Urban Morphological Research Research Articles

Mind map for cross-reading the glossary of urban morphology and soundscape research

Urban morphological research has a long-established and systematic method of analysis that provides a clear and shared research framework. Since the late 1990s, the International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF) has compiled a glossary of urban morphology for the agenda of urban researchers. The soundscape literature emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since then, there have been numerous studies dealing with the sonic dimension of urban complexity from different perspectives. In order to create an overarching framework, attempts have been made since the early 1970s to define the principles and processes of soundscape research. There is a comprehensive glossary created by the Wold Soundscape Project Team (WSP) in 1978 which has been of great importance for further soundscape studies. This paper argues that there is a link between urban morphology research and soundscape research. A cross-reading between the two glossaries therefore has the potential to offer an alternative reading of urban research by revealing the commonalities or differences in the sonic-morphological conceptual schemes.

Urban cartography and spatial politics: Ethnic tensions, westernization, and decolonization in Hangzhou’s transformation within the global south

Urban morphologies in the global south are shaped by a complex interplay of historical imprints, from colonial legacies and ethnic tensions to waves of modernization and decolonization efforts. This study delves into the urban morphology of Hangzhou during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, unraveling its transformative patterns steered by a convergence of spatial politics, economic forces, and cultural dynamics. Drawing upon a unique blend of historical map restoration techniques, we unearth pivotal morphological nuances that bridge Hangzhou’s transition from its pre-modern fabric to its modern-day urban layout. We uncover key shifts such as the movement from intricate street layouts to systematic grids, the strategic integration of public spaces like West Lakeside Park, and the city’s evolving urban epicenter mirroring its broader socio-political and economic narratives. These insights not only spotlight Hangzhou’s distinct urban journey in the context of ethnic conflicts, Western influences, and decolonization drives but also underscore the value of context-sensitive urban morphological research in the global south. Our findings emphasize the criticality of synergizing varied methodologies and theoretical perspectives to deepen our comprehension of urban transitions, sculpt place identities, and invigorate public imagination in global urban planning.

Alternatives of ideologemes: Socialist and social city

The article studies the content of the criteria of the versions of the “socialist” and “social” city. Drawing on the examples of micro-districts implemented at the beginning of the XXI century, the article analyses a modern alternative to mass housing construction, which is gaining strength as a result of the implementation of national programs and changes in the Land an Urban Planning Codes. For the factual description of the state of the environment in the contemporary districts of Krasnoyarsk, the authors use graphic-analytical and urban morphological research methods. Fundamental approaches to the regulation of living environment are substantiated. The conclusion is made about the further development of the study.

Urbana morfologija u Britaniji - vreme za preispitivanje i regrupisanje?

This article reviews the contribution of the work of the Urban Morphology Research Group (UMRG) to British urban morphological research. The group, led by Jeremy Whitehand, provided a focus for British research in urban morphology grounded in the work of M.R.G Conzen and the historico-geographical approach. The article reviews four core strands to this work: definition of the historico-geographical approach, morphological regions, the processes and people shaping urban landscapes and linking research and practice. The article also provides an overview of other areas of research into urban form within Britain beyond the UMRG, from scholars working in disciplines such as geography, architecture, and urban design. Two broad areas of work are focused on, namely spatial analytical and configurational approaches and British urban geographical traditions. In conclusion, the article reflects on the future for British urban morphology following the loss of Whitehand as its long-standing figurehead and champion, suggesting that is it time to form a new network to replace the now-dormant UMRG to ensure the continued vibrancy and visibility of urban morphological research in Britain.

