scholarly journals Rethinking Urban Design Problems through Morphological Regions: Case of Beyazıt Square

Author(s):  
Ezgi Kucuk ◽  
Ayşe Sema Kubat

Rethinking Urban Design Problems through Morphological Regions Ezgi Küçük¹, Ayşe Sema Kubat² ¹Urban Planning Coordinator, Marmara Municipalities Union ²Prof., Dr., Istanbul Technical Univercity, Faculty of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Keywords: the Historical Peninsula, morphological regions, urban blocks, urban design, Beyazıt Square Conference topics and scale: Urban form and social use of space     The concept of urban square is a debated issue in the context of urban design practices in Islamic cities. Recognizing the relation between urban morphology and urban design studies in city planning and urban design practices is highly vital. Beyazıt Square, which is the center of the city of Istanbul, could not be integrated to the other parts of the city either configurationally or socially although many design projects have been previously planned and discussed. In this study, the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul is observed as an essential unit of the traditional path reflecting each civilization, namely Roman, Byzantium, Ottoman and Republic of Turkey that have been settled in the region. Transformations in urban blocks in Beyazıt region are elaborated through a series of morphological analyses based on the Conzenian approach of urban morphology. Morphological regions of the Historical Peninsula are identified and Beyazıt region is addressed in detail in terms of the transformations in urban block components, that are; street, plot and buildings. The effects of surrounding units which are the mosque, university buildings, booksellers and Grandbazaar on Beyazıt Square are discussed according to the morphological analyses that are applied to the region. Previous design practices and the existing plan of the area are observed through the analyses including town plan, building block, and land use and ownership patterns. It is revealed that existing design problems in Beyazıt Square come from the absence of urban morphological analyses in all planning and design practices. Through morphological regions as well as the conservation plans, urban design projects can be reconsidered.   References Baş, Y. (2010) ‘Production of Urbanism as the Reproduction of Property Relations: Morphologenesis of Yenişehir-Ankara’, PhD thesis, Middle East Technical University. Barret, H.J. (1996) ‘Townscape changes and local planning management in city conservation areas: the example of Birmingham and Bristol’, PhD thesis, University of Birmingham. Bienstman, H. (2007) ‘Morphological Concepts and Landscape Management: The Cases of Alkmaar and Bromsgrove’, PhD thesis, University of Birmingham. Conzen, M.R.G. (1960) Alnwick Northumberland: a study in town-plan analysis, Institute of British Geographers, London. Conzen, M.R.G. (2004) Thinking About Urban Form: papers on urban morphology 1932-1998, Peter Lang, Bern. Çelik, Z. (1993) The Remaking of Istanbul: Portrait of an Ottoman City in the Nineteenth Century, University of California Press, Berkeley. Günay, B. (1999) Property Relations and Urban Space, METU Faculty of Architecture Press, Ankara. Kubat, A.S. (1999) ‘The morphological history of Istanbul’, Urban Morphology 3.1, 28-41. Noziet, H. (2008) ‘Fabrique urbaine: a new concept in urban history and morphology’, Urban Morphology, 13.1, 55-56. Panerai, P., Castex, J., Depaule, J. C. and Samuels, I. (2004) Urban Forms: The Death and Life of the Urban Block, Architectural Press, Oxford. Tekeli, İ. (2010) Türkiye’nin Kent Planlama ve Kent Araştırmaları Tarihi Yazıları, (Articles of Turkey’s History of Urban Planning and Urban Studies), Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, Istanbul. Whitehand, J.W.R. (2001) ‘British urban morphology: the Conzenian tradition’, Urban Morphology 5.2, 3-10. Whitehand, J.W.R. (2009) ‘The structure of urban landscapes: strengthening research and practice’, Urban Morphology 13.1, 5-22.  

