Urban Morphological Rules Classification for Digital Design

The hidden dimension of the urban morphology is the underlying the urban morphological rules system.The number of these rules has increased and their application tends to become more complex.The urban morphosis based digital approaches tends to become widespread.However,achieving the target values for all the rules is difficult.This impacts the social,environmental and aesthetic objectives of these rules.This paper proposes a classification of urban morphological rules to assist the digital morphosis of urban form.The aim is to endow the system of rules with a hierarchy,which can make efficient the automatic generation of the urban forms respectful of the urban law.Thus,this work promotes the concerns of artificial intelligence in urban morphology.

The mechanism of block form diversification in urban morphological transformation:Case study of grid blocks in Beijing,China

Beijing is a typical traditional city in China,originating from the uniform and conventional grid plan,but transformed diversely,either on purpose or spontaneously.This research took the diversification process of grid blocks as an angle to understand the transformation process of Beijing’s urban morphology.It took 194 grid blocks within the 3rd Ring Road of Beijing as research objects.First,the paper proposed a whole view of Beijing’s grid blocks by 1)visualizing their construction process,2)classifying 5 morphological clusters by 7 indicators(Block size,Block shape regularity,Intensity,Coverage,Network density,Plot shape regularity,Standard deviation of plot size),and 3)investigating their distribution.Second,the diversification process of grid blocks was clarified from two layers:the block-boundary layer and the inner-space layer.Finally,the mechanism of block form diversification was clarified by exploring the connections between elements in each layer,and the influence of urban development on block form transformation.The study re-defined the diversification process in a more quantitative way from both time and spatial dimension.It concluded that the diversification is influenced by changes in urban planning principles and locations,and emerged thorough the long-term transformation and resubdivision.The interaction between the boundary and the inner space stimulates the diversification.And based on these,it concluded with a discussion of limitations and potentials on grid blocks’construction and renovation.

Influence of urban morphological factors on building energy consumption combined with photovoltaic potential: A case study of residential blocks in central China

Studies on urban energy have been growing in interest,and past research has mostly been focused on studies of urban solar potential or urban building energy consumption independently.However,holistic research on the combination of urban building energy consumption and solar potential at the urban block-scale is required in order to minimize energy use and maximize solar power generation simultaneously.The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the impact of urban morphological factors on photovoltaic(PV)potential and building energy consumption.Firstly,58 residential blocks were classified into 6 categories by k-means clustering.Secondly,3 energy performance factors,which include the energy use intensity(EUI),the energy use intensity combined with PV potential(EUI-PV),and photovoltaic substitution rate(PSR)were calculated for these blocks.The study found that the EUI of the Small Length&High Height blocks was the lowest at around 30 kWh/(m^(2)·y),while the EUI-PV of the Small Length&Low Height blocks was the lowest at around 4.45 kWh/(m^(2)·y),and their PSR was the highest at 87%.Regression modelling was carried out,and the study concluded that the EUI of residential blocks was mainly affected by shape factor,building density and floor area ratio,while EUI-PV and PSR were mainly affected by height and sky view factor.In this study,the results and developed methodology are helpful to provide recommendations and strategies for sustainable planning of residential blocks in central China.

Spatial-temporal changes of Tianjin urban spatial morphology from 1978 to 2004

Taken fractal dimension, compact ratio, urban centroid and urban principal axis as the urban spatial characteristic indices, Tianjin city＇s urban area is investigated in the last 26 years in a quantitative perspective, and its traits and changes during different periods are also analyzed. It is clear that these indices can not only scientifically and explicitly assess the urban morphology, urban direction and its changes and trends, but also uncover long-term effects of economy and urban planning on urban morphology.

Fractal Features of Urban Morphology and Simulation of Urban Boundary

Using fractal dimension to reflect and simulate urban morphology are two applications of fractal theory in city geography. As the only consistent description of a fractal, fractal dimension plays an important role in describing the basic features of fractals. Just like other fractals, our cities have similar characteristics. Fractal dimension to some extent is regarded as an indicator of urban expansion, and it may change with urban morphology in different time and space. Based on the Geographic Information System (GIS), taking Wuhan city as a test area, the fractal dimensions of different land use were calculated, and a linear regression equation was established to analyze the relationship between fractal dimension and residential areas. Then the author used fractal dimension to simulate the urban boundary which is an important part of urban mor-phology. A mid-point subdivision fractal generator is needed in the simulation process, and the shape of the generator is determined by fractal dimension. According to the fractal theory, fractal boundaries in different scales have self-similarity and they have the same fractal dimensions. Based on this fact, the simulation method the author used could quantitatively keep the similarity of configuration of the urban boundaries.

