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This article proposes a 35D form index system to quantitatively describe the 3D form of urban blocks. Utilizing the T-distributed stochastic neighbor (TSNE) embedding algorithm for cluster analysis, the visually complex and disordered urban 3D texture is translated into distinct form clusters, enabling the recognition of the overall urban form structure from the block perspective. The research methodology includes experiments conducted in the central area of Nanjing and comparative analysis in three neighboring cities: Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. Results demonstrate the efficacy of form parameters and cluster analysis in achieving sound recognition. The four cities differ remarkably in the number and distribution structure of clusters. Shanghai has the fewest types of clusters with a compact distribution, Suzhou has the most types with a dispersed distribution, and Hangzhou and Nanjing exhibit similar characteristics, located between Shanghai and Suzhou. Correlation analysis reveals a negative relationship between the number of cluster types and the level of urban socioeconomic development in similar areas. This research implies that governments and urban planners can exploit neighborhood morphological types to devise customized spatial management and renewal strategies. The overall urban structure can be improved by strategically minimizing the quantity and distribution of neighborhood morphological types, fostering socioeconomic development.

This article proposes a 35D form index system to quantitatively describe the 3D form of urban blocks. Utilizing the T-distributed stochastic neighbor (TSNE) embedding algorithm for cluster analysis, the visually complex and disordered urban 3D texture is translated into distinct form clusters, enabling the recognition of the overall urban form structure from the block perspective. The research methodology includes experiments conducted in the central area of Nanjing and comparative analysis in three neighboring cities: Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. Results demonstrate the efficacy of form parameters and cluster analysis in achieving sound recognition. The four cities differ remarkably in the number and distribution structure of clusters. Shanghai has the fewest types of clusters with a compact distribution, Suzhou has the most types with a dispersed distribution, and Hangzhou and Nanjing exhibit similar characteristics, located between Shanghai and Suzhou. Correlation analysis reveals a negative relationship between the number of cluster types and the level of urban socioeconomic development in similar areas. This research implies that governments and urban planners can exploit neighborhood morphological types to devise customized spatial management and renewal strategies. The overall urban structure can be improved by strategically minimizing the quantity and distribution of neighborhood morphological types, fostering socioeconomic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban water bodies play an important role in regulating the thermal environment in densely populated cities. Typical central urban areas along both sides of the Pearl River in Guangzhou are selected as study sites and have been divided into 25 local zones with different spatial morphology. Mobile surveys are performed on typical summer and winter days. After temporal correction processing, the spatial distribution patterns of air temperature (Ta) and relative humidity (RH) at different times along both sides of the Pearl River are obtained. The daily Ta in the waterfront blocks ranged from 31.5 °C to 39.4 °C during summer, and from 17.50 °C to 27.50 °C during winter. Daily RH ranged from 41.3% to 67.3% during summer and 48.2%–76.4% during winter. This study explored the effects of urban spatial morphology and river wind on the local thermal environment of the waterfront blocks. The results showed that the river wind can have cooling and humidifying effects, especially on the windward side of these waterfront zones. The spatial heterogeneity and spatial autocorrelation characteristics of the block-scale waterfront areas are discovered to be clustered in both seasons. This study contributes to the design and optimization of thermally friendly waterfront blocks.