Urban morphological research and practice

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The study of territory and the role of history in applied research in urban morphology G. Cataldi

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URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND CRIME PATTERNS IN URBAN AREAS: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The emerging research on urban morphology provide sufficient explorations that result in a better understanding of crime areas and fear of crime in cities. Despite the effort so far, the existing literature on morphology of crime areas and pattern of crime presents different perspectives to the study of crime and spaces, reflecting the varied field of urban morphological research. There is a need to understand these perspectives in view of their directions and inherent limitations for effective understanding of crime pattern and urban morphogenesis in cities. The focus of the paper is on the understanding of different perspectives in the study of crime pattern and urban morphology in setting up an effective mechanism for crime prevention and control. Twenty (20) paper articles and six (6) theses published between 2010 - 2021 were selected based on the Environmental criminological research perspectives from the field of Geography, Urban Planning, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture and Architecture; and systematically reviewed based on their characteristics and then classified according to their relevance to environmental criminology for analysis and drawing of inferences. The findings indicated that, there is inadequate empirical research on the influence of urban morphology on crime pattern in cities. Therefore, the paper recommends for further research to focus on exploring the various links between elements of urban morphology and spatial distribution of crime in areas, and the explanations that could provide for effective crime prevention and control in cities.

Comparing approaches in urban morphology

ABSTRACT Comparing different approaches to urban form has been acknowledged as one of the most important lines of research in urban morphology. This challenge has been reinforced over the last decade. While some studies compare different morphological perspectives, others attempt to go one step further, establishing composite views. In both cases, there is still a need to undertake more systematic research supported by rigorous comparisons of findings. Against this background, the paper seeks to demonstrate the benefits of an integrated morphological approach for a better understanding of human settlements. For that purpose, the article compares the separate application of three dominant perspectives on urban form (historico-geographical, process typological and configurational approaches) with an integrated view and methodology, the so-called MAP – Morphological Analysis and Prescription. MAP is framed by a ground-breaking understanding of morphological zoning, typology, and configuration. The comparison is developed in a case study in Oporto, Portugal.

The Spatial Transformation of the River Waterfront through Three Historical Periods: A Case Study of Belgrade

Urban renewal of the coastal area has regained importance in recent years. The main problem with the city's coastal area is often the insufficient utilization of its potential. The paper analyzes the process of urbanization and treatment of the waterfront through three historical periods: 1. traditional city, 2. during Modernism and 3. contemporary urbanism. Belgrade is chosen as a case study because it is located on the banks of the two rivers the Sava and the Danube, and throughout history, rivers had a significant role in the urban development of the city. A polygon for the methodology of urban morphological research for this paper was the contrast between the Old Belgrade and traditional city core and the New Belgrade created on the principle of the modern movement in architecture. The paper aims to research the relationship between the city and the river waterfront by the method of compare spatial-temporal transformations and to reveal the positive and negative elements of each period of urbanization. The result of the analysis indicates a changed treatment of the river waterfront through the time - from the fortified city isolated from the river to the gradual descent of the city center near the coast.

The study of urban form in Cyprus

The history of Cypriot cities, in particular the capital, Nicosia and the main historical port of Famagusta, has been the subject of a wide variety of publications. However, the study of their urban form is relatively recent and, until the establishment of architectural schools within Cypriot universities, it has been carried out within research establishments outside of Cyprus. Consequently, urban morphological research in Cyprus is highly influenced by international schools of thought that were prevalent where researchers carried out their studies – most of them within Britain. The application of different morphological approaches is now being continued within Cypriot universities. This paper discusses how different approaches to urban morphological research have been deployed in the context of urban form studies of Cypriot cities. It reviews existing morphological studies, which date back to the 1980s, and also presents key research in related disciplines, such as planning. There is a strong focus in Cyprus on two approaches: the historico-geographical and the configurational, although typological studies also exist. Certain themes, especially relating to physical divisions and social interactions, also feature quite prominently in the literature.

An end to Spain’s urban morphological isolation?

In comparison with North America and other large European countries, Spain has historically had a limited international presence in academic urban morphology. This is remarkable in light of the striking character of Spain’s urban heritage and the large volume of Spanish writing on the country’s urban history and urban form. Possible reasons for this relative international isolation are suggested and the Spanish literature relating to urban morphological themes is reviewed. This literature contains a wide variety of themes, but no distinctive Spanish ‘school’ of urban morphology has emerged. However, the ISUF Conference in 2017 in Valencia signalled a stronger presence of Spanish urban morphologists on the international stage. An analysis of the Spanish contributions at this conference and other recent studies suggests a growing interest in the practical applications of urban morphological research. Spanish urban morphologists may be an integral part of a wider movement to use urban morphology as a ‘tool’ rather than as an end in itself.