Transportation Characteristics Change under Rapid Urban Expansion:A Case Study of Shanghai

This paper focuses on the economic development and urban morphology as well as its impact on the transportation system during the urban expansion of Shanghai in the last more than 20 years(1986-2008).Based on data from 3 comprehensive transport surveys of Shanghai since 1986,the changes in residential trip demand,vehicle use,and the spatial distribution of trips were studied to understand the demands on the transportation system.The factors contributing to those changes in transportation demand were discussed,by which the conclusions were arrived:1) economic development promotes population growth and stimulates residential trip demand greatly;2) unsynchronized migration of population and job from central district to periphery district of Shanghai make trips and congestion diffuse in the same way;and 3) urban sprawl from a city center encourages the single-occupant vehicle mode,which imposes greater pressure on the roadway system.It is concluded that urban development should coordinate with the transportation system planning and expansion.

Evaluation of Three-dimensional Urban Expansion: A Case Study of Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China

With rapid urban development in China in the last two decades, the three-dimensional(3D) characteristic has been the main feature of urban morphology. However, the vast majority of researches of urban growth have focused on the planar area(two-dimensional(2D)) expansion. Few studies have been conducted from a 3D perspective. In this paper, the 3D urban expansion of the Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China from 2003 to 2012 was evaluated based on Geographical Information System(GIS) tools and high-resolution remote sensing images. Four indices, namely weighted average height of buildings, volume of buildings, 3D expansion intensity and 3D fractal dimension are used to quantify the 3D urban expansion. The weighted average height of buildings and the volume of buildings are used to illustrate the temporal change of the 3D urban morphology, while the other two indices are used to calculate the expansion intensity and the fractal dimension of the 3D urban morphology. The results show that the spatial distribution of the high-rise buildings in Yangzhou has significantly spread and the utilization of the 3D space of Yangzhou has become more efficient and intensive. The methods proposed in this paper laid a foundation for a wide range of study of 3D urban morphology changes.

Two-and Three-Dimensional Urban Core Determinants of the Urban Heat Island： A Statistical Approach

There is no doubt that the UHI （urban heat island） is a mounting problem in built-up environments, due to the energy retention by surface dense building materials, leading to increased temperatures, air pollution, and energy consumption. Much of the earlier research on the UHI has used two-dimensional （2-D） information, such as land uses and the distribution of vegetation. In the case of homogeneous land uses, it is possible to predict surface temperatures with reasonable accuracy with 2-D information. However, three-dimensional （3-D） information is necessary to analyze more complex sites, including dense building clusters. In this research, 3-D building geometry information is combined with 2-D urban surface information to examine the relationship between urban characteristics and temperature. The research includes the following stages： （1） estimating urban temperature; （2） developing a 3-D city model; （3） generating geometric parameters; and （4） conducting statistical analyses using both linear and non-linear regression models. The implications of the results are discussed, providing guidelines for policies aiming to reduce the UHI.

Study on urban spatial structure and morphology of Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan coordinating region compared with Randstad,Netherlands