Efficiently harnessing solar radiation in high-density urban environments to optimize block forms holds significant potential for advancing urban low-carbon development. This paper introduces a novel method for generating high-density block forms based on comprehensive solar utilization. Grasshopper was used to compile an automated workflow for block form generation, solar simulation, and multi-objective optimization algorithms. Leveraging maximum solar radiation within and surrounding the block and effective photovoltaic utilization ratio are the three objectives in the multi-objective optimization process. From 60,000 generated samples, 1200 block forms were selected as the Pareto fronts. As the plot ratio of the generated blocks increases from 3 to 7, the annual mean solar radiation around the block decreases from 891.3 kWh/m2 to 863.5 kWh/m2, a reduction of only 3.1 %. When the number of blocks within the block increases from 1 to 4, the average solar radiation inside the block increases from 484.8 kWh/m2 to 516.1 kWh/m2, an increase of about 6.5 %. Additionally, as site coverage increased from 30 % to 60 %, the average solar radiation inside the block decreased from 549.2 kWh/m2 to 459.8 kWh/m2, a decrease of approximately 17 %. Notably, the photovoltaic power generation fell from 90.3 kWh/m2 to 61.2 kWh/m2, a decrease of about 32 %. The results indicate that the grid modeling method and multi-objective optimization algorithm adopted in this study can significantly improve the diversity of block morphology and achieve multiple solar performance requirements. The findings support designers in swiftly assessing building volume rationality and solar utilization potential at the early stages of urban design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to classify blocks in the second ring road of Changsha, a central city of urban agglomeration in central China, according to their green space patterns, and to explore the influence of green spaces in different blocks on the surrounding microclimate. Researchers divided the blocks into five types: green space enclosed by buildings type, green space parallel with buildings type, green space centralized in buildings type, green space interspersed in the block type, and green space dispersed in the block type. Thermal comfort conditions in the different blocks were studied by ENVI-met simulations and using the thermal comfort indicators physiological equivalent temperature (PET), predicted mean vote (PMV), and standard effective temperature (SET). Because the green space was more evenly distributed in the block of green space parallel type and green space interspersed type, the overall fluctuation of the thermal comfort value of all areas of the whole block was small, with more areas having a value close to the median value of the thermal comfort value of the block. In the green enclosed blocks, thermal comfort was better within the green space in the area enclosed in the middle when the surrounding buildings were lower. The green areas in the green space enclosure type significantly improved the thermal comfort around the buildings, and the thermal comfort in the areas decreased rapidly as the distance between the green areas and the buildings increased. The green space dispersion type was found more in older blocks that were not well planned and had poor thermal comfort in the areas. On the premise that the green space area in the different high-rise blocks was equal, if only the thermal comfort of the green space coverage area was considered, in the summer, the green space parallel type was the best (|ΔPET| = 7.96, |ΔPMV| = 1.22). In the winter, the green space centralized type was the best (|ΔPET| = 11.26, |ΔSET| = 10.88). On the premise of equal green space area in the different multilayer blocks, if only the thermal comfort of green space coverage area was considered, in the summer, the green space parallel type was the best (|ΔPET| = 8.89, |ΔPMV| = 1.49). In the winter, the green space centralized type (|ΔPET| = 11.04, |ΔSET| = 10.64) was the best. This shows that different greening patterns have different advantages and disadvantages in different seasons and different situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the possibilities of the structural and functional transformation of blocks in the historical center of Zagreb as a part of modernization after many years of neglect as well as earthquakes in 2020. The research aims to determine how the existing block tissue corresponds with the needs of today’s residents and the possibility of its improvement. The historical circumstances in which the blocks were formed and underwent the most significant changes and modern processes that affect the state and value are determined. There is a special focus on the interior of the block (courtyards), as well as on the spaces on the ground floors of street facades, where numerous, unexplored changes can be observed. The findings provide starting points for desirable structural–functional transformations of blocks and stem from the synthesis and interpretation of knowledge from four interrelated parts of the research. The characteristics of blocks have changed during city development stages, as depicted by an analysis and graphic interpretation of historical maps and urban plans (1864–2021). Influences of modern processes on changes of the city are determined on the basis of the synthesis of previous research from different interdisciplinary points of view; a detailed analysis of the structural–functional changes is conducted on the example of three selected blocks. Transformation models for three selected blocks are proposed.