Cemeteries and urban form: a historico-geographical approach

Research in urban morphology rarely takes account of the specific forms of burial grounds. This paper offers a synthesis of how Christian cities of the dead mirror the cities of the living, and provides an overview of different Western European ‘funeral epochs’. The shifting location of burial grounds relates to major changes in town planning and building. Adopting a historico-geographical approach, micro-morphological transformations of grave-plot forms and their cardinal orientations and accessibility are explored in the context of changing religious beliefs, rules on hygiene, and practical and aesthetic considerations. The role of cemeteries in fringe-belt development is presented, using Vienna as a historical case study.

On the origin of spaces: Morphometric foundations of urban form evolution

The modern discipline of urban morphology gives us a ground for the comparative analysis of cities, which increasingly includes specific quantitative elements. In this paper, we make a further step forward towards the definition of a general method for the classification of urban form. We draw from morphometrics and taxonomy in life sciences to propose such method, which we name ‘urban morphometrics’. We then test it on a unit of the urban landscape named ‘Sanctuary Area’ (SA), explored in 45 cities whose origins span four historic time periods: Historic (medieval), Industrial (19th century), New Towns (post-WWII, high-rise) and Sprawl (post-WWII, low-rise). We describe each SA through 207 physical dimensions and then use these to discover features that discriminate them among the four temporal groups. Nine dimensions emerge as sufficient to correctly classify 90% of the urban settings by their historic origins. These nine attributes largely identify an area's ‘visible identity’ as reflected by three characteristics: (1) block perimeterness, or the way buildings define the street-edge; (2) building coverage, or the way buildings cover the land and (3) regular plot coverage, or the extent to which blocks are made of plots that have main access from a street. Hierarchical cluster analysis utilising only the nine key variables nearly perfectly clusters each SA according to its historic origin; moreover, the resulting dendrogram shows, just after WWII, the first ‘bifurcation’ of urban history, with the emergence of the modern city as a new ‘species’ of urban form. With ‘urban morphometrics’ we hope to extend urban morphological research and contribute to understanding the way cities evolve.

Reflections on the gap between academic research in urban morphology and heritage conservation

Reflections on the gap between academic research in urban morphology and heritage conservation

Towards an understanding of morphogenesis in metropolitan street-networks

We propose a GIS-based method to enable the understanding of how global street-network properties emerge from the temporal accumulation of individual street-network increments. The method entails the adoption of quantitative descriptions of individual street-patterns and of classification algorithms, in order to obtain numerically defined typomorphologies, which may then be statistically associated with the numerical outputs of street-network analysis. We apply the method to the case of Oporto Metropolitan Area, whose development we observed over 60 years. We isolate each increment of development entailing the creation of new streets (4208 objects), we quantify the morphology of their street-layouts, and we classify them into typomorphologies with clustering techniques. Through the investigation of the temporal and spatial frequencies of those typomorphologies, we assess their impacts on the street-networks of a set of selected civil-parishes of the metropolitan region, demonstrating that different typomorphological frequencies result in also different global street-network properties. We conclude by summarising the advantages of the method to generic urban morphological research and by suggesting that it may also contribute to inform bottom-up metropolitan spatial planning.

