Fringe Belt Research Articles

Delineation of aquifers and evaluation of protective capacity using geoelectrical indices in the Vindhyan fringe belt, Mirzapur district, U.P., India

Delineation of aquifers and evaluation of protective capacity using geoelectrical indices in the Vindhyan fringe belt, Mirzapur district, U.P., India

The morphological evolution of Chinese urban cemeteries from the perspective of fringe belt: A case study of Nanjing

The urban cemetery is the material carrier of citizens' view of life and death, and it also evolves with time as a special part of the urban form. Since the reform of the housing system in the 1990s, China has entered a period of rapid urbanization, and the urban cemeteries has entered a cycle of shock and accelerated transformation. The cemeteries originally located on the urban fringe were gradually surrounded by new built-up areas as the city sprawled, and then most of them inevitably migrated outward under the pressure of urban population explosion and land shortage. Taking Nanjing as an example, this paper presents the morphological evolution of Nanjing's urban cemetery since the early 20th century, discusses the relationship between the evolution of the cemetery and the urban fringe belt, and analyzes the reasons for its evolution. The different types of morphological evolution of Nanjing cemetery are further summarized, revealing the general law and its Chinese particularity. The article concludes with a discussion of the value and significance of morphological research on urban cemeteries in China.

An overview of fringe belt literature through studies from different perspectives

The fringe belt phenomenon, which was conceptually put forth by Herbert Luis in 1936, developed by M.R.G. Conzen starting from 1960, and placed on a historico-geographical basis in the context of urban rent theories by J.W.R. Whitehand, has been studied by researchers with different perspectives in cities developed with distinct socio-economic and cultural dynamics in various parts of the world. This paper aims to reveal how the fringe belt concept, which emerged within the Conzenian tradition of urban morphology turn into a phenomenon, has been handled from the time it first appeared to the present, to examine the contribution of different perspectives to the fringe belt literature and to present suggestions for the development of the concept. Selected from peer-viewed journals and academic conferences, 53 different fringe belt studies were examined according to their publication periods, within the framework of spatial, economic, social, and planning perspectives previously discussed by Ünlü (2013) as well as the ecological perspective. In this context, the selected studies are examined based on the case areas, methodology, and main findings on fringe belt formation and change. Property perspective is discussed as a hybrid approach in fringe belt studies. Finally, further research proposals are emphasized in order to realize the fringe belt phenomenon as durable and sustainable urban spaces.

The heritage of industrial fringe belts in the logic of a modern city development

Modern urban development strategies are aimed at rationalizing land use, which leads to the search for inefficiently used territories, which include industrial conversion heritage - sites of liquidated production enterprises, modernized transport hubs. The object of the study is industrial fringe belts as a structural component of the city plan. The author considers the processes of formation of industrial fringe belts as a result of natural urban growth and their transformation in the dynamics of the development of a modern city. The analysis of the formation of industrial fringe belts in the planning structure of domestic and foreign cities is carried out. The international experience and legislative aspects of reconstruction of industrial and conversion heritage in the structure of a modern city are considered. The study summarizes theoretical views on the degraded industrial conversion territories. The main directions of transformation of industrial and conversion heritage in the structure of fringe belts are presented. Depending on the availability of valuable buildings and the size of the site, reconstruction may involve both the introduction of a new function with the preservation of architectural volume, and the total demolition of the existing buildings and the formation of a new spatial solution. The functional and spatial features of the fringe belt sites are described. The necessity of identifying the sites of industrial fringe belts as a single interconnected system for a more comprehensive assessment of the potential for the transformation of industrial-conversion territories is substantiated.

Tracking Morphological Agencies in the Alienated Fringe Belt Plots of Istanbul

Fringe belts, founded on the peripheries of the city and thereafter being embedded in urbanized areas, can transform in time. They may either modify without losing the fringe belt character or alienate by being absorbed in residential or commercial growth. Especially in large cities with strong and rapid dynamics of change, the concept of fringe belt alienation can be a focal node for monitoring the transformations. Besides the morphological aspects, it is significant to examine the agencies that play roles behind these transformations. This paper intends to make contributions to the fringe belt literature in terms of morphological agencies by analyzing the alienated fringe belt plots in Istanbul that has the characteristics of both an ancient historical city and a megacity of today. The research deals with three major subjects: Istanbul’s fringe belt development, alienated fringe belt plots by morphology, configuration and property, and agencies involved in the alienation processes. Firstly, inner, middle, and outer fringe belts of Istanbul are identified. Their formation phases are observed to put forth a typical narrative of Istanbul’s urban development. Then, alienated fringe belt plots are analyzed with four case studies. The plot development cycles are examined to reveal the relationship between the plot and the building in each case. This examination addresses the phases of the formation and the first cycle of plot development. Second cycles are observed as the result of the transformations both in form and utilization. Finally, morphological agency networks of the cases are displayed by elaborating the active agents in transformation phases. They are categorized into five groups and analyzed by a network analysis. The motivations behind the agent behavior which reflect the periodization of urban development in Istanbul are also unveiled in this paper.

