Urban morphological regions: Development of an idea

Abstract

The question of how to articulate and represent the structure of the urban landscape has long been central to geographical urban morphology. Between the late 1950s and the late 1980s, MRG Conzen made a major contribution to the development of morphological regionalisation—the process of identifying and mapping urban morphological regions that is fundamental to the understanding of the structure and change of towns and cities. In the past two to three decades, the scope of research on morphological regionalisation has expanded both geographically, to include studies from diverse cultural regions and, professionally, to demonstrate its significance for planning and urban design. After a review of the origins and development of the idea of urban morphological regions, this chapter focuses on the research contributions by JWR Whitehand and his associates and followers to its recent advancement. Discussion of the concept includes its application and adaptation in different cultural regions and its potential and challenges in urban conservation. More recent explorations aim to extend the application of morphological regionalisation in the development of form-based zoning, urban design guidelines, urban redevelopment management and planning for social inclusion.