In recent years,regional integration of Chinese cities has gradually developed.Meanwhile,metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations have taken shape.On the one hand,the development of the metropolitan area has brought about urban spatial expansion,as well as population and economic growth.On the other hand,it has led to problems such as the urban sprawl and suburbanization,increasing pressure on environmental resources,and the decline of urban central areas.Under this background,the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Plan Outline proposes to accelerate the integration of Guangzhou-Foshan(Guang Fo)Metropolitan Coordinating Region(MCR),and to construct a networked space pattern driven by urban poles and shafts.Based on the academic research of Metropolitan Coordinating Region(MCR),as well as the theory of urban spatial structure and morphology,this study focus on urban spatial patterns and elements in different scales,from two individual cites(Guangzhou and Foshan),Guang Fo MCR,to Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao(GHM)Greater Bay Area.With GIS and the mapping method,the spatial elements such as green space,water system,built-up area,road network,rail transit network and main pivot points of the Guang Fo MCR are classified,laid out individually and again overlaid in order to figure out the relationship of these elements.At the same time,through the comparative case study of the Randstad MCR in the Netherlands,the enlightenment of solving the development problem of MCR is hopefully to be obtained.As delta cities,the Guang Fo MCR is cut by the multi-channel water network,while the urban built-up area is concentrated in the middle of the MCR and spread out along the traffic corridor to the suburban district.The traffic structure of the Guang Fo MCR is characterized by the outward radiation of the central area of Guangzhou and Foshan.Simultaneously,the traffic connection between Guangzhou and Foshan is relatively weak.Compared with the polycentric spatial structure,which is called Decentralized Compact pattern of Randstad MCR,the Guang Fo MCR presents a city form with little hierarchy but homogeneity,and its urban space is disorderly spread.The bluegreen system of water and vegetation is fragmented because of the urban invasion in Guang Fo MCR,while the green heart in central Randstad is well preserved.As a result,it is well advised to explore a more resilient and ecological urban development in Guang Fo MCR.

Urban Morphology of Urban Village: A Case Study of Dafen Oil Painting Village in Shenzhen

Dafen Oil Painting Village, the largest oil painting village in current China, takes cultural industries like creation and wholesale of oil paintings as the pillar. As one of the urban villages in Shenzhen, Dafen Village not only has the common characteristics of urban morphology as ordinary urban villages, but also has something unique. In this paper, study of the urban morphology of Dafen Oil Painting Village is mainly from 3 aspects: firstly, the formation of street space in Dafen Village; secondly, analysis of the status of urban morphology of Dafen Village; thirdly, the plane layout and public space of Dafen Village. In the end, this paper put forward some suggestions about the future development of urban morphology and space layout in Dafen Village.

Tenure of Urban Land： Structure, Form and Transformation in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil

The purpose of this study is to explore the urban morphological aspects of cities governed by the juridical regime of emphyteusis, a recurrent situation in the northeastern part of the state of Silo Paulo, Brazil, with special attention to the city of Ribeirao Preto. The concession of lands to the Catholic Church was a recurring practice in Brazil during the colonial and imperial periods, when the cities were being established. As these lands were intended for the formation of patrimonial goods to show the devotion of the residents to a Catholic saint, the lands were not allowed to be commercialized. The tenure reveals a relation in which there is an owner--the landlord--who has direct control of the urban land. This owner allows another--the leaseholder--the useful domain of the land, thus giving the latter the right to use the land, the obligation to pay an annual tax and the responsibility to give the owner a percentage of the sales generated from the land. In 1845, farmers donated a tract of land to be used to glorify Silo Sebastiao. This land is now the city of Ribeirao Preto, and it is this conjuncture that defined the structure and the transformation of the original urban form of the current city.

Analysis of Urban Morphology in Core Towns＇ Neighborhoods of Mexico： Santa Barbara＇s Neighborhood as a Case Study

Cities＇ urban morphology is the result of historic, cultural, political and social processes. The historical cores in Mexican cities have high cultural diversity, which also intermingle pre-Hispanic cultures with colonial forms, as well with modernity and post-modernity irruption. The case study is Santa Barbara＇s neighborhood in Toluca City, which was founded in 1524, and the case study was the first neighborhood in Toluca＇s historical core. At present time, this neighborhood is considered as one of the most dangerous places in the city＇s historical core, therefore, it has been abandoned. This paper will display the changes in urban morphology of the neighborhood through the years from 1877 to 2010. For site evaluation, the methodologies of Ashihara （1982） and Lynch＇s （1961） were used in order to analyze positive and negative spaces, as well as main street visual features, street and avenue directions, street circulation and street circulation path configuration. The results show that the focal nodes are a key factor for economic and social reactivation, with which, through urban activation of vacant lots and the traditional use of the streets as public space, is possible to generate centripetal development to restructure the neighborhood.

