Urban Fabric Research Articles

Résistance Anti-Industrielle: Counterprojects

This article discusses the role of “counterprojects” in architecture and urbanism as critiques of the industrialization and speculative development of urban spaces, particularly in the Brussels of the sixties and seventies. It highlights the contributions of Maurice Culot and Léon Krier, opposing the destructive modernization that was wiping out historic urban fabrics and displacing local communities. Their counterprojects aimed to revive traditional urbanism, emphasizing local craftsmanship, natural materials, and mixed-use neighborhoods and countering the sterile, high-rise developments that had come to dominate European cities. Some of these counterprojects exemplified this other vision, advocating for cities that prioritize human scale, social justice, and environmental sustainability. The author calls for the integration of these values into contemporary urban planning.

Urbanising religion and health: naga symbolism in northeast Thailand’s urbanscape

ABSTRACT In the western part of the world today, religion is often overlooked in the planning of healthy and sustainable cities. Yet even though modern urban planning is assumed to be secular, places of worship can be seen throughout cities, and urban structures are built on existing historical spatial configurations which inevitably include religion. In Southeast Asia, religion is central to city planning, architecture, and building orientation, although the connections with urban health are less known. To stimulate discussion on the nexus of urbanscapes, religions, and urban healths, I analyse photographs taken in towns and cities in northeast Thailand about the naga, a giant serpent-like demi-god in Buddhism, folklore, and mythology. Specifically, by applying Davey and Grant’s [2024. The visual essay and knowledge production: towards a visually informed understanding of urban health. Cities & Health, 8 (1), 1–7] analytic framework for compiling visual essays, I ponder the following question and its implications: How might naga symbolism in the urbanscape of northeast Thailand be connected to urban health? I show that naga symbolism is pervasive in urban fabric and has potential implications for health including its reframing to something human-centred or value-centred or post-human.

‘Where the Wild Things Are’: The Medieval Augustinian Order’s Perception of Nature between Tree Lore and Environmental History

Abstract This article examines how medieval woodlands around Augustinian convents could convey messages of power. In the thirteenth century, the papacy threatened the Augustinian friars with suppression on the grounds of their ‘lack of antiquity’. Previous scholarship showed that, in reaction to this, the friars developed a fictive past in which they claimed to have been founded by St Augustine. This article shifts attention away from human agencies to the environment. It argues that natural landscapes, most prominently woodlands, were key resources which could be used as powerful assets when asserting the antiquity of the Order. The two cornerstones of this investigation are a cluster of hermitages around Siena with a sacred ilex forest, the claimed dwelling place of the eremitical predecessors of the Augustinian friars, and the convent of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, erected on the locus of an ‘evil walnut tree’ above the tomb of Nero. This study examines how these key spiritual centres used woodlands to display antiquity and prestige. Further attention is paid to convents on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea to show how the sea could be perceived as equivalent to the forest. A close analysis reveals that Augustinian convents were often situated in a liminal position framed between the urban fabric and natural landscapes, such as the forest and the sea. This article thus illuminates how, in a similar way to secular rulers and their palaces, the Augustinian friars used the natural environment in strategic ways to enhance the power of their convents.

(Re)Writing the City from Within: An Exploratory Approach to Sustainable Urban Morphologies from the Dialogue Between Public Space and Public Transport in Barcelona’s Trambesòs

Research on urban transport and mobility through everyday practices has generated new theoretical and methodological approaches to achieve more sustainable urban morphologies. This paper focuses on the characterization of the process of urban (re)qualification through the binomial of public space–public transport, based on the analysis of Trambesòs tramway in Barcelona, from 2004 to the present. This methodology consisted of an exploratory morphological analysis that identified patterns derived from punctual interventions, articulation axes, and saturation pieces in the urban fabric. The results revealed three main morphological patterns: the configuration of a particular character in each public space intervention associated with the tramway, the morphological improvement and dynamization of the urban fabric, and the transformation of the city’s image through the standardization of accessibility conditions, a key social sustainability indicator. In the discussion, the results are triangulated with the concepts of urban morphology and social processes and compared with quantitative studies, which can serve as a foundation for further in-depth research. In conclusion, the tramway has facilitated a transition from urban discontinuity and segregation to continuity and cohesion, highlighting the impact of the public space–public transport binomial on more sustainable urban morphologies. This contributes to how urban morphological analysis provides new approaches to understanding public transport as an extension of public space and support for urban habitability.

