Journal - Abstracts vol.8 nr.2 (2004)

Bernard Gauthiez - The history of urban morphology

The use of town plans as a source for history and geography and as data for urban planning led, from the end of the nineteenth century, to major developments in the theoretical and analytical aspects of urban morphology. The contributions of the Italian 'school', first Muratori and then Caniggia, principally on architectural typology, are well known today, as are the contributions of the English 'school' initiated by Conzen. But knowledge of previous work is generally poor, especially of the German 'school', which played a major role between the 1890s and the 1950s. This article is a history of the ideas of urban morphology, based upon an examination of the German, English, French and Italian contributions. Its aim is to identify the most relevant scholars in this field and the way in which ideas passed from one discipline to another and across state frontiers. After examining the present-day situation, a new approach is proposed that achieves a better integration of morphological analysis and the use of written sources.

K. Stanilov and V. Donchev - The restructuring of Bulgarian towns at the end of the nineteenth century

The paper explores the morphological transformations of Bulgarian towns at the end of the nineteenth century. These transformations occurred as a result of massive restructuring of existing towns through the implementation of new modernist principles of town planning popularized during that period. Informal rules that governed development patterns for centuries based on continuing cultural and building traditions were abruptly replaced by rational ideas about a new spatial order imposed by a centralized authority. Features specific to the Balkan region and those occurring more widely are noted. Variations between the plans are investigated in terms of their response to the realities and unique characteristics of existing Bulgarian towns subjected to large-scale redevelopment. A range of planning approaches employed at the time is outlined. While some plans ruthlessly imposed a new spatial order, others attempted to integrate the existing fabric into the new spatial framework advanced by the plans. The paper explores further the rationale shaping these various responses. A comparison is made between the plans as a manifestation of idealistic design principles and the extent of their implementation within a turbulent period of dramatic economic and political transformation.