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The increase in urban population growth has contributed to the expansion of unplanned settlements, especially in developing countries. Triggered by the lack of government oversight, the expansion of these settlements is characterized by unique economic, social, physical, and functional attributes. This study aims at exploring the physical features of unplanned settlements in District 4th of Herat city, western Afghanistan. Employing a mixed-research method, we integrated spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into detailed field observations to get a better understanding of the characteristics of the formation of these informal settlements. Our findings shed light on a number of key physical features including irregular street layouts, inadequate drainage systems, and substandard construction materials, irregular buildings in term of layout, number of floors, and building density. The features of unplanned urban morphology contribute to socio-economic loss and environmental degradation due to the absence of critical infrastructures including water infrastructures and the presence of unplanned streets in under-resourced unplanned settlements. In fact, the absence of government's efforts in monitoring the development of unplanned settlements hinders the provision of essential services and infrastructures in the informal settlement communities. Our assertion is that the findings of this research will help policy makers in Afghanistan to reconsider their policies and decisions on urban development and growth, particularly in the poorer and under-served unplanned settlements in major cities in Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between green and grey urban infrastructure, local meteorological conditions, and traffic-related air pollution is complex and dynamic. This case study examined the effect of evolving morphologies around a city square park in Dublin and explores the twin impacts of local urban development (grey) and maturing parks (green) on particulate matter (PM) pollution. A fixed air quality monitoring campaign and computational fluid dynamic modelling (ENVI-met) were used to assess current (baseline) and future scenarios. The baseline results presented the distribution of PM in the study area, with bimodal (PM2.5) and unimodal (PM10) diurnal profiles. The optimal vegetation height for air quality within the park also differed by wind direction with 21 m vegetation optimal for parallel winds (10.45% reduction) and 7 m vegetation optimal for perpendicular winds (30.36% reduction). Increased building heights led to higher PM2.5 concentrations on both footpaths ranging from 25.3 to 37.0% under perpendicular winds, whilst increasing the height of leeward buildings increased PM2.5 concentrations by up to 30.9% under parallel winds. The findings from this study provide evidence of the importance of more in-depth analysis of green and grey urban infrastructure in the urban planning decision-making process to avoid deteriorating air quality conditions around city square parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 re-subdivision. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bazaars are considered essential components of a society's economy and significant features in the urban context of cities, which have emerged based on exchanging goods and meeting people's needs. Since the late Qajar period, amidst the rapid changes resulting from interaction with modernization, the form of Tabriz Grand Bazaar has undergone significant changes. The research aims to explain the contemporary transformations of marketplace form in the leather and shoe sectors. The objectives aim to elucidate the contemporary physical, functional, and sementic changes and propose strategies. The research method is qualitative, with a phenomenological approach. The results indicate that the Bazaar has lost some physical and sementic functions. Despite providing goods, it has failed to meet the public's demands because of eliminating production workshops by changing the productive function to service-oriented and the size and shape of spaces. The decline of religious activities is also one reason for the diminished sementic dimension. Regarding functional and physical aspects, some proposed solutions include preserving the authenticity of the spaces and utilizing suitable Functions with the dominant architectural style. Regarding sementic characteristics, suggestions include enhancing the sense of identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional morphological analysis of urban buildings constitutes a pivotal component of urban planning and sustainable development. Nevertheless, the majority of current research is two-dimensional in nature, which constrains the comprehensive understanding of urban spatial–temporal evolution. The existing body of three-dimensional studies frequently fails to consider the temporal dimension of architectural change and lacks a detailed examination of micro areas such as communities and streets. In order to accurately identify the patterns of spatial–temporal evolution in urban architectural morphology, this study focuses on the Yau Tsim Mong District in Hong Kong, utilizing three-dimensional data. By innovatively integrating temporal factors, constructing a spatial–temporal weight matrix, and applying the spatial–temporal Moran's I, this study conducts an in-depth quantitative analysis of Coverage, Staggeredness, and Duty Cycle at the community scale, neighborhood scale, and urban scale. From 2014 to 2023, the global spatial–temporal Moran's I of key urban morphology indicators in Yau Tsim Mong District has exhibited a marked increase, underscoring the close interrelationship and significant optimization between urban morphology and overall development. The findings illustrate that urban architecture is undergoing a process of agglomeration and high homogeneity, with strategic shifts emphasizing efficient spatial utilization and refined design. The analysis at the neighborhood scale is of particular importance, as its independent and complete spatial structure effectively captures local dynamics, revealing high-value agglomeration and low-value dispersion characteristics. This suggests that buildings in the Yau Tsim Mong District are being constructed in a more compact manner at the neighborhood level, which reflects the precision and efficiency of urban planning and the rationality of spatial planning. These significant findings provide valuable references for the development planning and governance of sustainable cities. They enhance urban governance capabilities and promote the optimization of urban development strategies, ensuring steady progress on the path of efficiency, harmony, and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the conflict between human activities and the natural environment has led to global warming and the emergence of extreme weather events, prompting reflection on the climate adaptability of buildings. Historical and cultural districts often reflect the design and construction strategies of their era, which