MAGUS (Model for the Analysis of Geomorphological Urban Systems): From Conception to Validation on the Historic City Center of Turin (Italy)

This study introduces and tests the MAGUS (Model for the Analysis of Geomorphological Urban Systems), a GIS-based methodological framework designed to analyze the complex interplay between urbanization and natural landscapes. Focusing on the historical evolution of Turin city center (Italy), the research employs an interdisciplinary approach to examine how urban expansion has interacted with pre-existing geomorphological features. The study leverages historical documents, digitized and georeferenced within a cartographic space, to reveal the relationships between natural and anthropogenic landforms from the Roman period through the 20th century. A key innovation of MAGUS is the integration of Multi-Temporal Markers (MTM) and Volumetric Unit of Building (VUB), which enhances the accuracy of historical data analysis. The results demonstrate that urbanization significantly alters the natural landscape in the historic city center of Turin, where the stratification of urban expansion phases partially obscures the original landform. By overlaying topographical data with historical urban expansion maps, the research highlights the concealed geomorphological elements beneath Turin’s urban fabric. This interdisciplinary study not only contributes to the field of urban geomorphology but also provides a foundation for future research into the impacts of urbanization on natural landscapes, which is increasingly critical as urban populations continue to grow.

Playgrounds as Residual Areas—Case Study of a Playground Regeneration Proposal in Târgu-Mureș, Romania

Playgrounds are envisaged as spaces designed to provide a safe and enjoyable environment that facilitates physical activity among children and adolescents. However, in various instances within cities formerly under socialist governance, these playgrounds have suffered neglect and lacked maintenance, coherent conceptual frameworks, professional oversight, suitable materials for playground structures, and attention to vegetation or potentially toxic elements. They became residual areas in the city’s built environment. Presently, the evaluation and the regeneration of playgrounds in cities have emerged as a significant task. Amidst the densely populated urban fabric, these spaces hold considerable importance for outdoor activities, social interaction, recreational pursuits, and the healthy development of future generations. Simultaneously, these places can play a crucial role in a city’s green infrastructure, local landscapes, and the challenges of sustainability prompted by climate change. The landscape analysis of 22 playgrounds classified them based on land use characteristics, location, functions, equipment, quality, and accessibility. A case study in Târgu-Mureș, scrutinized in detail within this analysis due to its proximity to the city center, within a densely populated urban area, and its multifaceted functionalities, underscores the need for a comprehensive approach encompassing diverse disciplines to address its manifold usage requirements.

The Rehabilitation of the Old Medina of Bejaad, Morocco: a Technological Approach (BIM) to Enhance the Built Heritage

Objective: This study proposes a process of revitalization and regeneration of the old medina of Bejaad, as well as a methodology for the technical analysis of its urban fabric and traditional structures, while respecting the inherent values of its constructions. Through data related to the location of each building and a more in-depth investigation, a global relationship with its environment and history is established. Theoretical Framework: The old medina of Bejaad, through its ancient fabric and its potential social and economic wealth, should be leveraged for the development of this spiritual city. This built heritage is characterized by buildings that, for the most part, have preserved an uncommon restraint, maintaining the art of past construction and the secrets of local housing. Its housing is composed of two types of built fabric: traditional and more recent structures. These two types of buildings are connected by a network of public spaces that bring the inhabitants together. Method: Creation of specific Building Information Modelling (BIM) object libraries, derived from three-dimensional models created by 3D scanning using Lidar technology. Results and Discussion: The results of this investigation highlight the need to identify new methodologies for studying the built environment, which no longer focus solely on individual building types, but encompass the broader scale of the fabric, within which it is possible to assess the constructive relationships between the elements composing the block. This is achieved through a process of adopting measures for the protection, rehabilitation, and appropriation of their living environment. Originality/Value: The study proposes a practical evaluation approach by providing precise data to improve the preservation of the built heritage of the old medina of Bejaad, with the aim of establishing an architectural, urban, and landscape charter for the city and its components.