Retain the common ground: implications of research on fringe belt and urban green infrastructure for urban landscape revitalisation, a case of Quanzhou

Recent studies present a confluence, although rarely discussed, of urban morphology and urban green infrastructure (UGI), considering their growing concern for green space planning and management during landscape revitalisation. This research thus explores their under-investigated associations: the significance of the fringe belt (FB) as both a morphological concept and physical entity for UGI planning. Following the direction of this intersection, it explores the implications for urban landscape revitalisation, taking a UNESCO cultural-historical city Quanzhou (China) as a case study. The case study follows a historico-geographical approach to landscape analysis. The collected information is synthesised into the ArcGIS platform to create diachronic models to support the analysis. It presents interconnections of the uncoordinated redevelopment of inner FB, disintegration of the green-space system, and socio-spatial and environmental problems in Quanzhou. An integrated spatial strategy is recommended to retain the connectivity, accessibility, and multifunctionality of its inner FB as UGI for landscape revitalisation.

City fortifications and the form of European cities, with special reference to Croatia

Developments on the sites of bastion fortifications are often welldesigned expansions of city cores with mainly public buildings, representative residential buildings and public spaces. The transformation of bastion fortifications in the Croatian towns of Karlovac and Osijek in the earlytwentieth century resulted in the creation of urban landscapes that can be compared in their characteristics with similar areas in major cities such as Frankfurt, Hamburg and Copenhagen. Developments in these two towns are comparable to those in the nineteenth century in many parts of Europe. They are inner fringe belts forming boundary zones between historically and morphologically distinct housing areas.

Large-scale urban development and the possibility of new models in fringe-belt studies: the question of the ‘umbrella fringe belt’

Large-scale urban development and the possibility of new models in fringe-belt studies: the question of the ‘umbrella fringe belt’

Large-scale urban development and the possibility of new models in fringe-belt studies: the question of the ‘umbrella fringe belt’

Large-scale urban development and the possibility of new models in fringe-belt studies: the question of the ‘umbrella fringe belt’

Thinking about urban fringe belts: a Mediterranean perspective

Four perspectives on fringe belts are discussed: spatial, economic, social and planning. The characteristics of previous studies are examined in relation to these perspectives. In this light the investigation of the fringe belts, especially the inner fringe belt, of the Mediterranean port city of Mersin reveals the emergence of three distinct functional sections within the inner fringe belt and the merging of the inner and middle fringe belts. Phases and processes of development are examined. The absence of a significant fixation line until the construction of the ring road well into the post-war period has been a major factor influencing the historico-geographical pattern of fringebelt development. The findings are related to those of previous fringe-belt studies.

Development of Krasnoyarsk planning structure

The planning structure of Krasnoyarsk was formed under the influence of various urban planning ideas and concepts. The current trends in the development of the city are analyzed based on the changed types of the economy and ideas about the urban environment. Open data bases make it possible to analyze the structure of the development, the distribution of employment objects, services, and the processes of their transformation. In the structure of Krasnoyarsk, the authors point out the sequence of the development of the urban landscape, morphotypes of the residential areas, fringe belts, and the typology of the lower tier of buildings.

Em busca de uma compreensão progressiva dos assentamentos informais: a contribuição do conceito de cinturas periféricas

Abstract Urban morphology is a body of knowledge concerned with the physical form of cities. It includes several theories, concepts, and methodologies. One of these is the fringe-belt. Fringe-belts are intimately related to the process of urban development: in a city, each period of growth is followed by a phase of slow growth or no growth, in which land is occupied by specific uses, mostly institutional, industrial, and open spaces. The concept was firstly proposed in Central Europe, and it has been recently applied into different geographical contexts to describe and explain this sequence of periods of expansion and stagnation of cities. However, the application of the concept into the Global South is less explored. The usefulness of fringe belts for planning practice (addressing conservation and transformation) and its ecological nature (including the recognition and maintenance of significant open spaces) has been discussed. Using the case study of Salvador, Brazil, this paper argues for an innovative dimension of the concept: its relation to informal settlements and its relevance to study the peripheral growth in Southern cities.