Urban block-scale sponge system design needs address how to specify the optimal approach to combine the number of areas and types of sponge facilities for diverse land conditions and sponge system design objectives, while ensuring sponge performance and economic efficiency. With the gradual application of multi-objective optimization algorithms in the design of sponge cities, multi-objective combinatorial problem solving for sponge facilities based on optimization algorithms is more accurate and efficient than traditional design methods based on the designer's experience. This study utilizes a residential complex in Nanjing as a practical example, selects six types of typical sponge facilities to construct a multi-objective optimization combination model for sponge facilities, and employs the SPEA-2 algorithm to determine the optimal combination of sponge facility types and quantities. Finally, 186,754 combinations of sponge facilities were calculated. For the three sponge objectives of optimal performance and economy for stormwater infiltration and storage, optimal performance and economy for runoff pollution control, and optimal average overall performance for stormwater infiltration, runoff pollution control, and economy, a number of combinations of sponge types and numbers were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their essential role in forming good quality urban life, urban structures need to be comprehensively understood. The use of quantitative methods and measures to analyze the urban fabric metrics is crucial to understand the physical and spatial properties at multiple scales. This research aims to study the structures of urban blocks by using computational and metric methods. Three essential variables of urban blocks - perimeter, size, and dimension - are selected to measure the blocks’ features and differences formed in Baghdad, Iraq. The analysis used various statistical methods combined with computation techniques and a geographical information system (GIS) to measure and compare the correlations between the block properties of four selected urban areas. The results revealed a differentiation among the geometric potentials found in urban block structures; moreover, this helped to provide a precise basis and principal guidelines for urban design models and planning practices. The research concluded that a better understanding of the block’s role in urban fabric helps to improve the formation and transformation processes within the built environment.

With the ongoing progress of urbanization, various issues such as resource scarcity, climate change, and carbon emissions overload have gradually emerged. Urban agriculture (UA) is recognized as a pivotal strategy to promote sustainable urban development. In this context, the study proposes a spatial scale hierarchy, encompassing "single building - building cluster - urban block," to formulate spatial strategies for the theoretical model of urban agricultural blocks. The theoretical model integrates production spaces, production methods, and spatial systems based on relevant design principles and the needs of residents. Nankai District's Qingfeng Road East Block in Tianjin is used as the site for applying and simulating the theoretical model. The results of the study show that UA in a 500m × 500m block can ideally eliminate the need for external food inputs by 100% for starchy vegetables, legumes and fruits, and meat/poultry, while achieving a 254.73% self-sufficiency rate for fungi. Additionally, it can reduce energy inputs by 28.33%, water inputs by 38.13%, and completely eliminate waste output for 8754 people. Carbon emission analysis indicates that the urban agricultural block can reduce approximately 2250.01t CO 2 emissions from buildings and waste, with greater carbon-neutral potential in transportation and agriculture, forestry, and other land uses (AFOLU). This is significant for tackling various urban challenges and enhancing future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify and compare the potential of the mechanical permeability in the urban perimeter between the three major cities of the Wilaya of Oum el Bouaghi in Algeria, namely the city of Oum el Bouaghi, Ain M'lila, and Ain Beida, as part of the field reflection on urban and interurban mobility. For this purpose, we will rely the cartographic production and its description to reveal all the information inherent to the potential of mechanical permeability at entrance and inside the urban perimeters in question, such as the size and number of islets per square kilometer, the number of intersections per square kilometer, and the number of dead ends. Our study will conclude with an impartial assessment of the qualitative potential of the mechanical permeability of the urban perimeters investigated about the LEED certification standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). We'll then compare the results for each city to see if there are any mechanical permeability parallels or differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the possibilities of the structural and functional transformation of blocks in the historical center of Zagreb as a part of modernization after many years of neglect as well as earthquakes in 2020. The research aims to determine how the existing block tissue corresponds with the needs of today's residents and the possibility of its improvement. The historical circumstances in which the blocks were formed and underwent the most significant changes and modern processes that affect the state and value are determined. There is a special focus on the interior of the block (courtyards), as well as on the spaces on the ground floors of street facades, where numerous, unexplored changes can be observed. The findings provide starting points for desirable structural–functional transformations of blocks and stem from the synthesis and interpretation of knowledge from four interrelated parts of the research. The characteristics of blocks have changed during city development stages, as depicted by an analysis and graphic interpretation of historical maps and urban plans (1864–2021). Influences of modern processes on changes of the city are determined on the basis of the synthesis of previous research from different interdisciplinary points of view; a detailed analysis of the structural–functional changes is conducted on the example of three selected blocks. Transformation models for three selected blocks are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning and the creation of a comfortable green environment are two integral components of sustainable urban development. Modern cities face many challenges related to pollution, limited resources and lack of space. However, the creation of a green environment and sustainable urban development can help solve these problems. In addition, sustainable urban planning aims to create compact and convenient urban environments. This approach allows reducing traffic flows, using less energy and resources for the construction and operation of urban infrastructure facilities. One example of such urban planning is urban blocks. Urban blocks is an urban planning concept that involves the creation of compact and multifunctional city blocks that combine residential, office, retail and other types of real estate. This concept is designed to improve the quality of life of citizens, create a more sustainable urban environment and reduce traffic flows. Thus, urban blocks and green urban planning have much in common and complement each other. In this article, we will consider the issues of reproduction of urban blocks in construction, their differences from other forms of urban development, as well as what benefits they provide for residents and urban infrastructure in general.