The impact of urban morphology on energy demand of a residential building in a mediterranean climate

This paper uniquely and systematically explores the relationship between energy performance of buildings and urban morphology by studying an existing urban fabric in a Mediterranean climate. The study took place in the city of Hebron which is geographically confined in area with continuous urbanization. Using (GIS), the K-means clustering technique was chosen to perform the statistical analysis. The coefficient variables of Floor Space Index (FSI), Ground Space Index (GSI), Open Space Ratio(OSR), and buildings’ height (L), were identified at the urban level to classify the urban tissue of the city. Accordingly, six urban patterns with equal area of 33,000 m2 were selected as representative samples of the different urban patterns of the city’s urban fabric. Then, a prototype building was placed in each of the selected patterns by the mean centre in the GIS based on the horizontal-vertical built density. Building energy simulation was performed using Design Builder software to assess the prototype’s performance. The results showed that the urban form plays a significant role in determining performance quality and energy demand. The results indicate that the cooling demand decreases when the ratio of (FSI) and (GSI) increases and when the (OSR) decreases, and vice versa in relation to the heating demand. Notably, Pattern 4, with (FSI) of 1.2, (GSI) of 0.6, (OSR) of 0.6, and (L) of 1.7, exhibited the highest heating demand at 40.3 kWh/m2/year, whereas Pattern 3, with (FSI) of 0.7, (GSI) of 0.3, (OSR) of 2.5, and (L) of 2.0, recorded the lowest at 18.6 kWh/m2/year. Conversely, Pattern 3 had the highest cooling demand, while Pattern 2, with (FSI) of 1.0, (GSI) of 0.3, (OSR) of 1.6, and (L) of 3.0, had the lowest cooling demand. To enhance energy efficiency, urban planners should consider increasing the (FSI) and (GSI) while managing the (OSR) to balance heating and cooling demands. Patterns with moderate (FSI) and (GSI) and higher (OSR) generally result in lower cooling demands and more efficient energy use. Enhancing the energy efficiency of cities should be tackled not only on the single building level but also on the urban scale. This should be addressed in urban regeneration, master plan,s and building regulations. Incorporating tools that consider the impact of all urban parameters can contribute to energy savings.

The Formation and Preservation of Urban Heritage Through Urban Landscape Transformation: A Case Study of Pittsburgh

This study examines the potential of urban landscape transformation to generate and develop new heritage and the role of heritage urbanism in an industrial city. It explores whether the changeover of urban heritage districts in Pittsburgh (PA, USA) can give rise to a novel type of urban heritage. Pittsburgh experienced urban development primarily driven by the presence and accessibility of natural resources, rather than favorable geographical conditions: topography characterized by rugged hills, rock formations, rivers, and stream valleys. The integration of the American-style grid within this unique natural environment resulted in intriguing juxtapositions. Consequently, elements such as bridges, viaducts, stairs, tunnels, and historical inclines gained paramount importance in shaping the urban fabric. The city’s remaining preserved or transformed urban heritage is protected through historic districts designated by the Department of City Planning, which enforces specific planning and design guidelines. The study employs a multi-faceted approach combining the concepts of historic stratification (urban palimpsest), integrated urban morphology, space syntax (integration analysis), and heritage urbanism. During the personally conducted long-term fieldwork, the selected case studies described herein (historic districts, university campus, and traditional neighborhood) proved to be the most suitable for demonstrating urban heritage formation through urban landscape transformation.

