2020 Volume 24.1
Editorial comment
Quality, consistency and coverage
Articles
Urban tissues and residential types in Cuenca (Ecuador)
M. A. Hermida, N. Juca-Freire and J. P. Carvallo-Ochoa {+}Abstract [Full paper, PDF, 8MB 
]
ABSTRACT: Architecture, and particularly the architecture of housing, has
been critically important in the history of humanity; however, its analysis
has not often addressed all of its complexity. There is a need to understand
the built structures as a fundamental component of urban form and their
historical evolution as the result of a dialogue with the city as a whole. In this
context, and to contribute to this analysis, this paper discusses how urban
tissues and residential types emerged during the twentieth century in the city
of Cuenca (Ecuador). A two-stage qualitative and exploratory methodology
was used: a) the identification of urban tissues related to residential uses
that, jointly with the compilation and analysis of historical maps, allowed
the understanding of the city’s overall evolution; and b) the documentation
of residential building types through the analysis of databases and historical
archives that provided 221 case studies. From this, seven residential types
were defined: Courtyard Houses, Houses on Steep Slopes, Compact Houses,
Urban Villas, Attached Houses, Row Houses, and Residential Blocks. All
types appear or evolve adapting to the conditions of the city, the changing
needs of society, the external influences, and based on the form of their
predecessor.
Towards a socio-ecological spatial morphology: a joint network approach to urban form and landscape ecology
L. Marcus, M. Berghauser Pont and S. Barthel {+}Abstract [Full paper, PDF, 2MB ]
ABSTRACT: Interest in the green infrastructure of cities has rapidly increased
in recent years. The reasons are several but generally relate to the great
increase of research and policy on sustainable urban development. Of
particular importance here is the more recent shift in this field towards
greater emphasis on biodiversity and urban ecosystems and not only climate
change and environmental engineering. This shift brings new demands for
a deeper understanding of the morphology of green infrastructures in cities,
understood as ecological environments and not only as areas for human
use, as has been the general case in urban morphology. In an earlier paper
(Marcus et al., 2019), we discussed how descriptions of landscape patterns
of both urban and natural kinds, as developed in urban morphology and
landscape ecology respectively, could be integrated into a joint socio-
ecological spatial morphology. That paper outlined a framework for such
a morphology where green (and blue) as well as built-up areas in cities can
be jointly described as configurations of patches. However, the discussion
in that paper does not address how to capture the relation between such
configurations and the processes that they structure, or how such processes
over time may alter such configurations, which is the aim of the present
paper. It does so by extending the theory of generic function (Hillier, 1996)
to other species than humans, and by applying the theory of affordances
(Gibson, 1986) as a means to develop distance measures specific for different
species. The origin of the discussion in both papers is the need for progress
in sustainable urban development for which this relation is vital, since if we
are to address the function of both urban and ecological systems through
spatial form, we need to develop an understanding of how such patterns
underpin and structure urban and ecological systems.
The concept of the morphological region: developments and prospects
V. Oliveira and M. A. Yaygin {+}Abstract [Full paper, PDF, 8MB ]
ABSTRACT: Over recent decades, the historico-geographical approach has
been established as one of the main morphological frameworks to describe,
explain, and prescribe the physical form of cities and to understand how
this form is continuously shaped by different agents and processes over
time. Within this approach the concept of morphological region – and
the method of morphological regionalization – stands as one of the most
important in recognizing the historico-geographical structure of the urban
landscape. While the relevance of the concept has been demonstrated in a
number of applications in different geographical and cultural settings, this
paper identifies and addresses some major challenges that the concept has
been facing. In particular, it argues for a stronger linkage between each
regionalization and the historico-geographical body of knowledge, for
clearer usage of language and terminology in each application to facilitate
the shared construction of a more robust method, and for a more explicit and
systematic definition of procedural options and steps.
Urban form and culture: a comparative analysis of Anatolian and Italian towns
K. Eskidemir and A. S. Kubat {+}Abstract [Full paper, PDF, 6MB ]
ABSTRACT: The different town planning cultures that shaped old towns in
Anatolia and the Italian Peninsula from antiquity to today are examined as
a historical morphological study. The Roman Empire had a great influence
on historical towns throughout the territories of Europe, the Middle East
and North Africa. The underlying focus of this research is the urban fabric
in Anatolian towns, built with similarities to settlements in the Italian
Peninsula during the Roman Empire, which have changed with the arrival of
different cultures from Anatolian Turks to Ottomans under Islamic influence.