Modern urban planning sets itself the task of creating sustainable urban environments that would provide comfortable living and work for the population, while not harming the environment. In this regard, green construction has become one of the most relevant areas in urban planning.Green construction is a construction concept that takes into account environmental aspects and is aimed at creating environmentally friendly and energy–efficient buildings and infrastructure. Green construction includes the use of environmentally friendly materials and technologies, improving the energy efficiency of buildings and infrastructure, as well as the creation of green areas in the city.With the rapid growth of cities and an increase in the number of people, the problem of preserving ecological cleanliness and sustainability of the urban environment is becoming more and more urgent. Environmental problems of cities, such as air, land and water pollution, noise and vibrations, lead to deterioration of public health and negative impact on the environment. In this regard, there is a need for new approaches to urban planning that would take into account environmental aspects.In Russia, as in many other countries of the world, there is a need to create sustainable urban environments. One of the ways to create such an environment is to use urban blocks. Urban blocks are a modern approach to the construction of the urban environment, which allows you to create compact blocks that include residential buildings and infrastructure facilities. They allow for more efficient use of urban space and create comfortable conditions for the life and work of the population. In this article we will look at the practice of using urban blocks in construction, how they differ from other forms of urban development and what advantages they provide for residents and urban infrastructure in general.

Due to their essential role in forming good quality urban life, urban structures need to be comprehensively understood. The use of quantitative methods and measures to analyze the urban fabric metrics is crucial to understand the physical and spatial properties at multiple scales. This research aims to study the structures of urban blocks by using computational and metric methods. Three essential variables of urban blocks - perimeter, size, and dimension - are selected to measure the blocks' features and differences formed in Baghdad, Iraq. The analysis used various statistical methods combined with computation techniques and a geographical information system (GIS) to measure and compare the correlations between the block properties of four selected urban areas. The results revealed a differentiation among the geometric potentials found in urban block structures; moreover, this helped to provide a precise basis and principal guidelines for urban design models and planning practices. The research concluded that a better understanding of the block's role in urban fabric helps to improve the formation and transformation processes within the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities worldwide are facing problems to mitigate the impact of urban stormwater runoff caused by the increasing occurrence of heavy rainfall events and urban re-densification. This study presents a new approach for estimating the potential of the Management of Urban STormwater at Block-level (MUST-B) by decentralized blue-green infrastructures here called low-impact developments (LIDs) for already existing urban environments. The MUST-B method was applied to a study area in the northern part of the City of Leipzig, Germany. The Study areas was divided into blocks smallest functional units and considering two different soil permeability and three different rainfall events, seven scenarios have been developed: current situation, surface infiltration, swale infiltration, trench infiltration, trough-trench infiltration, and three different combinations of extensive roof greening, trough-trench infiltration, and shaft infiltration. The LIDs have been simulated and their maximum retention/infiltration potential and the required area have been estimated together with a cost calculation. The results showed that even stormwater of a 100 year rainfall event can be fully retained and infiltrated within the blocks on a soil with low permeability (kf = 10−6 m/s). The cost and the required area for the LIDs differed depending on the scenario and responded to the soil permeability and rainfall events. It is shown that the MUST-B method allows a simple down- and up-scaling process for different urban settings and facilitates decision making for implementing decentralized blue-green-infrastructure that retain, store, and infiltrate stormwater at block level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensification of morphology of blocks, which are the basic units of urban form and land management, is the key to sustainable urban development. Taking 206 blocks of Nanjing's central city area as an example, an evaluation system featuring six output-oriented indicators and five input-oriented indicators was constructed for data envelopment analysis to measure the blocks' intensity level. Relatively intensive blocks were selected as training data, and the output-oriented indicators of non-intensive blocks were predicted by a deep learning model, completing the procedure from evaluation of intensity to optimisation of morphological indicators. Finally, using the difference calculation and Arctool of weighted overlay in ArcGIS, a reference for the optimisation design of urban block morphology was created.