O Bixiga em disputa: ambiente, cultura, memória e interesses imobiliários

Bixiga is currently experiencing a critical situation that threatens the preservation of what constitutes its most unmistakable cultural and environmental heritage, associated with the strong impact caused by the advance of real estate interests, announced by new buildings recently approved by Conpresp in its territory. Particular concern is the vulnerability to which the area known as Grota do Bixiga is being exposed, despite the existence of protective legislation agreed since the early 2000s. Concern is intensified by the fact that these developments create reckless precedents for others to be approved in the near future, thus putting an end to the possibility of preserving what remains of Grota do Bixiga. This approach allows us to look at a whole process of study, inventorying and consolidation of knowledge produced within the Historical Heritage Department, which began in the 1980s, linking architectural assets to the structuring elements of the urban fabric and to the social relationships that not only populate the memory of the place, but are kept alive in the cultural practices of the present. It also allows us to deal with the impasses between cultural heritage preservation policies and urban policies of a broader nature. It also allows us to deal with the impasses between cultural heritage preservation policies and broader urban policies. Finally, it allows us to analyze another layer of latent memory, unveiled by the discoveries linked to the excavations carried out for the construction of the Orange Line Subway Station. The recent archaeological finds have sparked an important debate about the origin of occupation of the neighborhood associated with the presence of the Quilombo Saracura, strengthening the memory of the black population, due to its representativeness and its persistence over time, as an essential element of the culture of the place, which cannot be erased or made invisible.

Urban Renovation from Precarious to Sustainable Districts: Study Case of Mvog-Ada in Yaounde

This article explores the possibility of transforming precarious neighbourhoods, commonly known as slums, into good-living and environmentally- friendly places by rethinking their layout. It examines the state of the study case and highlights the relationships between the road system, parcels of land and other components of the urban fabric, with the aim of resolving the problems caused by the poor occupation of urban space and the lack of architectural knowledges and basic infrastructure necessary for people's lives in Cameroon. This research addresses the problems of anarchic urbanisation, urban densification and unhealthy living conditions, it proposes concrete solutions for decongesting the area, strategically redeveloping the space and ensuring the sustainable development of the site, while incorporating a biomimetic and circular approach. To achieve this goal, it was important to put in place a renovation strategy that is both up-to-date and adapted to the local context. With this in mind, this work presents a comprehensive and innovative master plan designed to solve the problems of development, bad urban traffic and degradation of the area through the use of an appropriate methodology of sustainable urban planning. Finally, the concept of sustainable district is presented as a pillar of the development of precarious districts and as an opportunity of growth for the development of their country.

University, city and territory. The Magrone Barracks as a new Innovation Park

Universities not only play the role of social elevator but also stand as a development engine for the Territories hosting them, through synergies between institutions and businesses. The Innovation Park project at the former Magrone Barracks is an innovative example of management and rehabilitation of abandoned state-owned property for creating a fragment of Bari’s urban landscape by expressing common values in which the University, the City and extended territorial areas can recognise themselves. There is a need for a paradigm shift in the interpretation of the design of these facilities, which can become genuine integrated “urban factories”, Community Hubs capable of offering new spaces for the urban fabric, attracting talent and generating businesses.

Green Connections: Adaptive, Integrated, and Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Historic Centres

Choosing adaptation and mitigation actions, through nature-based solutions, fosters the ecological transition process, which is necessary to face the challenges of climate change. However, these interventions are often discontinuous and disconnected, especially within dense and delicate urban fabrics such as historic centres. The research proposes a multi-scalar methodological approach aimed at defining an integrated design tool to improve the microclimatic well-being, accessibility and aesthetic quality of open spaces located in consolidated urban environments. Through the synergy between natural, technological and social components, the aim is to create replicable minimum intervention units designed to foster democratic and ecosystemic connections.