An integrated spatial strategy for the inner fringe belt as an operational entity

An integrated spatial strategy for the inner fringe belt as an operational entity

Historico-geographical approach in the study of urban form: roots, development and reflections in the study of Mersin, Turkey

This study focuses on the emergence and development of historico-geographical approach that is systematized by M.R.G. Conzen in the mid-twentieth century through his studies of English cities. The background of historico-geographical approach was discussed in a detailed way. And the ideas of M.R.G. Conzen was examined in many early and recent studies. This study aims to identify the philosophical background of historico-geographical approach throughout its historical development and seeks to answer whether it would be appropriate to adopt the basic concepts and principles of investigation to the Turkish cities, with a focus on the city of Mersin. The research on the urban form of Mersin was uncovered before in elsewhere, but they were concentrated on the specific concepts and processes of historico-geographical approach. This study aims to reveal the comprehensive framework to investigate a city from a Conzenian view. The study on Mersin revealed that the urban growth pattern of the city brought about amalgamation of inner and middle fringe belts, and occurrence of an ‘umbrella fringe belt’, while dialectical interaction of morphological agents resulted in emergence of morphogenetic types in the interplay of building and plot patterns.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ СРЕДЫ СОВРЕМЕННОГО ГОРОДА (на примере Красноярска)

Urban planning concepts for mass housing construction were tested in the cities of Russia before the XXI century, the legislative framework changed, the centralized architectural activity lost its force. The diversification of the economy, the development of socio-cultural processes radically changed the approach to the formation of the city environment. The fulfillment of the requirements for the intensification and rationality of the use of territories without a comprehensive study of the city morphology changing often leads to the environment deformations. The purpose of the study is to identify the tendencies of the city morphology development under the influence of changes in ideas about the environmental quality. The city environment is understood as the unity of the natural and anthropogenic landscape, as well as the effective force – the citizens. In the study, the tasks were: to identify the most sustainable elements of the natural framework, constructed areas in a historical sequence; to determine the morphological periods of the Krasnoyarsk development, morphotops of the residential territories; to investigate the structure of the city fringe belts; to formulate the tendencies of the development of lower tier pf the residential housing and public spaces as the most susceptible to change under the influence of socio-cultural processes; to formulate the tendencies of the morphological development of Krasnoyarsk. To determine the boundaries of morphotops, calculate indicators CIS-tools with georeferenced data were used. To analyze the functional density of saturation of morphotopes with objects of small and medium-size business geoanalytical visualization of “functional flows” was performed. To assess pedestrian accessibility and visual connectivity, a spatial syntax method was used in the work. The main results of the calculated indicators were produced be the method of exploratory data analysis/ As a result of the study, the socio-cultural processes influencing the development of the morphology of the city were established; morphological period of the city development, morphotops of residential arears have been determined, changes have been made to the typology of public spaces, the concept of fringe belts has been confirmed, a new type of fixation line has been established, the pattern of development of lower tier of residential housing have been investigated. These results characterize he features of the transformation of the city environment and can be used for the purpose of architectural and urban design.

Urban Sprawl: Environmental Consequence of Rapid Urban Expansion

Urban Sprawl is a disturbing issue to geographers, urban planners and allied professionals in the 21st century. The anxiety is based mainly on the social, political, economic, cultural and environmental consequences of rapid urban growth. Hence, this study examines the reasons for urbanization, as well as encroachment of urban development into the border belt. Next, the study probes into the causes, consequences and adverse effects of uncontrolled infringement and conversion of rural land to urban uses. Likewise, the study investigates the processes of land use development, population expansion and physical growth, as well as their ecological foot prints. Consequently, the study identified the major causes of urban sprawl as rapid population increase, high level of urban development pressure, provision of housing, changes in living standard, as well as technological changes among others. Also, the study found out that urban sprawl is desirable because of the benefits of spread of development, low rent at the periphery, as well as lesser pressure on the environment of the border belt. Also, the effects of urban sprawl were recognized as destruction of the means of livelihood of the rural dwellers at the urban fringe belt, land fragmentation, food scarcity, changes in the ecosystem, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, as well as loss of wildlife habitat. For the achievement of sustainable urban development in the 21st century and beyond, the study recommends environmental monitoring with the aid of geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques, environmental impact assessment, development control, farm land policy, regulation of land allocation, sustainable land use management, as well as enforcement of planning policies.

