________________________________________

ARC 1501: URBAN DESIGN 1

URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
WEEK 5 | MODULE 4 URBAN DESIGN 1
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URBAN MORPHOLOGY

Source: Carlo Andrea Biraghi, Michele Caja, Sotirios Zaroulas, 2019

URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS URBAN DESIGN 1

WEEK 5 | MODULE 4
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DEFINITION
• ‘The study of the physical (or built) fabric of urban form, and
the people and processes shaping it’ (Urban Morphology
Research Group, 1990)
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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DEFINITION
• ‘…an approach to conceptualizing the complexity of physical
form. Understanding the physical complexities of various scales,
from individual buildings, plots, street blocks, and the street patterns
that make up the structure of towns helps us to understand the ways
in which towns have grown and developed’ (Larkham, 2005)
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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DEFINITION
• ‘A method of analysis which is basic to find (ing) out principles or
rules of urban design’ ‘…the study of the city as human habitat…
Urban morphologists…analyse a city’s evolution from its
formative years to its subsequent transformations, identifying
and dissecting its various components’ (Gebauer and Samuels,
1981, Moudon, 1997, Gauthier and Gilliland, 2006)
ELEMENTS OF
URBAN FORM
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ELEMENTS OF URBAN FORM

URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
WEEK 5 | MODULE 4 URBAN DESIGN 1
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ELEMENTS OF URBAN FORM

• Buildings

- Buildings are the most

pronounced elements of urban
design - they shape and articulate
space by forming the street walls
of the city. Well-designed buildings
and groups of buildings work
together to create a sense of
place.

New York City Buildings

Source: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rSl0V06WxA0m62TUHpKqdeSwBNg=/0x0:5568x3712/1200x800/filters:focal(2339x1411:3229x2301)/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65099284/shutterstock_1450721480.0.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ELEMENTS OF URBAN FORM

• Street

- Streets are the connections

between spaces and places, as
well as being spaces themselves.
They are defined by their physical
dimension and character as well
as the size, scale, and character
of the buildings that line them. The
pattern of the street network is
part of what defines a city and
what makes each city unique.

Abbey Road, London

Source: https://media.cntraveler.com/photos/53daa0036dec627b149f7a12/4:3/w_935,h_701,c_limit/abbey-road-london.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ELEMENTS OF URBAN FORM

• Public Space

- Public spaces range from grand

central plazas and squares, to
small, local neighborhood parks.
Great public spaces are the living
room of the city - the place where
people come together to enjoy the
city and each other. Public spaces
make high quality life in the city
possible - they form the stage and
backdrop to the drama of life.

Berzcy Park, Toronto

Source: https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/02berczypark-public-governance-azure-1600x900.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ELEMENTS OF URBAN FORM

• Transportation

- Transport systems connect the

parts of cities and help shape
them, and enable movement
throughout the city. They include
road, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian
networks, and together form the
total movement system of a city.
- The balance of these various
transport systems is what helps
define the quality and character of
cities, and makes them either
friendly or hostile to pedestrians.
Shinkansen Bullet Train in Central Tokyo

Source: https://marvel-b1-cdn.bc0a.com/f00000000017219/documents.trendmicro.com/images/TEx/articles/securing-transportation-network-tomorrow.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ELEMENTS OF URBAN FORM

• Landscape

- The landscape is the green part of

the city that weaves throughout -
in the form of urban parks, street
trees, plants, flowers, and water in
many forms. The landscape helps
define the character and beauty of
a city and creates soft, contrasting
spaces and elements.

Central Park, New York

Source: https://assets.centralparknyc.org/media/images/_1650x1238_crop_center-center_none/Stories-from-Before-the-Creation-of-Central-Park.jpg
ROAD HIERARCHY
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Principal Arterials
- Principal arterials provide long-
distance “trunkline” continuous
routes within and between urban
areas.
- Principal arterials should be
located every 4.83 to 6.44
kilometers in urban areas.
- (Eg: Highways, bi-ways,
expressways, super-highways,
freeways, motorways,
autobahns)

South Luzon Express Way (SLEX)