Bordi periurbani e sincronicità nel paesaggio. Un progetto di ri-significazione per il Vallone San Rocco nel Parco delle Colline di Napoli

As part of design research that investigates new balances between man and ecosystems, the theme of the margins between metropolis and rural spaces represents an important field of experimentation. These borders appear as pulverized and discontinuous urban fabrics, made of abandoned places, agricultural areas, fragments of a landscape whose components are difficult to identify and whose unveiling, in habitable forms and new typology ecosystem logics, is precluded by a dense system of barriers and fences. The article explores these themes starting from some consolidated bibliographic and design approaches, going through a proposal for the re-signification of the edges of the Vallone San Rocco, a naturalistic area in the northern part of the city of Naples included in the Metropolitan Park of the Hills, through the recovery of interrupted ecosystems and the rediscovery of a cultural landscape of great importance for both the city and the region.

Innovative housing models to support shared use of space: the case study of Sonnwendviertel Ost in Vienna

Amidst the persistent urban expansion in European cities, the need for high-quality housing for growing populations remains a challenge. Integrating newly developed housing areas into the urban fabric and fostering a distinct local identity pose additional challenges. Despite extensive research in this realm, there exists a gap in the examination of the extent of shared space utilization in new housing developments. This study fills that gap by analyzing the quantity, quality, and diversity of space utilization in new housing projects, focusing on the development processes and maintenance methods. The research, conducted through site and case study analyses of Sonnwendviertel Ost development area in Vienna, underscores that the shared utilization of spaces is closely tied to distinct housing models with varied levels of financing and involvement of diverse actors. Consequently, it provides insights into the housing models and their configurations that best facilitate the development of shared use of spaces in housing construction. This, in turn, is perceived as instrumental in cultivating a more robust neighborhood identity and enhancing the livability of communities, thereby contributing to sustainable urban development.

Invisible favelas

This article presents the first part of the results of a study on the presence and/ or absence of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas in the city’s cartography. Different data sources were used: research in the municipal archives—including the Rio’s first aerial photographs ever made, cartographic records and infrastructure maps from the 1920s and 1930s; research in building codes; and research on digital cartographic platforms. The aim of the article is to investigate when and how the urban phenomenon of favelas officially appears in the city’s records and to reflect on how this late and inconsistent recognition may have affected the existence of the phenomenon itself, since its lack of official recognition created bureaucratic barriers to public administration actions. The argument of this article is that cartographic production has kept the favela an invisible part of the city and how, especially in recent decades, this invisibility has been a political choice. The article concludes that the choice for invisibility has contributed to these large territories becoming deeply embedded in the city’s urban fabric.

Transit-Oriented Development in Middle Eastern Cities: The Urban Renewal Framework for the Souq Waqif in Doha, Qatar

Cities around the world are evolving dramatically due to urbanization. Over the last few decades, rapid urbanization coupled with rapid economic growth in Qatar has resulted in transport-related issues such as urban sprawl, traffic congestion, poor walkability, and an increasingly inefficient transit network lacking pedestrian accessibility and connectivity. The related sprawl (due to a lack of compactness), a lack of intricacy, and connectivity have challenged the built environment’s sustainability. The Souq Waqif neighborhood, renowned for its rich cultural heritage and historical significance, serves as the focal point of this study. Its central positioning and status as a prominent social nexus within Doha render it an ideal case study. Specifically, this research investigates the Souq Waqif metro station, evaluating it through the lens of five distinct design aspects: (1) walkability, (2) ground use balance, (3) mixed-use spaces and public spaces, (4) multi-modality and transportation hubs, and (5) public transportation network. To reach this aim, the study methodology uses a qualitative approach informed by the Integrated Modification Methodology (IMM). The IMM framework provides a means to transform underperforming neighborhoods like Souq Waqif, into more cohesive and sustainable communities by retrofitting, renovating, and reactivating the existing urban fabric. Site observations, interviews, and surveys were used to collect data to complement the analysis. Findings highlight the deficiencies in connectivity and multimodal transportation adjacent to the Souq Waqif metro station. In addition, the ability of metro stations to conserve crucial cultural legacy and social identity in rapidly urbanizing cities like Doha is explored. To this end, recommendations are given to increase the efficiency and sustainability of Souq Waqif and the like.