were shaped by the prevailing social environments and natural conditions, so they typically embody construction techniques tailored to address local climatic characteristics. Consequently, in this paper, we focus on 33 historic and cultural districts within Beijing's old city, along with seven proposed historic and cultural districts, to retrieve land surface temperatures (LST) using Landsat remote sensing data and radiative transfer equations. A spatiotemporal analysis was conducted to investigate the variations in LST distribution across different historic and cultural districts and to characterize the internal temperature features within the historic and cultural districts of Beijing's old city. Research indicates the following: (1) The Dashilan area boasts the highest average LST, while the Huangcheng area records the lowest. (2) Over the past six years, most historic and cultural districts have experienced a decline in LST. Notably, the most significant reductions in average LST have been observed in the areas west of Xinjiekou, Dongsi South, and from the 3rd to the 8th Street in Dongsi. (3) Within the historic and cultural districts, hot spots of LST are primarily concentrated in the residential areas with one-story traditional houses, while cold spots are predominantly found around water, cultural relics, and modern architectural structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Hazards & Environment (JNHE) / Doğal Afetler ve Çevre Dergisi (DACD) is the property of Artvin Coruh University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Urbanization and climate change have led to rising urban temperatures, increasing heat-related health risks. Assessing urban heat risk is crucial for understanding and mitigating these risks. Many studies often overlook the impact of block types on heat risk, which limits the development of mitigation strategies during urban planning. This study aims to investigate the influence of various spatial factors on the heat risk at the block scale. Firstly, a GIS approach was used to generate a Local Climate Zones (LCZ) map, which represents different block types. Secondly, a heat risk assessment model was developed using hazard, exposure, and vulnerability indicators. Thirdly, the risk model was demonstrated in Guangzhou, a high-density city in China, to investigate the distribution of heat risk among different block types. An XGBoost model was used to analyze the impact of various urban spatial factors on heat risk. Results revealed significant variations in heat risk susceptibility among different block types. Specifically, 33.9% of LCZ 1–4 areas were classified as being at a high-risk level, while only 23.8% of LCZ 6–9 areas fell into this level. In addition, the pervious surface fraction (PSF) had the strongest influence on heat risk level, followed by the height of roughness elements (HRE), building surface fraction (BSF), and sky view factor (SVF). SVF and PSF had a negative impact on heat risk, while HRE and BSF had a positive effect. The heat risk assessment model provides valuable insights into the spatial characteristics of heat risk influenced by different urban morphologies. This study will assist in formulating reasonable risk mitigation measures at the planning level in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the current information age, leveraging Earth observation (EO) technology and spatial analysis methods enables a more accurate understanding of the characteristics of small towns. This study conducted an in-depth analysis of the urban morphology of small towns in the Qinba Mountain Area of Southern Shaanxi by employing large-scale data analysis and innovative urban form measurement methods. The U-Net3+ model, based on deep learning technology, combined with the concave hull algorithm, was used to extract and precisely define the boundaries of 31,799 buildings and small towns. The morphological characteristics of the town core were measured, and the core areas of the small towns were defined using calculated tessellation cells. Hierarchical clustering methods were applied to analyze 12 characteristic indicators of 89 towns, and various metrics were calculated to determine the optimal number of clusters. The analysis identified eight distinct clusters based on the towns' morphological differences. Significant morphological differences between the small towns in the Qinba Mountain Area were observed. The clustering results revealed that the towns exhibited diverse shapes and distributions, ranging from irregular and sparse to compact and dense forms, reflecting distinct layout patterns influenced by the unique context of each town. The use of the morphometric method, based on cellular and biological morphometry, provided a new perspective on the urban form and deepened the understanding of the spatial structure of the small towns from a micro perspective. These findings not only contribute to the development of quantitative morphological indicators for town development and planning but also demonstrate a novel, data-driven approach to conventional urban morphology studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Arquitectura (1657-0308) is the property of Universidad Catolica de Columbia, Facultad de Arquitectura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The urban energy infrastructure is facing a rising number of challenges due to climate change and rapid urbanization. In particular, the link between urban morphology and energy systems has become increasingly crucial as cities continue to expand and become more densely populated. Achieving climate neutrality adds another layer of complexity, highlighting the need to address this relationship to develop effective strategies for sustainable urban energy infrastructure. The occurrence of extreme climate events can also trigger cascading failures in the system components, leading to long-lasting blackouts. This review paper thoroughly explores the challenges of incorporating urban morphology into energy system models through a comprehensive literature review and proposes a new framework to enhance the resilience of interconnected systems. The review emphasizes the need for integrated models to provide deeper insights into urban energy systems design and operation and addresses the cascading failures, interconnectivity, and compound impacts of climate change and urbanization on energy systems. It also explores emerging challenges and opportunities, including the requirement for high-quality data, utilization of big data, and integration of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning in urban energy systems. The proposed framework integrates urban morphology classification, mesoscale and microscale climate data, and a design and operation process to consider the influence of urban morphology, climate variability, and extreme events. Given the prevalence of extreme climate events and the need for climate-resilient strategies, the study underscores the significance of improving energy system models to accommodate future climate variations while recognizing the interconnectivity within urban infrastructure.