Source: https://assets2.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/6DD7B00A0F5147DC8C4C81258D99FD2F/slex-20181219.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Principal Arterials
- Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or
EDSA is categorized as a limited-
access circumferential highway.
It is the main thoroughfare in
Metro Manila which passes from
north to south, namely Caloocan,
Quezon City, San Juan,
Mandaluyong, Makati, and Pasay.
- Spanning by about 23.8 kms,
EDSA’s northern entry point is at
the Bonifacio Monument
Roundabout in Gracepark,
Caloocan with its tail end located
at SM Mall of Asia Rotunda in Bay
City, Pasay.
EDSA
Source: https://d1hv7ee95zft1i.cloudfront.net/custom/blog-post-photo/gallery/epifanio-de-los-santos-avenue-edsa-5dfc69e5d812b.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Minor Arterials
- The backbone of the urban street
network, minor arterials are
continuous routes through urban
areas.
- Minor arterials should be spaced
at around 1.61-kilometer intervals
from other arterials (principal or
minor).
- (Eg: Avenue, Boulevard)

Ayala Avenue, Makati

Source: https://files01.pna.gov.ph/ograph/2020/08/18/18082020jor7.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Minor Arterials
- The traffic function of minor arterial
streets is challenged because of
their attractiveness as business
addresses, an attractiveness
fostered by the traffic function of
the street itself.
- (Eg: Avenue, Boulevard)

España Boulevard
Source: https://miro.medium.com/max/1000/1*ecmDdeNDmnid4cliSXeNvg.jpeg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Collector Streets
- Minor tributaries, gathering
traffic from numerous smaller
(local) streets and delivering it
to and from minor arterials.
- Most collectors are bordered
by properties (both business
and residential) with driveways
to the street.
- Collector streets should be
spaced roughly one-half mile
or 0.8 kilometers from arterials

Paseo De Roxas
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/View_From_NLEX_Overpass%2C_Bulacan%2C_Philippines_-_panoramio.jpg/1200px-
View_From_NLEX_Overpass%2C_Bulacan%2C_Philippines_-_panoramio.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
WEEK 5 | MODULE 4 URBAN DESIGN 1
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Collector Streets
- Minor tributaries, gathering
traffic from numerous smaller
(local) streets and delivering it
to and from minor arterials.
- Most collectors are bordered
by properties (both business
and residential) with driveways
to the street.
- Collector streets should be
spaced roughly one-half mile
or 0.8 kilometers from arterials

Tomas Morato
Source: https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/0*rSkI1UmkeQ76eQe0.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Local Streets
- Local streets include all streets not
on a “higher” system.
- Travel distance on local streets is
short, typically to the nearest
collector street. Speeds are low
(20 to 30 mph; 32.2 to 48.3
kilometers/hour).
- Typically, 300 to 500 feet (91.4 to
152.4 meters) in business districts
and 250 to 600 feet (76.2 to 182.9
meters) in residential
neighborhoods.

Valero Street, Ayala, Makati

Source: https://fastly.4sqi.net/img/general/600x600/51545814_PQBLPu6OxopnmO7Fl1pKrzgQtM1ZYZqwg8N-cVSA0MI.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD HIERARCHY
• Local Streets
- Local streets often have numerous
driveways, as they are the
addresses for most homes, as well
as many nonresidential land uses
(professional office, small
industrial, churches) not requiring
visibility to large numbers of
passing motorists.

Scout Rallos, Tomas Morato, QC

Source: Google Maps
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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ROAD SYSTEM IN METRO MANILA

 CONNECTED
STREET PATTERNS
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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CONNECTED STREET PATTERNS

The functions of local streets—to

provide address and immediate
access—can be accomplished
equally well under a wide variety
of network patterns.