Form and urban change – An urban morphometric study of five gentrified neighbourhoods in London

Research in Urban Morphology has long been exploring the form of cities and their changes over time, especially by establishing links with the parallel dynamics of these cities’ social, economic and political environments. The capacity of an adaptable and resilient urban form to provide a fertile environment for economic prosperity and social cohesion is at the forefront of discussion. Gentrification has emerged in the past few decades as an important topic of research in urban sociology, geography and economy, addressing the social impact of some forms of urban evolution. To some extent, these studies emphasize the form of the environment in which gentrification takes place. However, a systematic and quantitative method for a detailed characterization of this type of urban form is still far from being achieved. With this article, we make a first step towards the establishment of an approach based on ‘urban morphometrics’. To this end, we measure and compare key morphological features of five London neighbourhoods that have undergone a process of piecemeal gentrification. Findings suggest that these five case studies display similar and recognizable morphological patterns in terms of their built form, geographical location of main and local roads and physical relationships between street fronts and street types. These initial results, while not implying any causal or universal relationship between morphological and social dynamics, nevertheless contribute to (a) highlight the benefits of a rigorous quantitative approach towards interpreting urban form beyond the disciplinary boundaries of Urban Morphology and (b) define the statistical recurrence of a few, specific morphological features amongst the five cases of gentrified areas in London.

GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY APPROACHES IN URBAN MORPHOLOGY FOR RESILIENT URBAN GOVERNANCE

This study analysed the potential of applications of geospatial technology in urban planning research in urban morphology. Urban morphology is the study of the form of human settlements and the process of their formation and transformation. It is an approach in designing urban form that considers both physical and spatial components of the urban structure. This study was conducted in Georgetown, Penang with the main purpose to identify the evolution of urban morphology and the land use expansion using remote sensing images and Geographical Information System (GIS) technique. Four series of temporal satellite SPOT 5 J from 2004, 2007, 2009, and 2014 were used to detect an expansion of land use development using change detection technique. Three types of land use were identified, namely built-up area, unbuilt-up area, and water bodies with a good accuracy of above 85%. The result showed that the built-up area significantly increased due to the rapid development in urban area. Finally, the result provided an understanding and strengthened the relationship between urban planning and geospatial applications in creating sustainable and resilient city and future urban governance.

GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY APPROACHES IN URBAN MORPHOLOGY FOR RESILIENT URBAN GOVERNANCE

This study analysed the potential of applications of geospatial technology in urban planning research in urban morphology. Urban morphology is the study of the form of human settlements and the process of their formation and transformation. It is an approach in designing urban form that considers both physical and spatial components of the urban structure. This study was conducted in Georgetown, Penang with the main purpose to identify the evolution of urban morphology and the land use expansion using remote sensing images and Geographical Information System (GIS) technique. Four series of temporal satellite SPOT 5 J from 2004, 2007, 2009, and 2014 were used to detect an expansion of land use development using change detection technique. Three types of land use were identified, namely built-up area, unbuilt-up area, and water bodies with a good accuracy of above 85%. The result showed that the built-up area significantly increased due to the rapid development in urban area. Finally, the result provided an understanding and strengthened the relationship between urban planning and geospatial applications in creating sustainable and resilient city and future urban governance.

Veracity of the Archive: A Research Approach to the Collection and Verification of Urban Morphological Records Using Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Critical to the research of urban morphologists is the availability of historical records that document the urban transformation of the study area. Thus far, however, little work has been done toward an empirical approach to the validation of archival data in this field. Outlined in this paper, therefore, is a new methodology for validating the accuracy of archival records and mapping data, accrued through the process of urban morphological research, so as to establish a reliable platform from which analysis can proceed. The paper particularly addresses the problems of inaccuracies in existing curated historical information, as well as errors in archival research by student assistants, that together give rise to unacceptable levels of uncertainty in the documentation. The paper discusses the problems relating to the reliability of historical information, demonstrates the importance of data verification in urban morphological research, and proposes a rigorous method for objective testing of collected archival data through the use of qualitative data analysis software.

Urban morphological research and planning practice: a Portuguese assessment

This paper assesses the 2006 Plano Director Municipal of Porto, Portugal as a contribution to the ISUF Task Force on Research and Practice in Urban Morphology. It focuses on the application of the urban tissue concept and is in three parts: i) an assessment of the plan and its typological approach; ii) an assessment of the results on the ground; and iii) an assessment of the planning process, developed under the framework of the plan.