Author(s):  
Luciana Monzillo de Oliveira ◽  
Maria Pronin ◽  
Denise Antonucci

A series of new districts appeared in São Paulo between 1915 and 1940, all inspired in the garden-city concept created by Ebenezer Howard. The City of São Paulo Improvements and Freehold Land Company Limited established some of them in the southwest sector of the city, near downtown: Jardim América (1915), Butantã (1921), Alto da Lapa (1921), Pacaembu (1925), and Alto de Pinheiros (1931). Other developers carried out land subdivisions inspired in the same garden-districts concepts, but in more distant areas. The following garden-districts were built in the southern area of the city: Chácara Flora (1928), Interlagos (1938), and Granja Julieta (1956). Unlike central garden-districts, the history of the outlying garden-districts was seldom or only partly studied. Given this scenario, this study aims to fill a historiographical gap on Interlagos garden-district, which was born as “Interlagos Satellite Spa Town”. Its form is such an important example of landscaping and cultural heritage that the district was listed as protected by the city heritage agency in Resolution nº 18, November 23, 2004, in view of the morphological and historical features of the original land subdivision. This study relies on an urban morphology cognitive study which, according to Rego and Meneguetti (2011), aims to expand the knowledge on the origins and explanations of that urban form. The study presents unpublished data on the district formation, taken mainly from a survey carried out in newspapers from the 1930s and 1940s.


Author(s):  
Mirhan Damir

The historical residential area of Kōm ad–Dikka in Alexandria has experienced subsequent morphological transformation since the ancient era until present. Each historical period had a physical impact on the city’s urban structure that in turn struggled to survive its successive one with its different urban conception. However, the sinuous streets of this area, which probably date back to the late Egyptian Medieval period, are characterized as the only surviving organic fabric intra–muros that was not altered during the Egyptian Modern period. This paper elaborately investigated the chronological history of the historical residential area since the ancient era until the mid—twentieth century. Based on in–depth investigation of historical maps and memoirs, it revealed the possible reasons behind its extant sinuous urban form and postulated reconstructions of its urban morphology through sequential phases.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Boeing

The city of Honolulu, Hawaii is currently planning and developing a new rail transit system. While Honolulu has supportive density and topography for rail transit, questions remain about its ability to effectively integrate urban design and accessibility across the system. Every transit trip begins and ends with a walking trip from origins and to destinations: transportation planning must account for pedestrian safety, comfort, and access. Ildefons Cerdà’s 19th century utopian plan for Barcelona’s Eixample district produced a renowned, livable urban form. The Eixample, with its well-integrated rail transit, serves as a model of urban design, land use, transportation planning, and pedestrian-scaled streets working in synergy to produce accessibility. This study discusses the urban form of Honolulu and the history and planning of its new rail transit system. Then it reviews the history of Cerdà’s plan for the Eixample and discusses its urban form and performance today. Finally it draws several lessons from Barcelona’s urban design, accessibility, and rail transit planning and critically discusses their applicability to policy and design in Honolulu. This discussion is situated within wider debates around livable cities and social justice as it contributes several form and design lessons to the livability and accessibility literature while identifying potential concerns with privatization and displacement.


Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Georgios-Rafail Kouklis ◽  
Athena Yiannakou

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contribution of urban morphology to the formation of microclimatic conditions prevailing within urban outdoor spaces. We studied the compact form of a city and examined, at a detailed, street plan level, elements related to air temperature, urban ventilation, and the individual’s thermal comfort. All elements examined are directly affected by both the urban form and the availability of open and green spaces. The field study took place in a typical compact urban fabric of an old city center, the city center of Thessaloniki, where we investigated the relationship between urban morphology and microclimate. Urban morphology was gauged by examining the detailed street plan, along with the local building patterns. We used a simulation method based on the ENVI-met© software. The findings of the field study highlight the fact that the street layout, the urban canyon, and the open and green spaces in a compact urban form contribute decisively both to the creation of the microclimatic conditions and to the influence of the bioclimatic parameters.