A Coupled CA Urban Development Model (UDM) and Urban Fabric Generator (UFG) for the Assessment of Climate Hazards on Future Urban Development

Abstract. Cellular Automata (CA) spatial models have become a de facto means by which to simulate future scenarios of land use activity, particularly urban development. Increasingly, such models are being employed within large scale climate impact, adaption and resilience studies to provide future scenarios of land use change and urban development, facilitating the calculation of the economic impact of future climate hazards and development land use adaption options. However, many spatial CA models only provide information on whether land has undergone a transition from one use/activity to a new one. In the case of urban development, they are unable to provide information on the spatial pattern of new development at an intra-cell level of spatial fidelity. However, in many cases such information is important as the spatial impacts of hazards and the adaption and resilience of new urban development will be dependent on the precise spatial configuration of buildings, roads and urban green space. In this paper an Urban Fabric Generator (UFG) is presented that takes the outputs of an Urban Development Model (UDM) and simulates plausible spatial configurations of buildings, roads and urban green space. The utility of the UFG is demonstrated via two flooding case studies, where generated spatial patterns of urban form are used to parameterise a hydrodynamic pluvial flood model that evaluates the impact of future climate driven rainfall on property damage and the utility of infrastructure investment with regards to improving surface water flood resilience.

From urban heat islands to intra-urban heat islands: Role of urban fabric in redefining microclimates of tomorrow’s compact cities

A compact city is a urban area characterized by high density, mixed land use, and limited sprawl, designed to promote sustainable development, reduce urban sprawl, and enhance quality of life. This investigation focuses on the Intra Urban Heat Island (IUHI) effect, an intensified progression of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon, specifically within a compact city transitioning from urban sprawl. The study employed advanced spatial analytics, which employed the concept of “space-time cube”, incorporating Getis Ord Gi*, and per pixel, Mann Kendall tests for the space–time pattern mining on a time series of high-resolution Remote Sensing data spanning from 1999 to 2023. The findings reveal distinctive spatial and temporal patterns in IUHI, identifying a total of 693,900 m2 of intensifying hot-spot areas in the selected compact city characterized by industrial, warehousing, and commercial developments. The detailed examination of urban fabric at a finer resolution (7.5 cm × 7.5 cm) identified rooftops with specific spectral characteristics (red/copper hue) as significant contributors to the IUHI phenomenon, inducing surface temperature increases above 5 °C compared to neighboring cells. Furthermore, high-rise developments emerge as land use forms that create cold spots in the urban fabric, improving the city’s thermal environment. The implications underscore the necessity for future urban planning to consider IUHI as a concentrated development of the UHI effect, urging a holistic understanding of the complex interconnections among various factors influencing microclimates in urban environments.

Adaptation of Post-fortress Buildings as an Enrichment of the Functional Programme of a Housing Estate on the Example of Fort VIII Służew in Warsaw

The article refers to the problem of adaptation of post-fortress objects from the 19th century located in the strict urban tissue in Poland. The authors of the text analyse the example of adaptation of Fort VIII Służew in Warsaw as a way of making common spaces in housing estates more attractive. The rapid demilitarisation of fortresses from this period caused by the development of the art of war and the subsequent dynamic development of urban planning after the Second World War resulted in the degradation and disappearance of these valuable monuments. The Russian ring fortress of Warsaw is now entirely within the urban fabric. Introducing additions and new utility functions is becoming a way of protecting the existing stock of often degraded spaces left behind by former forts. On the example of Fort VIII Służew, a number of activities related to adaptation, revitalisation and revalorisation of the existing urbanised residential space in Ursynów district are presented. The analysed object together with its surroundings is an example of a way to use post-fortress spaces for both utilitarian and cognitive purposes while respecting historic values. Age-old fortifications, so well preserved in Poland, significantly define and shape urban layouts. The research carried out by the authors of this text shows that appropriate use of the potential of post-fortress buildings from the 19th century can significantly improve the quality and character of colonial buildings and highlight the values associated with this type of specific monument.