Urban morphology as a tool for exploring the land use in residential areas: Example of New Belgrade

Abstract

The paper presents findings of research about the classification of New Belgrade?s super-blocks using the typomorphology approach and the morphogenetic analysis of urban morphology in relation to land use. The example of New Belgrade is particularly interesting given the fact that the morphological patterns of land use within its superblocks were created during the period of non-market economy in Socialism, and now it is possible to review the effect that the socio-political transition into Capitalism, which started in the 1990s, has had on its land use. As a result, a data base with the typology of residential super-blocks of New Belgrade is created: from the perspective of urban land use there are four main morphological types (with the subtypes) taking into account the morphology of the position of the buildings on the terrain, and traffic (cars-pedestrian) flows. The morphogenetic analysis reveals that after the 1990s there are processes pointing to powerful influence of land policy driven by private interests. Research findings suggest that nowadays there are negative trends of using the land in super-blocks in New Belgrade - e.g. percentage of land occupancy by buildings is getting bigger and almost 100% of the un-built soil in the newly developed super-blocks is covered /paved.