Green urbanism, namely in the form of consolidated urban green spaces (UGSs), has gained traction along with the reformist impetus of urban design, based on the ideal of efficient, functional, sustainable cities that promote a better quality of life for their citizens and on the notion of making urban expansion compatible with natural resources. Using a diachronic analysis (1995–2020) of the orthophoto maps of 38 UGSs included in the last version of the main municipality’s legislation, framed within the Plano Director Municipal (PDM), whose first version was approved in 1994, we assessed the situation and evolution of the UGSs in the centre of Lisbon, Portugal. We conclude that with fewer or more incidences, depending on the periods analysed, the structure of UGSs in the centre of Lisbon has undergone significant changes, whether in terms of the implementation and requalification of existing UGSs or in terms of the increment and quality of UGSs (space created), thus respecting to a lesser or greater degree the strategic lines defined in various plans, as is the case of the PDM itself, but also of other important documents, such as the Carta Estratégica 2010–2024, Estratégia de Reabilitação Urbana 2011–2024 and Estratégia Regional de Lisboa 2030.

An appropriate urban density is a vital part of a sustainable urban fabric. However, when it comes to measuring the built urban fabric and how people walk through it and use, a difficulty has been observed in defining applicable measurement tools. With the intention of identifying the variables that will allow the best characterization of this fabric and movement, a multi-variable analysis methodology from the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is proposed. The main objective of this paper is to prove the capacity of AI as an evolving research method in urban morphology and specifically to evaluate the capacity of such a methodology to measure the way in which people travel through defined multi-levels of typologies of public urban space. The research uses the case of Hong Kong as a dense city that is three-dimensionally activated in terms of its public realm, not just at street level, but also via below ground subways and upper-level walkways, public and quasi-public spaces. This includes the three-dimensional volumetric assessment of public and quasi-public space typologies within a highly dense city. For the purpose of the study, a characterization and term definition of these spaces has been further developed: “Junctions”, “Landmarks”, “Intersections”, “Districts”, “Passages” and “Lobbies” (both outdoor and indoor) based on Lynch’s 5 main key elements (District, landmark, path, edges, node). The results obtained using AI prove to be more robust and rational than those based on a more limited range of tools, evidencing that using AI can offer operational opportunities for better understanding of morphological and typological evolution within the vertical and volumetric built urban fabric.

This paper aims to examine the role of architecture in social production and consumption of space, using public markets –architectural artifacts with rich social contents– as cases. This research adopts Low’s (2017) concept of social production of space and Dovey’s (2010) social constructivism of place to uncover the social production and consumption of public markets’ space. Cihapit and Pamoyanan market in Bandung, Indonesia, are selected as research cases, due to their cultural contents, appealing to consumers from middle to upper class society. It is found several roles of architecture in social production and consumption of public market space: building typology and morphology signifies historical context of development; architectural buildings contributes to formalize trading activities and elevating social class of market traders; commodities zoning is organized based on functional and socio-historical consideration; spatial intensity is determined by access and commodities zoning; informal atmosphere emerges as a distinctive advantage of public markets; and spatial quality is relative depends on governance capacity. Although normative criteria for good design can be formulated, in practice, spatial quality of public market is relative and depends on its capacity for spatial governmentality. By exploring social production and consumption of space and place provides broader perspective on the social practices of architecture, emphasizing its contribution for social and humanity studies.

At the turn of the 20th century, the ideas of the English garden city movement influenced the designers and the governments not only regarding the design of the cities but in different aspects, including the design of industrial settlements. The factories built in the early 20th century mostly employed the ideals of the modern movement and turned the factories into a social reform for workers and the cities where these factories were located. Nazilli Sümerbank Textile (Cotton) Printing Factory is one of these social factories, which can be recognised as a self-contained factory complex that was participating in the social transformation of the area. The aim of this paper is to conduct research regarding the impact of the social factories on the cities and society through the case study of Nazilli Sümerbank Textile (Cotton) Printing Factory and document its workers’ settlements.

What might have led to the fundamental changes in the built environment during the 20th century? While factors such as postwar reconstruction, urbanization, industrialization, shifts in style, or socio-political changes are surely involved, there may be deeper influences that are associated with the structure and dynamics of the human brain. Iain McGilchrist’s hemisphere hypothesis proposes that the differences between the left and right hemispheres are not functional but embody opposing approaches to the world: the left sees an atomized world made of things to be controlled and manipulated for survival; the right sees an interconnected world of wholes with which it is deeply related. McGilchrist observes that in recent centuries, there has been an increasing shift in the West towards the left hemisphere’s approach. Christopher Alexander’s lifelong quest for wholeness in the built world resonates with McGilchrist’s observations as applied to the field of architecture. Alexander observed that today’s built environment is an expression of our civilization seeing the world as a giant mechanism made of parts rather than an indivisible whole. In response, Alexander developed design methods that approach the world as a unified whole and the building of new places as a further unfolding of that whole.