Author(s):  
Limeng Zhang ◽  
Andong Lu

A study on the history of urban morphology in China based on discourse analysis Limeng Zhang¹, Andong Lu¹ ¹School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University. Nanjing University Hankou Road 22#, Gulou District, Nanjing, China E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Key words: urban morphology, terminology, discourse analysis Conference topics and scale: Literature review   (Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant No.: 51478215)   Urban morphology is a method widely used in China in the field of urban design and urban conservation. Since its first introduction to the Chinese context about 20 years ago, the key ideas and concepts of urban morphology underwent a significant phenomenon of ‘lost in translation’. Different origins of morphological thoughts, different versions of translation, as well as different disciplinary context, have all together led to a chaotic discourse. This paper reviews the key Chinese articles in the field of urban morphology since 1982 and draws out a group of persistent keywords, such as evolution, axis, urban fringe belt, plan unit and plot, that characterize the morphological approach to urban issues. By reviewing the transformation of the definition of these keywords, this paper aims to generate an evolutionary map of landmark ideas and concepts, based on which, four stages in the development of urban morphology in China can be identified: emergence, growth, maturity, practice. The mapping methodology could be extrapolated to other words, and the obtained evolutionary map could be a basic tool for further study.   References Conzen M. R. G.,  Alnwick, Northumberland: A Study in Town-plan Analysis [M] 1960. ( London, George Philip). J. W. R. Whitehand, and Kai Gu. ‘Urban conservation in China: Historical development, current practice and morphological approach’ [J], Town Planning Review, 2007 (5), 615-642. Duan Jin, and Qiu Guochao. 'The Emergence and Development of Overseas Urban Morphology Study' [J], Urban Planning Forum, 2008(5):34-42. M. P. Conzen, Kai Gu, J. W. R. Whitehand. Comparing traditional urban form in China and Europe: a fringe belt approach [D]. Urban Geography, 2011.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Niyati Jigyasu

The first half of the 20th century was a turning point in the history of India with provincial rulers making significant development that had positive contribution and lasting influence on India’s growth. They served as architects, influencing not only the socio-cultural and economic growth but also the development of urban built form. Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for his reforms. His pursuit for education led to establishment of Maharaja Sayajirao University and the Central Library that are unique examples of Architecture and structural systems. He brought many known architects from around the world to Baroda including Major Charles Mant, Robert Chrisholm and Charles Frederick Stevens. The proposals of the urban planner Patrick Geddes led to vital changes in the urban form of the core city area. New materials and technology introduced by these architects such as use of Belgium glass in the flooring of the central library for introducing natural light were revolutionary for that period. Sayajirao’s vision for water works, legal systems, market enterprises have all been translated into unique architectural heritage of the 20th century which signifies innovations that had a lasting influence on the city’s social, economic, administrative structure as well as built form of the city and its architecture. This paper demonstrates how the reformist ideas and vision of an erstwhile provincial ruler lead to significant architecture at the turn of the century in Princely state of Vadodara.


Author(s):  
James T. White

This chapter considers the evolving urban form of residential architecture and urban design in Glasgow. It traces the history of the Victorian tenement, the city’s failed modernist redevelopment, and the subsequent emergence of a place-making agenda that has reimagined the tenement for contemporary living. The chapter uses interviews with key informants and a review of archival data to describe the city’s approach to contemporary placemaking at two major urban regeneration projects, Laurieston and Pollokshaws. The chapter argues that both projects attempt to ‘recreate’ lost parts of the Victorian city and erase the city’s experience with modernism, while also mixing social housing with market housing to encourage more complete communities. The paper argues that this approach has led to a creeping reliance on the viability of market housing to deliver social housing and the wider regeneration aims of the project masterplans.