Extreme expansion and use of satellites by Its diverse function and its continuous transformation has caused vulnerability. Providing conflicting content with Iranian culture can be called the other feature of this superconductor. The main goal of the present study is to investigate the efficiency and applications of modern technologies as an example of a UAV Photogrammetry in estimating population under the influence of satellite networks. In order to produce the required maps, UAV images were standardized and processed using Agisoft PhotoScan software and Finally, using the ArcGIS software, it turned into a map. The results of the research showed how the capability of the new UAV technique and technology can to be the solution in the analysis of urban culture and Using the UAV's photogrammetric method, it is possible to determine the position of the satellite dishes, Direction the dish, the number of LNBs and the number of networks installed on each satellite And given the nature of those networks, they identify the effective dimensions And even the extent of the impact of the population studied at the most modest levels of the city and In the unit proprietary, Satellite networks were identified in particular and in various economic, cultural and political waves.

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With the wind permanent flow in the cities, obtaining the minimal pollution in the environment is accessible. Different policies have been considered for optimization of cities such as attachment and or reduction of building parts like air-traps, ceiling forms and so on. Due to population growth in cities and the increasing need for resettlement these people in the cities, inevitably, to the high-rise buildings have gone. The people living in high-rise buildings to meet the needs of their vital urban open spaces are forced to use. To have knowledge about air pollution through buildings, the CFD based software of Envi-met is used. In this case, we can say that the best angle to transfer pollution is the angle of 30 degrees. Also in an ideal case with imposed changes in the form, we could enhance the problem by better navigation of inside wind of urban canyons into spaces between blocks of buildings that have the capacity to trap the particles. Final it is found that we may be able to have more optimal results for transition of pollutions by suitable orientation of blocks against the wind direction of blow.