Wrought iron was a determining material in historic times. Although it was mainly used for manufacturing tools and weapons it was also applied for architectural purposes as building structural or architectural elements. In this paper the impact of material and technology of forging on the shaping and the design of wrought iron building structural and architectural elements from the time of the first known application to the 20th century in Europe is analyzed, distinguishing five main periods which are divided by four determining technological shifts in material production and consequently forging technology. Several phenomena are delighted regarding the appearance of the artifacts and the characteristics of the material, which reveal connections between technology and architectural design. The observations are validated by visual analyses of wrought iron samples.

Throughout history, dozens of epidemics have appeared cyclically, often causing devastating effects. Some of them, such as plague, cholera, and tuberculosis, have led to significant social, economic, and political consequences, with evident repercussions on cities and architecture. In this regard, urban planning has played an essential role in improving life expectancy and limiting the spread of epidemics. This work aims to study the influence of prevalent pandemics on architecture and urbanism over the centuries to comprehend their response and adaption to new health and social requirements. Through a process of investigation and in-depth examination of the literature review, it has been possible to understand the impact of pandemics in cities. The appearance of the first preventive measures during the plague period, the urban interventions to combat the cholera outbreak, and the neat architectural features adopted following the appearance of tuberculosis are witnesses to this process. Professionals and academics are reflecting on the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, which will affect the practice of architecture and urban design. Thanks to the results obtained, it will be possible to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on contemporary cities, understand their potential resilience and hypothesise future strategies.

This article reveals that the problem of sedimentation on the coast causes the loss of the old city. Sedimentation caused the Demak sultanate (1478–1586) no longer be on the coast and lose its power as a Maritime kingdom. What was the old Demak city shape? Historical records state that the strait had become a swamp and experienced frequent flooding. After going through three generations from 1478–1546, the fourth king moved the Demak to Prawata Hill (1546– 1549 AD). Due to the lack of maps and historical data, we analyze the old Demak using maps and pictures of contemporary Javanese sultanate cities such as Cirebon (1506-present) and Banten (1526–1815). We also use its predecessor kingdom, Majapahit (1293 to 1527 AD) as a reference and the successor sultanate as an analytical tool. The long-lasting sultanate had a city centre that grew and developed with complete urban facilities and infrastructure. The sultanate had a short life; the city core was still intact as the city nucleus, like Demak. Due to geological problems, the king needed more time to complete the city plan with city facilities. Demak was a transitional city from the Hindu/Buddhist-Islamic concept and coastal city to the inland concept.

Local reports from different international societies have considered the achievement of the successful Glocalized architecture model in line with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Aga Khan Cultural Foundation’s International Program for Islamic Architecture has also prioritized the understanding of the success drivers in architectural projects. This study aimed to detect the potentials of the common global indicators to access qualitative design assessment through analyzing the Aga Khan Award’s reports. The selected methodology in the present study is a quantitative approach using the systematic content analysis and coding techniques for qualitative data obtained from the technical. The physical, non-physical, modern, and traditional factors that have contributed to the success of the works as well as their combinations were extracted and analyzed using Sensible and Abstract international, national, and local indications. There is a relative superiority for Sensible indications (A combination of modern and physical factors). The hybrid data distribution provides the ground to assess the works, and this can be used to manage the globalization challenges in the contemporary architecture of Muslim societies.

A major transformation in contemporary cities is the evolution of the urban core. This paper investigated the issues associated with the surge of shopping malls as an alternative public space and how they may be classified as an “urban core” of contemporary cities. This paper aimed to interpret a new form of urban core and its set of spatial indicators relative to its socio-spatial network with its surroundings. This paper also aimed to introduce spatial indicators of urban core for the practical use of institutional units on how to create equally attractive public place alternatives to shopping malls. The paper argued that shopping malls with significant floor areas, accumulated over the years, substantially influence their surrounding area by increasing lot density and linkages. While these shopping mall complexes do not meet the threshold population to be considered “urban core”, the case studies have demonstrated that shopping malls can establish social hubs that centralize urban activities, and construct a “place” or “destination” with congregated urban services such as public plazas and public transport network.