2017 ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Yeimis Milton Palomino Pichihua

ResumenLas primeras décadas del siglo XX mostraron al urbanismo en un proceso de redefinición disciplinar producto de los nuevos requerimientos de habitabilidad de las emergentes ciudades europeas. En este periodo sobresalieron los aportes de la República de Weimar, relacionados a la promoción de vivienda, que marcaron el inicio de las modernas políticas de vivienda social, al mismo tiempo que inauguraban un modelo de crecimiento suburbano. La importancia del modelo alemán de nuevos barrios radicó en la conjunción de factores disciplinares y políticos. Esta particularidad provocó un creciente interés por parte del mundo académico; no obstante, este derivaría hacia interpretaciones sociológicas, dejando de lado el análisis netamente físico. En respuesta, el presente artículo plantea un análisis enfocado en la forma urbana. Busca identificar las cualidades de estos nuevos espacios, atendiendo a indicadores morfológicos de superficie, ocupación, forma y distribución. Asimismo, el estudio coteja casos de promoción de vivienda, con formas tradicionales de ocupación residencial. Con la intención de obtener pruebas de la relación entre la estructura física y los intensos cambios sociales de la época. Confrontando resultados empíricos con relatos históricos vigentes, fortaleciendo así una visión crítica de los mismos. De este modo, cuestiona visiones generalizadoras de la historia del urbanismo, la misma que se reconoce fragmentaria y diversa. Palabras clave  Siedlungen, morfología urbana, historia del urbanismo, Berlín, Frankfurt, HamburgoAbstractFirst decades of the twentieth century, showed urbanism in a process of disciplinary redefinition. Result of the new requirements of habitability of emerging European cities. Period in which the contributions of the Weimar Republic, related to the promotion of housing were outstanding. These marked the beginning of modern policies of social housing, at the same time as they inaugurated a model of suburban growth. The relevance of the German model of neighborhoods lay in the conjunction of disciplinary and political factors. This particularity has produced a growing interest on the academic world. However, this has led to sociological interpretations, leaving aside the purely physical analysis. In response, the present article proposes an analysis focused on the urban form. It implies the identification of qualities of new spaces, in terms of morphological indicators like surface, occupation, form and distribution. The study compares cases of housing promotion, with traditional forms of residential occupation. In order to obtain evidence of the relation between the physical structure and intense social changes. Confronting empirical results with current historical accounts, strengthening a critical view of them. By this way, question generalizing visions of the history of urbanism, which is recognized fragmentary and diverse. KeywordsSiedlungen, urban morphology, urban history, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg


2021 ◽  
pp. 172-179
Author(s):  
Martin Harutyunyan

In Yerevan, as well as in a number of other Armenian cities, gardens were designed and constructed mainly during the Soviet era, and most of them were transformed, distorted and devastated in the first decade of the period of independence. In the last decade, a unique number of gardens/parks have been built or reconstructed in Yerevan. The city of Yerevan needs this kind of investigation. To observe and analyse the current state of gardens and parks, architectural and design structures as well as compositional design issues and problems concerning Yerevan’s gardens and parks can be the first study in the Armenian history of design and architecture We still do not have any information about similar research efforts in the given sphere carried out in the countries neighbouring Armenia and other foreign countries. This article presents the right process of modernization and/or construction of gardens/parks based on the study of the best models envisions and requires application and implementation of different tools of compositional design and modification not only in the design proper of gardens/parks, but also in the external design and aesthetic nuances of the adjacent surrounding, leaving any compositional design setup unchanged.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Maciej Motak ◽  
Magdalena Woźniczka

The article starts with the short discussion of two geometrical figures, i.e., octagon and ellipse, their genesis in architecture and urban design, and the examples of buildings whose plans were based upon them. Then, the selected octagonal and elliptical city squares are discussed: their genesis, context, layout, architecture surrounding the square, objects appearing in the square and, most specially, urban form and composition. The theory of architectural-landscape interiors has been applied to pinpoint the type of city squares by the assessing of the degree of openings in the square’s perimeter. The review consists of 22 case studies (9 octagonal and 13 elliptical) from the 15th to the 20th century. The last discussed case in each group, both atypical created in Krakow in the 20th century, are discussed even more thoroughly. The conclusions were presented first separately for octagonal and elliptical city squares and finally also for both groups in a comparative way.


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