Public and Ecological Significance of Fringe Belts: The Case of Military Areas in İzmir

1960’lı yıllar itibariyle kent coğrafyacıları tarafından morfolojik açıdan ele alınan çeper kuşak kavramı, son yıllarda kentsel planlama ve tasarım alanlarında artan bir ilgi görmektedir. Kentin büyümesiyle kent içine gömülü kalan çeper kuşak alanları, kent ekolojisi ve sürdürülebilir kentsel gelişim için önemli olan periferik arazi kullanımlarını barındırmaya devam etmektedir. Çeper kuşak kavramı, çeper kuşakların kentteki yerini, fonksiyonunu ve değerini kavramak ve bu alanlar üzerindeki farklı planlama yaklaşımlarının etkilerini görmek açısından önemlidir. Çeper kuşaklar sıklıkla kent mirası ve ekolojik koridor özellikleriyle tampon bölge yaratarak kentin doğal alanlar üzerindeki negatif etkilerini azaltabilirler. Ayrıca sıklıkla açık ve yeşil alan kullanımlarıyla kentsel ısı adası etkisini azaltıcı etki gösterirler. Ancak, hızlı kentleşme ve boş arazilere duyulan ihtiyaç sonucunda, kent merkezi ve çevresindeki çeper kuşaklar yabancılaşmaya maruz kalmaktadır. Çeper kuşak yabancılaşması, kent gelişiminin temel sorunlarından biri olarak ele alınmalıdır. Bu çalışma, yakın gelecekte askeri alanların şehir dışına taşınacağı öngörüsüne bir yanıt olarak, İzmir’in çeper kuşaklarının bir bölümünü oluşturan askeri alanlara odaklanmakta; bu alanların barındırdığı açık yeşil alanların kentsel ekolojiye ve kamu yararına etkisini değerlendirmekte ve olası yabancılaşma risklerine karşı çeper kuşak planlaması önermektedir.

Green space, fringe belts and the historico-geographical structure of cities

Green space, fringe belts and the historico-geographical structure of cities

Analyzing Fringe Belt Phenomenon in the Historico - Geographical Structure of Milan, Italy

The object of this paper is to identify the specific land use patterns in relation to a general framework of the fringe belts formation and modification through the urban expansion of Milan, a city with solid Italian planning tradition, by defining strong characteristics and land use transformations through comparative map analysis in a consistent timeline period. Adapting the study of fringe belts, as signatures of the pulsations of urban growth, and a reflection of urban space needs beyond those of the residential and retail sectors, is pertinent as it contributes to understand each phase of city alteration and urban growth and relate them to economic and political forces linked to the contemporary development of metropolitan areas. Applied adequately, fringe belt studies have been taken in different parts of Europe, but few have been done in Italy. This research, as a comparative study of superposition data approach, has aimed to verify the true development pattern of a city with dynamic typo-morphological transitions, with powerful industrial and service sector shifts recently, strictly reflecting on the shaping of the overall urbanized territory. A general study of the urban evolution has been undertaken and development of the municipality has been observed with a focus on defining land use maps, and obtaining a comparative data analyzes by overlapping and tracking land use transformations and expounding fringe belt modifications through different expansion periods of the urban territory. In the contemporary city, fringe belts can play crucial role as vast green open spaces for recreation and leisure, natural boundaries from harmful industrial surroundings, as well as ecological corridors and mediums for natural systems maintenance and natural remedy to improve the quality of life and provide healthier environments for the overall urban systems. Adapting the study of fringe belts in a regulated conceptual framework, and referring them into the historico-geographical structure of the urban development could lead up to adequate planning and urban design strategies that aim to improve the quality of life in contemporary urban landscapes.

A spatio-temporal study of fringe belts and urban green spaces in Birmingham, UK

This paper examines the historical land-use development of part of an Edwardian fringe belt with particular reference to green space. It is based on detailed research on fluctuations in urban development patterns within a small area in Birmingham, UK. Comparisons are made between fringe-belt sites and residential areas over the past 100 years. The main findings are about changes over time in types of surface, especially in the relative amounts of hard and soft surface.