The literature considers urban green spaces as a key to promoting physical activity and health. Despite the increasingly recognized walking exercise promotion benefits of urban green spaces, the relationship between walking exercise preferences and green space layout remains unclear. We extracted preferred routes for walking exercise and measured the route heat using a one-year shared data of walking exercise from a mobile outdoor assistant app in the old city of Fuzhou, China. We then evaluated green space layout features within a 500-m buffer zone along the preferred routes in dimensions of scale, form, and function. The relationship between the route heat and green space layout features was analyzed using a series of poisson regression models, with the influence of urban morphology and the built environment allocation being controlled. Results showed that there existed a significant association between preferred routes for walking exercise and the combination of green space layout, urban morphology, and the built environment allocation; the route heat had positive associations with NDVI and comprehensive park area density, and showed negative associations with patch shape index and patch density. This study illustrates the necessity for targeted intervention strategies to promote the development of walkable and healthy urban areas.

Abstract The increase in urban population growth has contributed to the expansion of unplanned settlements, especially in developing countries. Triggered by the lack of government oversight, the expansion of these settlements is characterized by unique economic, social, physical, and functional attributes. This study aims at exploring the physical features of unplanned settlements in District 4th of Herat city, western Afghanistan. Employing a mixed-research method, we integrated spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into detailed field observations to get a better understanding of the characteristics of the formation of these informal settlements. Our findings shed light on a number of key physical features including irregular street layouts, inadequate drainage systems, and substandard construction materials, irregular buildings in term of layout, number of floors, and building density. The features of unplanned urban morphology contribute to socio-economic loss and environmental degradation due to the absence of critical infrastructures including water infrastructures and the presence of unplanned streets in under-resourced unplanned settlements. In fact, the absence of government’s efforts in monitoring the development of unplanned settlements hinders the provision of essential services and infrastructures in the informal settlement communities. Our assertion is that the findings of this research will help policy makers in Afghanistan to reconsider their policies and decisions on urban development and growth, particularly in the poorer and under-served unplanned settlements in major cities in Afghanistan.