Eight fortified Roman origin towns from Anatolia and Italy are selected
as samples. The comparison between these towns is based on the time at
which they were established and specific elements such as their location
and importance in their region and their status in the state to which they
belonged. Morphological values and quantitative values are obtained
through space syntax analysis. In addition to the comparative analyses, the
connection of cultural and religious buildings to the whole town network
is examined from a mathematical point of view to understand how cultural
alteration influences urban form and structure. The urban tissues in both
Anatolian and Italian peninsulas differ in block size and segment length.
While the legacy of the Roman Empire still exists in Italy, the influence of
Islamic tradition has completely changed the urban pattern in Anatolia. This
is also confirmed by mathematical interpretations.
Typo-morphological diversity and urban resilience: a comparative study of three heterogeneous blocks in Brussels
B. Le Fort and J.-P. De Visscher {+}Abstract [Full paper, PDF, 8MB ]
ABSTRACT: Mixed-use heterogeneous urban fabrics have been shown to
be more adaptable to continuous urban change than mono-functional
homogeneous ones. More specifically, studies on high street cases have
highlighted the positive role of ‘morphological mix’ for maintaining a
continuous balance between urban robustness and adaptability, which is a
definition of urban resilience. However, the particular linear condition of high
streets allows only for a partial analysis of typo-morphological synergies
within complex adaptive processes. This paper investigates how typo-
morphological diversity (TMD) affects the adaptive process of urban fabrics
facing contextual changes in the case of three central heterogeneous urban
blocks along the canal in Brussels. These urban blocks are characterized by
a high degree of TMD at street, plot and building levels and by significant
changes through time in all of these typo-morphological components.
A comparative morphogenetic analysis c.1866–2022 reveals that, while
undergoing similar contextual changes, the specific spatial configurations
of each block have led to different morphological transformations. However,
beyond the specificities of each block, the comparative analysis highlights
recurrent typo-morphological processes and reveals the particular impact of
public space status and design on TMD development and evolution.
Obituary: Gian Luigi Maffei
G. Cataldi, P. Vaccaro and G. Strappa [PDF, 2MB ]
Viewpoints
Green spaces in fortified towns and cities T. Slater
Green space, fringe belts and the historico-geographical structure of cities J. W. R. Whitehand
Space in the city: reusing cemeteries P. J. Larkham
What new insights can the combination of the historico-geographical and configurational approaches to urban morphology offer? Y. Zhang and X. Li
[Viewpoints, PDF ]
Reports
Eighth Conference of the Portuguese-language Network of Urban Morphology (PNUM), Maringá, Brazil, 21–23 August 2019 K. S. Meneguetti
Planning on the edge: Thirteenth Biennial of Towns and Town Planners, Plymouth, United Kingdom, 11–13 September 2019 A. Djordevic
[Reports, PDF ]
Book reviews
C. Kickert (2019) Dream city: creation, destruction, and re-invention in downtown Detroit D. Adams
R. Renner (2018) Urban being. Anatomy & identity of the city;
J. Busquets, D. Yang and M. Keller (2019) Urban grids. Handbook for regular city design;
K. Christiaanse, A. Gasco and N. C. Hanakata (2019) The grand projet. Understanding the making and impact of urban megaprojects;
B. Jallon, U. Napolitana and F. Bouttée (2017) Paris Haussmann. A model’s relevance. An analytical review of Baron Haussmann’s redevelopment of Paris from today’s
perspective M. Berghauser Pont
A. D. Ekstrom, H. J. Spiers, V. Bohbot and R. S. Rosenbaum (2018) Human spatial navigation R. C. Dalton
A. Mela and A. Toldo (2019) Socio-spatial inequalities in contemporary cities A. Legeby
D. Gerhold (2019) London Bridge and its houses, c. 1209–1761 P. J. Larkham
[Book reviews, PDF ]
Book notes
[Book notes, PDF ]
Notes and notices
- Acknowledgement of reviewers
- ISUF 2020: Cities of the 21st century
- Meeting of the Council of ISUF
- ICONARP, International Journal of Architecture and Planning
- Back issues of Urban Morphology
- Encyclopaedic approaches to urban morphology