Effects of Urban Morphology Changes on Ventilation： Studies in Wind Tunnel

This paper presents study of the effects of urban morphology changes on ventilation dynamics through a comparative study between blocks of Copacabana and Ipanema neighborhoods, located in Rio de Janciro City, Brazil. The study was developed with the aid of experimental simulations in a wind tunnel, taking into account the urban morphology and its relations to open spaces. A diagnosis was produced through the exam of the wind effects in relation to the volume of built and non-built spaces. The effects were classified as positive or negative, in relation to the tropical climate. At first, both blocks studied, one in Ipanema and one in Copacabana, were selected according to common characteristics, which establish a relation between the two regions, such as the distance to the beach and the presence of a public square. The results confirmed our expectations showing Ipanema as a more ventilated area.

Morphological and Structural Categories： Geometric Attributes of the Form of Places

The author knows how to interpret the city is a complex task that met the physical form and also all the images that are transmitted by the sensations. However the aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of studying the morphological categories, using the geometric attributes of the shape of places, facilitating the development of three-dimensional view of the architects, in particular for students of architecture. This article is part of the Project ＂Education of the Eye＂ which introduces the training of the eye as a strategy to understand the architectural forms characterizing the volumetric space （architectural, urban and landscaping）, through the polyhedra and their relationships. It is linked to the research line Teaching of Architecture Graduate Program in Architecture -- PROARQ-FAU/UFRJ. The investigation of the way in this direction, interacts with the knowledge produced by the groups SEL-RJ -- Research Group on Systems of Open Spaces in Rio de Janeiro, ProLUGAR -- Design and Quality of Place and EAG-Education-Environment Group.

Characters of Urban Development and Its Spatial Morphology Underground Space Influences on Urban

Underground building with such major functions as underground traffic, commerce, culture and recreation, especially the multifunctional underground large-scale public complex, has become a significant part of the overaU functional structure or even the core of a city. Therefore, the expression of the architectural appearance, and characters of underground building, as well as the integration between the building and its external environment constitute an important part in improving overall functional structure and optimizing cityscape. From the perspective of space and environment shaping, the author explores the architectural appearance, and characters of underground building and its external environment, provides several basic design patterns with further discussion.

Urbanisation Footprints and the Distribution of Air Quality in Nairobi City,Kenya

Various postulations on the relationship between urban morphology and air quality are qualitative.This fails to establish the strength of the contributions of each morphological parameter in the spatial distribution of the air quality.It is this gap in knowledge that this study sought to fill by modelling the correlation existing between the urban morphological variables of development density,land uses,biomass index and air quality values of Nairobi city.While 30 development zones of the city constituted the target population,IKONOS satellite imagery of the city for the year 2015 was utilised in establishing the development densities,land uses and biomass index.The parameters were transformed into numerical surrogates ranging from 1 to 10 with lower values accorded to zones with low biomass index,the highest development density,noxious land uses,high gaseous concentrations and vice-versa.Pearson’s correlation coefficients(r),coefficients of determination(R),t-tests and the Analysis of Variance(F-tests)with levels of significance being 95%were used to determine the strengths,significances and consistencies of the established relationships.The study established that development density is the most significant morphological variable influencing the distribution of air quality.This is followed by biomass index and to a weaker extent,land uses.

Systematic review of the efficacy of data-driven urban building energy models during extreme heat in cities:Current trends and future outlook

Energy demand fluctuations due to low probability high impact(LPHI)micro-climatic events such as urban heat island effect(UHI)and heatwaves,pose significant challenges for urban infrastructure,particularly within urban built-clusters.Mapping short term load forecasting(STLF)of buildings in urban micro-climatic setting(UMS)is obscured by the complex interplay of surrounding morphology,micro-climate and inter-building energy dynamics.Conventional urban building energy modelling(UBEM)approaches to provide quantitative insights about building energy consumption often neglect the synergistic impacts of micro-climate and urban morphology in short temporal scale.Reduced order modelling,unavailability of rich urban datasets such as building key performance indicators for building archetypes-characterization,limit the inter-building energy dynamics consideration into UBEMs.In addition,mismatch of resolutions of spatio-temporal datasets(meso to micro scale transition),LPHI events extent prediction around UMS as well as its accurate quantitative inclusion in UBEM input organization step pose another degree of limitations.This review aims to direct attention towards an integrated-UBEM(i-UBEM)framework to capture the building load fluctuation over multi-scale spatio–temporal scenario.It highlights usage of emerging data-driven hybrid approaches,after systematically analysing developments and limitations of recent physical,data-driven artificial intelligence and machine learning(AI-ML)based modelling approaches.It also discusses the potential integration of google earth engine(GEE)-cloud computing platform in UBEM input organization step to(i)map the land surface temperature(LST)data(quantitative attribute implying LPHI event occurrence),(ii)manage and pre-process high-resolution spatio-temporal UBEM input-datasets.Further the potential of digital twin,central structed data models to integrate along UBEM workflow to reduce uncertainties related to building archetype characterizations is explored.It has also found that a trade-off between high-fidelity baseline simulation models and computationally efficient platform support or co-simulation platform integration is essential to capture LPHI induced inter-building energy dynamics.