Use of RES is an important element for achieving ambitious results for CO2 emission reduction in EU, emphasized and obligated by RES Directive, among other documents. In Serbia, as a candidate country and a signatory of Energy treaty, targets set by relevant documents reflect in benchmarks set by National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, setting the level of reduction of energy consumption until 2018 for 9%, with more ambitious projections up to 2030. This calls for extensive research of possibilities for the use of renewable energy in buildings, its potentials and possible restrictions. Since the Directive states that low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby, an investigation of possibilities for application of geothermal ground probes for a typical residential urban block in the city of Kragujevac is presented. This enables analysis of limitations imposed by legal and physical conditions: planning guidelines, type of ground, functional requests and infrastructural capacities. Typology of characteristic urban block layouts for residential buildings is generated, leading to projections of possible area covered with ground probes and calculations of relevant energy needed for heating, based on current regulations on energy efficiency in buildings. From these calculations, percentage of defined energy needs from possible geothermal ground probes is defined, enabling estimation of geothermal energy potential for new residential building blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban sustainability has been connected to form and compactness of the urban tissue. At the same time the relationship between urban form and energy efficiency is strongly affected by climate. This paper investigates the effect of climate conditions on the relation between urban morphology and energy efficiency of urban blocks, focusing on the Greek city context. A set of building block typologies is analyzed with regard to their form factors such as S/V ratio, coverage ratio and building ratio for the climatic conditions of two cities, each one belonging to a different climatic zone. Heating and cooling loads are calculated at an urban block scale for the climate of the city of Thessaloniki (zone C) and of the city of Heraklion (zone A) in order to draw conclusions about the relation between geometry factors and energy efficiency. The results of the research indicate that there is a strong relationship between urban morphology factors and energy efficiency and that the total load demand of urban blocks can be described as a function of form parameters. Results of the research, concerning the energy demand calculation, are valuable since they indicate the energy profile of each typology according to climate and can be used for defining different urban strategies towards sustainability in a context-based climate dependent analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emissions of carbon dioxide generated by urban traffic is generally reflected by urban size. In order to discuss the traffic volume generated in developed buildings and road crossings in a single urban block, with the metropolitan area in Taichung, Taiwan as an example, this study calculates the mutual relationship between the carbon dioxide generated by the traffic volume and building development scale, in order to research energy consumption and relevance. In this research, the entire-day traffic volume of an important road crossing is subject to statistical analysis to obtain the prediction formula of total passenger car units in the main road crossing within 24 h. Then, the total CO2 emissions generated by the traffic volume in the entire year is calculated according to the investigation data of peak traffic hours within 16 blocks and the influential factors of the development scale of 95 buildings are counted. Finally, this research found that there is a passenger car unit of 4.72 generated in each square meter of land in the urban block every day, 0.99 in each square meter of floor area in the building and the average annual total CO2 emissions of each passenger car unit is 41.4 kgCO2/yr. In addition, the basic information of an integrated road system and traffic volume is used to present a readable urban traffic hot map, which can calculate a distribution map of passenger car units within one day in Taichung. This research unit can be used to forecast the development scale of various buildings in future urban blocks, in order to provide an effective approach to estimate the carbon dioxide generated by the traffic volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An energy-efficient design can be achieved mainly through accurate design of built –environment forms. This paper aims to investigate the effects of urban block forms on natural ventilation patterns in the Sanayee neighborhood in Tehran, thereby potentially having air pollution, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The wind pressure and speed indicators were measured by ANSYS Fluent software, using standard k-ɛ model. The results showed that two factors with the most effect on wind pressure difference were urban block height and widths of adjunct roads. As a result, natural ventilation and consequently energy consumption were affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine the possibilities of improving urban settlement structure by interpolation of passive protection concepts against global climate changes, as a measure of bioclimatic design and town planning. As a kind of passive protection concept described in this paper, the way of applying green areas in urban fabric planning is pointed out. The research applies the method of analyses of subject matter - existing legislation, planning documents, professional literature, the available foreign practice, as well as scanning in situ. The case study shows the concept of planning solution to the block 23 in Bela Crkva, with special emphasis on the role of green areas. It points to the specific position of the block in the urban fabric, where the planned use - housing - is located in proximity to the existing use - industry. Then we analyze the possibility to affirm the existing, spontaneously developed agriculture activity in the block, through some planning guidelines, based on the presented comparative examples of urban agriculture in foreign countries.

The paper represents an analysis of the emergence and development of the urban structure of Bela Crkva, small town in southern Banat Danube area, and gives its urban morphology analysis, in order to make recommendations for future development and improvement of the quality of the built environment. Urban planning models upon which this settlement was developped and the factors that led to deviations from the initial planning concepts, along with a brief overview of the emergence and development of the planned settlements in present-day Vojvodina are explored and presented. Specific factors that led to the emergence of atypical elements in Bela Crkva urban structure are pointed out, and the relationship between typical and specific is analysed. Particular attention was given to the most important factors that led to deviations from strict geometric form, such as topography, climate, transportation, economy and demographics. Problems plaguing Bela Crkva today - negative demographic balance, the economic crisis and the deterioration of the existing built structure - are identified. The authors conclude that one can not expect further development of the urban structure of this settlement in the horizontal direction, but the transformation within the existing urban matrix, in the field of urban reconstruction. Some recommendations for further planning and development planning policies that are used for logical development and growth of settlements, in particular in order to preserve the identity of the village, are proposed.

Up-to-date maps of a city’s urban structure types (USTs) are very important for effective planning, as well as for different studies and applications. We present an approach for the classification of USTs at the level of urban blocks based on high-resolution spaceborne radar imagery. Images obtained at the satellite’s ascending and descending orbits were used for extracting line and polygon features from each block. Most of the attributes considered in the classification concern the geometry of these features, as well as their spatial disposition inside the blocks. Furthermore, assuming the UST classes of neighboring blocks are probabilistically dependent, we explored the framework of probabilistic graphical models and propose different context-based classification models. These models differ with respect to (i) their type, i.e., Markov or conditional random fields, (ii) their parameterization and (iii) the criterion applied for establishing pairwise neighboring relationships between blocks. In our experiments, 1,695 blocks from the city of Munich (Germany) and five representative UST classes were considered. A standard classification performed with the Random Forest algorithm achieved an overall accuracy of nearly 70%. All context-based classifications achieved overall accuracies up to 7% higher than that. The results indicate that denser pairwise block-neighborhood structures lead to better results and that the accuracy improvement is higher when the strength of the contextual influences is proportional to the similarity of the neighboring blocks attributes.

