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Journal - Abstracts vol.1 (1997)

• A.V. Moudon - Urban Morphology as an emerging interdisciplinary field

The forces and events leading to the formation of the International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF) are identified. ISUF is expanding the field of urban morphology beyond its original confines in geography, particularly into the domains of architecture and planning. Three schools of urban morphology, in England, Italy and France, are coming together, following seminal work by two morphologists, M.R.G. Conzen and Saverio Muratori. The bringing together of these schools provides the basis for an interdisciplinary field and the opportunity to establish common theoretical foundations for the growing number of urban morphologists in many parts of the world. ISUF's ambitious mission is to address real and timely issues concerning city building by providing a forum for thought and action which includes related disciplines and professions in different cultures. The potential of an interdisciplinary urban morphology to contribute to the understanding and management of urban development in a period of unprecedented change is discussed.

• S.Satoh - The morphological transformation of Japanese castle-town cities

In this historical survey of Japanese castle towns, there are four key findings. First, Japanese castle towns, although having individually unique spatial structures and landscaping, can be grouped into five categories. Secondly, in the town planning of these towns there have been characteristic transformative procedures to meet the needs of modern urban activities. Thirdly, the various schemes that have been devised and implemented at each critical stage during the modern period have been able to control each urban transformation and gradually improve the structure of each city. Finally, these schemes and transformative processes have been fundamentally affected by the existing urban patterns which were already established long before the Meiji Restoration. Every recent transformation has been found to be a distinct process in which a variety of schemes and efforts to change the environment have been integrated with each original urban pattern.

• A. Siksna - The evolution of block size and form in North American and Australian city centres

The paper describes a comparative study of block size and form in twelve North American and Australian city centres. The purpose of the study was to analyse the effect of different initial block sizes and forms on the nature of subsequent urban development, in terms of land parcelling, building forms, circulation patterns, and partly also of land use. The study considered the evolution of the block and layout pattern since the initial layout was established, and its present form and performance. The findings demonstrate that certain block forms and dimensions perform better than others, in particular aspects and circumstances, and that the choice of initial block forms and sizes leads to predictable consequences and processes in subsequent development. The method used offers a systematic basis for other comparative studies of the influence of differing block forms and sizes in both historical and contemporary urban fabrics.

• M.G. Corsini - Residential building types in Italy before 1930: the significance of local typological processes

I tipi edilizi residenziali in Italia fino al 1930: permanenze e derivazioni dai processi tipologici locali. La maggior parte del tessuto edilizio dei quartieri progettati in Italia dalla seconda metā dell' Ottocento ad oggi č costituito dalla casa plurifamiliare ad appartamenti o `casa in linea'. La casa in linea dei primi quartieri di espansione rappresenta la codificazione del tipo plurifamiliare nato nella cittā antica dal riuso dell'edilizia monofamiliare medioevale, attraverso fenomeni di rifusione e sopraelevazione. Per questo, esaminando in comparazione i quartieri residenziali di cittā italiane progettati e realizzati dalla metā dell' Ottocento ai primi decenni del Novecento si rilevano, insieme a caratteri comuni nel tessuto e nell'edilizia, accezioni particolari e differenziazioni locali, nella struttura, nella distribuzione e soprattutto nel sistema di aggregazione della casa in linea, dovute alla permanenza e continuitā di processi tipologici autoctoni ereditati dalla cittā antica. La ricostruzione dei processi tipologici locali diventa indispensabile per giungere al recupero del progetto riferito all'esperienza edilizia storica dell'area culturale di appartenenza, in stretta connessione e continuitā con la cultura dei luoghi. L'analisi si sviluppa nella comparazione dei processi tipologici di tre cittā italiane, Genova, Roma, Milano