The morphological evolution of Chinese urban cemeteries from the perspective of fringe belt:A case study of Nanjing

The urban cemetery is the material carrier of citizens’view of life and death,and it also evolves with time as a special part of the urban form.Since the reform of the housing system in the 1990s,China has entered a period of rapid urbanization,and the urban cemeteries has entered a cycle of shock and accelerated transformation.The cemeteries originally located on the urban fringe were gradually surrounded by new built-up areas as the city sprawled,and then most of them inevitably migrated outward under the pressure of urban population explosion and land shortage.Taking Nanjing as an example,this paper presents the morphological evolution of Nanjing’s urban cemetery since the early 20th century,discusses the relationship between the evolution of the cemetery and the urban fringe belt,and analyzes the reasons for its evolution.The different types of morphological evolution of Nanjing cemetery are further summarized,revealing the general law and its Chinese particularity.The article concludes with a discussion of the value and significance of morphological research on urban cemeteries in China.

Optimizing urban block morphologies for net-zero energy cities:Exploring photovoltaic potential and urban design prototype

The morphology of urban areas plays a crucial role in determining solar potential,which directly affects photovoltaic capacity and the achievement of net-zero outcomes.This study focuses on the City of Melbourne to investigate the utilization of solar energy across different urban densities and proposes optimized morphologies.The analysis encompasses blocks with diverse population densities,examining medium and high-density areas.By utilizing a multi-objective genetic optimization approach,the urban morphology of these blocks is refined.The findings indicate that low-density blocks exhibit photovoltaic potential ranging from 1 to 6.6 times their total energy consumption.Medium and high-density blocks achieve photovoltaic potential levels approximately equivalent to 40%-85%of their overall energy consumption.Moreover,significant variations in photovoltaic potential are observed among different urban forms within medium and high-density blocks.An“elevated corners with central valley”prototype is proposed as an effective approach,enhancing the overall photovoltaic potential by approximately 14%.This study introduces novel analytical concepts,shedding light on the intricate relationship between urban morphologies and photovoltaic potential.

Temporal-spatial risk assessment of COVID-19 under the influence of urban spatial environmental parameters:The case of Shenyang city

Respiratory infection is the main route for the transmission of coronavirus pneumonia,and the results have shown that the urban spatial environment significantly influences the risk of infection.Based on the Wells-Riley model of respiratory infection probability,the study determined the human respiratory-related parameters and the effective influence range;extracted urban morphological parameters,assessed the ventilation effects of different spatial environments,and,combined with population flow monitoring data,constructed a method for assessing the risk of Covid-19 respiratory infection in urban-scale grid cells.In the empirical study in Shenyang city,a severe cold region,urban morphological parameters,population size,background wind speed,and individual behavior patterns were used to calculate the distribution characteristics of temporal and spatial concomitant risks in urban areas grids under different scenarios.The results showed that the correlation between the risk of respiratory infection in urban public spaces and the above variables was significant.The exposure time had the greatest degree of influence on the probability of respiratory infection risk among the variables.At the same time,the change in human body spacing beyond 1 m had a minor influence on the risk of infection.Among the urban morphological parameters,building height had the highest correlation with the risk of infection,while building density had the lowest correlation.The actual point distribution of the epidemic in Shenyang from March to April 2022 was used to verify the evaluation results.The overlap rate between medium or higher risk areas and actual cases was 78.55%.The planning strategies for epidemic prevention and control were proposed for the spatial differentiation characteristics of different risk elements.The research results can accurately classify the risk level of urban space and provide a scientific basis for the planning response of epidemic prevention and control and the safety of public activities.