Central Park, New York

Source: https://i2.wp.com/geoffboeing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/square-mile-street-networks.jpg?ssl=1
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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CONNECTED STREET PATTERNS

• Linear or Street Ribbon
- A type of road network which
solely used a straight road to
connect one community to
another.
- Advantages: Convenient
navigation due to less frequent
crossings.
- Disadvantages: Low-
connectivity networks may
contribute to longer response
times and limit the number of
routes for emergency access

Quebec, Canada

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Champlain%28Quebec%29.JPG/1024px-Champlain%28Quebec%29.JPG
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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CONNECTED STREET PATTERNS

• Gridiron
- The most adaptable and
universal form for urban areas
is the grid pattern: lines of
streets at right angles to one
another forming blocks similar
to the pattern of a chessboard
- Advantages: Relatively direct
connections and multiple
routes and thus has high
connectivity
- Disadvantages: Traffic
congestion due to series of
intersections
New York, USA

Source: https://assets.centralparknyc.org/media/images/_1650x1238_crop_center-center_none/Stories-from-Before-the-Creation-of-Central-Park.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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CONNECTED STREET PATTERNS

• Radial
- Network of circumferential
roads in the form of circles
emanating from the centre of
the area towards the outer
parts of the city.
- Advantages: Relatively direct
connections and multiple
routes and thus has high
connectivity.
- Disadvantages: This road
proves particularly effective if
two-lane ramp traffic is not to
be merged on the downstream
end of the ramp. Paris, France

Source: https://ireneses.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/paris_place_etoile_cdg__.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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CONNECTED STREET PATTERNS

• Web
- A network of roads grows in
such a manner that they form
hexagons.
- Advantages:
Three roads meet the built-up
area boundary by the sides of
the hexagons.
- Disadvantages: Traffic signs,
pavement markings, and
lighting should be adequate so
that drivers are aware that they
should reduce their travel
speed
Grammichele, Sicily, Italy

Source: https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/28155833/gettyimages-115590201.jpg.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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CONNECTED STREET PATTERNS

• Irregular
- These are curvilinear networks
dominated by cul-de-sacs that
are more typical of modern
suburban subdivisions
- Advantages: Can often follow
contours of the topography,
making an interesting pattern
- Disadvantages: Often provide
relatively indirect connections
and few routes and thus have
low connectivity.

Rome, Italy

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/4c/54/ec4c54de126d87bdb9cebf46d9c0d1f8.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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Urban Blocks in Mexico City

Source: Superblocks: How Barcelona is taking city streets back from cars) | https://youtu.be/ZORzsubQA_M
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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URBAN BLOCKS

• Urban blocks can be defined as

the space within the street pattern
of a city that is subdivided into
land lots for the construction of
buildings.
• It may consist of a single building
structure or an area with several
buildings that vary in size,
detached structures surrounded
by nature, or intricate labyrinths.

Urban Blocks in Mexico City

Source: https://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/12/urban-morphology-in-mexico-city.html
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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URBAN BLOCKS

Regardless of the composition, an

urban block is the basic unit of a
city's urban fabric and plays an
important role in mediating between
the public and private spheres.

Jardines de Pedregal

Source: https://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/12/urban-morphology-in-mexico-city.html
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
WEEK 5 | MODULE 4 URBAN DESIGN 1
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FACTORS
OF AN
URBAN
BLOCK
Source:
(Shakibamanesh, A. et al, 2019)
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
WEEK 5 | MODULE 4 URBAN DESIGN 1
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TYPES OF URBAN BLOCKS

• Traditional
- A traditional block is an urban
organism developing gradually over
a long period of time.
- This creates an urban architecture
that is restricted to the front facade,
which may or may not have more
regular arrangements and sizes, as
seen in Haussmann's emblematic
renovation of Paris.

Paris,France
Jardines de Pedregal

Source: https://architecturesstyle.com/types-of-urban-blocks/
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TYPES OF URBAN BLOCKS

• Traditional
- Characterized by a large, dense,
and uniform mass resulting in a
disproportionate relationship
between the built environment and
the open spaces.
- These blocks can vary in shape and
size since they are usually formed
according to the space that is left
from the street pattern.

Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Source: https://architecturesstyle.com/types-of-urban-blocks/
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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TYPES OF URBAN BLOCKS

• Perimeter
- A perimeter block is a type of urban
blocks that are built in such a way
so that it covers or surrounds a
specific area from all sides. This
empty central space is semi-private
for the people.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Source: https://architecturesstyle.com/types-of-urban-blocks/
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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TYPES OF URBAN BLOCKS

• Perimeter
- These perimeter blocks may contain
a mixture of uses, with commercial
or retail functions on the ground
floor. They become an urban form in
which very high urban densities can
be achieve without high-rise
buildings.

