Journal - Abstracts vol.10 nr.2 (2006)

A. Siksna - The study of urban form in Australia

This paper reviews urban morphological research in Australia, undertaken since the 1960s mainly by urban geographers, urban planners, urban designers and architects. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Australian colonial governments generally prepared plans for towns, and also for rural lands, before allowing settlement to occur. Much of the study of urban form has therefore concerned the initial plans of Australian towns and cities, and how these have influenced the subsequent evolution of country towns, city centres, residential areas, and detailed urban forms. Some broader overviews, theoretical works, and studies in a comparative international context are also discussed.

V. Oliveira - The morphological dimension of municipal plans

In the last decade an interdisciplinary field has emerged from the convergence of three European schools of thought within urban morphology. This paper explores one of the research interests in this field, mainly developed by the British school, the analysis of the relationship between urban morphology and town planning. The incorporation of morphological criteria in the Plano Director Municipal (Local Land-Use Plan) for Oporto is assessed, with reference to planning documents prepared by members of the Urban Morphology Research Group for British and French towns, and taking account of differences in legal systems. Issues addressed include the maintenance of the character of the city (Oporto is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites) a form-based typological approach to zoning, and the introduction of design detail within the planning process.

P.J. Larkham - The study of urban form in Great Britain

This paper examines the history of the study of urban form in Great Britain, tracing its origins, the development of an ’indigenous’ strand of work, and the introduction of M.R.G. Conzen’s ideas. ’Urban form’ is defined unusually widely, as many disparate strands of work have an influence upon that definition as currently conceived, including the consideration of agents and agency in urban change. Methods and techniques are discussed, from Conzenian plan analysis to computers and fractals. The main disciplinary focus is geographical, but studies from a broad range of other disciplines are also considered.