Urban sustainability has been connected to form and compactness of the urban tissue. At the same time the relationship between urban form and energy efficiency is strongly affected by climate. This paper investigates the effect of climate conditions on the relation between urban morphology and energy efficiency of urban blocks, focusing on the Greek city context. A set of building block typologies is analyzed with regard to their form factors such as S/V ratio, coverage ratio and building ratio for the climatic conditions of two cities, each one belonging to a different climatic zone. Heating and cooling loads are calculated at an urban block scale for the climate of the city of Thessaloniki (zone C) and of the city of Heraklion (zone A) in order to draw conclusions about the relation between geometry factors and energy efficiency. The results of the research indicate that there is a strong relationship between urban morphology factors and energy efficiency and that the total load demand of urban blocks can be described as a function of form parameters. Results of the research, concerning the energy demand calculation, are valuable since they indicate the energy profile of each typology according to climate and can be used for defining different urban strategies towards sustainability in a context-based climate dependent analysis.

Due to the emergence of a new way of shaping settlement space, process when the basic characteristics of the traditionally formed blocks are lost, an idea about searching the role of the urban and rural block in forming the structure and the identity of a settlement is initiated.1 The basic aim of the research is to prove that the block has always been an integral part, and sometimes even inseparable part of a settlement structure, its recognizable element and a significant place of neighboring, and that due to this it is important to preserve its values in future interventions in settlements. In order to understand the cause for the disappearance of the traditional block, its characteristics have been researched in the settlements from the past and the interdependence between the forms of settlements and the blocks has been established.

Throughout the history of a human civilization, a demographic explosion imprinted in the Earth's surface is being witnessed. Our environment bears a footprint of evolutionary signs of human activities - creating settlements growing in the sense of geometric progression: bigger areas, higher buildings, more inhabitants. On the basis of newly discovered activities, economically profitable locations and materials, human society builds its dwelling and working settlements on the “Greenfields”, undergoing the “golden era” of the business bloom and coming to the decline in future economy. This enclosed process can be observed in historical villages, in rush mining towns, in artificially supported planned mass housing estates in socialist countries; but is the misunderstood and misused way of building and swallowing the natural and arable earth's surface still being taken for normal and tolerable? On the example of several large-sized development plans from different part of the world, we would like to take a closer look at what is the precarious pattern that has been copied since the era of 1930's. In recent, so-called “eco-cities” and “sustainable developments”, the urban design section of 21st century master plans will be watched closely. Taking a consideration of current state-of-art of the project and its real form, basic planning tools will be defined, excluding the principals of ecology and sociology for this purpose. Within the complex of multidisciplinary urban design will be extracted to its primary elements: the form and the function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehensively study and better understand urban dynamic processes — such as densification, growth and sprawl, or shrinkage — spatio-temporal databases that allow to track changes of geographic objects like buildings and urban blocks are essential. While comprehensive databases exist for contemporary data, they usually lack a historic dimension. The manual constitution of historic geographic data, be it based on historic maps or aerial images, is a time consuming and laborious process, however. Therefore, we present an approach to semi-automatically extract this data from binary topographic maps with regard to built-up areas at urban block level. The suitability of topographic maps for historic urban analysis has been proven in previous research. To overcome the challenges that are inherent in scanned topographic maps in regard to digital image interpretation we designed a modular process. Among others, these challenges include fused and (multi-)fragmented map objects caused by the overlap of competing content layers in one single binary map. After a preliminary separation of individual map object layers from the map content, the process follows a two-stage top-down approach. At first, the map is organized into street blocks, which after that are re-delineated in regard to built-up area. In doing so, we achieve correctness values ranging from 0.97 to 0.93 for three study sites in Germany. With an increasing number of projects that provide historic topographic maps as georeferenced digital data, our process represents a promising approach to efficiently prepare these historic data for integration into a spatio-temporal database with minimal user intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]