Barcelona, Spain

Source: https://architecturesstyle.com/types-of-urban-blocks/
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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TYPES OF URBAN BLOCKS

• Open
- An open block is essentially a hybrid
element that brings together the
value of the traditional street and
corner but respects the autonomy of
different types of buildings. This
composition allows more natural
lighting and ventilation to the
buildings, creating a more
pedestrian-friendly environment with
pathways crossing through the
blocks, blurring the line between
public and private.

Berlin, Germany

Source: https://architecturesstyle.com/types-of-urban-blocks/
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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TYPES OF URBAN BLOCKS

• Megastructures
- The concept of urban
megastructures, exalting colossal
structures and technology,
continues to resonate to this day,
even though it dates back to the
1980s. The luxury resort complex
below serves as an example of this
typology that creates an artificial
topography providing different urban
perceptions.

Awaza, Turkmenistan

Source: https://architecturesstyle.com/types-of-urban-blocks/
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TYPES OF URBAN BLOCKS

• New Urbanism
- This urban design movement
emerged in the 1960s as an attempt
to overcome the modernist
schematism of city planning. New
urbanism promotes walkable
neighborhoods containing a wide
range of housing and job types.
Moreover, there is a strong concern
for the integration between nature
and the built environment,
encouraging the developmeeent of
green areas and public parks. This
characteristic is reflected mainly in
the organic design of the urban
Copenhagen, Denmark
layout.
Source: https://architecturesstyle.com/types-of-urban-blocks/
 BUILDINGS
DEFINING SPACE
AND BUILDINGS IN
SPACE
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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BUILDINGS DEFINING SPACE AND

BUILDINGS IN SPACE
• These are usually defined by public space
network from buildings as constituent elements
in urban blocks - i .e. terraced masses,
defining 'streets' and 'squares' - towards
buildings as freestanding pavilions in
amorphous space.
• According to Modernist 'functionalist' Le
Corbusier (1927, p. 167), the convenience of a
building's internal spaces was the principal
determinant of its external form. For example,
likened a building to a soap bubble: 'This bubble
is perfect and harmonious if the breath has General Gordon Square in
been evenly distributed and regulated from the London’s Woolwich, UK
inside. The exterior is the result of interior.' Source:https://www.juliusbaer.com/fileadmin/_processed_/0/4/csm_general_
gordon_square__c__gustafson_porter___bowman_cd8f1a64ac.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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BUILDINGS DEFINING SPACE AND

BUILDINGS IN SPACE
• Designed from the inside out, responding only
to their functional requirements and to
considerations of light, air, hygiene, aspect,
prospect, 'movement', 'openness', etc.,
buildings became sculptures, 'objects in space',
their exterior form – and therefore the
relationship to public space – merely a by-
product of their internal planning.
• At the larger scale - and based on ideas of
providing healthier living conditions, of aesthetic
preference, and of the need to accommodate
cars in urban areas - Modernist urban space Líber Seregni Square &
was intended to flow freely around buildings Park in Montevideo, Uruguay
rather than to be contained by them. Source:https://www.juliusbaer.com/fileadmin/_processed_/0/4/csm_general_
gordon_square__c__gustafson_porter___bowman_cd8f1a64ac.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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BUILDINGS DEFINING SPACE AND

BUILDINGS IN SPACE
• The desire for separation was reinforced by
public health and planning standards such as
density zoning, road widths, sight lines, the
space required for underground services, street
by-laws and daylighting angles. Buildings can
stand out in a number of ways, such as by
being physically separate or taller than
surrounding buildings, and/or
architecturally distinctive. Through
separation and physical distance, freestanding
buildings are insulated from negative (and
positive) spill-over effects of the local context..
Piazza del Campidoglio
Source:https://z3p5f9m9.stackpathcdn.com/wp-
content/uploads/2020/06/piazza-del-campidoglio-rome-635x422.jpg
URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND ITS DRIVERS
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- END -
THANK YOU!

Source: Carlo Andrea Biraghi, Michele Caja, Sotirios Zaroulas, 2019