure. Given that the scale of a city block allows for morphological analysis, as well as providing recommendations for future urban development, these research results can be applied to the contemporary context of designing and planning. The paper fits into contemporary studies that link the fields of urban morphology and urban design.