Abstract The relationship between green and grey urban infrastructure, local meteorological conditions, and traffic-related air pollution is complex and dynamic. This case study examined the effect of evolving morphologies around a city square park in Dublin and explores the twin impacts of local urban development (grey) and maturing parks (green) on particulate matter (PM) pollution. A fixed air quality monitoring campaign and computational fluid dynamic modelling (ENVI-met) were used to assess current (baseline) and future scenarios. The baseline results presented the distribution of PM in the study area, with bimodal (PM2.5) and unimodal (PM10) diurnal profiles. The optimal vegetation height for air quality within the park also differed by wind direction with 21 m vegetation optimal for parallel winds (10.45% reduction) and 7 m vegetation optimal for perpendicular winds (30.36% reduction). Increased building heights led to higher PM2.5 concentrations on both footpaths ranging from 25.3 to 37.0% under perpendicular winds, whilst increasing the height of leeward buildings increased PM2.5 concentrations by up to 30.9% under parallel winds. The findings from this study provide evidence of the importance of more in-depth analysis of green and grey urban infrastructure in the urban planning decision-making process to avoid deteriorating air quality conditions around city square parks.

Türkiye has experienced many destructive earthquakes in its history. Düzce, located on the North Anatolian Fault line in the north-west of Türkiye, was shaken by two major earthquakes on August 17 and November 12, 1999. These earthquakes caused great loss of life and material damage in the city. The earthquake that occurred in Düzce on November 23, 2022 caused minor material damage. In this study, the city of Düzce will be analyzed in the context of spatial development and city development plans in the period from 1999 to 2023, and urban resilience assessment will be made through the city macro form. The aim of the study is to compare the effects of the zoning plans implemented after the 1999 earthquakes on the city after the 2022 earthquake and to measure urban resilience. Urban resilience analysis was prepared in ArcGIS software by evaluating the building stock, land potential, earthquakes, storey heights, population densities, open green area capacity, transportation network standards, proximity to fault lines, and soil structure in the area where Düzce city core was established. As a result, it was revealed that the urban macro form of Düzce shows low and medium level resilience. The results of the study reveal the critical importance of these measures for the city of Düzce. In line with the analyses, it is recommended to develop and implement policies that increase the resilience of the city.

Street networks are ubiquitous components of cities, guiding their development and enabling movement from place to place; street networks are also the critical components of many urban analytical methods. However, their graph representation is often designed primarily for transportation purposes. This representation is less suitable for other use cases where transportation networks need to be simplified as a mandatory pre-processing step, e.g., in the case of morphological analysis, visual navigation, or drone flight routing. While the urgent demand for automated pre-processing methods comes from various fields, it is still an unsolved challenge. In this article, we tackle this challenge by proposing a cheap computational heuristic for the identification of ``face artifacts'', i.e., geometries that are enclosed by transportation edges but do not represent urban blocks. The heuristic is based on combining the frequency distributions of shape compactness metrics and area measurements of street network face polygons. We test our method on 131 globally sampled large cities and show that it successfully identifies face artifacts in 89\% of analyzed cities. Our heuristic of detecting artifacts caused by data being collected for another purpose is the first step towards an automated street network simplification workflow. Moreover, the proposed face artifact index uncovers differences in structural rules guiding the development of cities in different world regions.

This article provides an analysis of the urban morphology of Salvador, Bahia (Brazil), focusing on the spatial segregation issues that shape the city. The study examines the physical structure and spatial organization of Salvador, addressing the influence of these factors on the socioeconomic segregation of the city. Also, the configuration of sociospatial segregation is analyzed to study its influence on the relationships among distinct social strata. Based on this premise, we seek to perform a spatial analysis using the software Space Syntax as a tool. Results show how the various configuration patterns and the characterization of socioeconomic sectors reveal an interpretation of the urban morphology of segregation in Salvador.

The radioactive pollutant could migrate to the downstream urban area under the action of atmospheric dispersion due to the turbulent mixing under actual pollution accidents. A scenario in which radioactive contaminants from the upstream (for example, a nearshore nuclear power plant accident) migrates to the downstream urban blocks have been considered in this study. Numerical simulations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are then conducted to investigate the effects of the urban morphology (building packing density and layout) on the atmospheric dispersion of radioactive pollutants in this scenario. The building packing density and structure can significantly affect urban areas' mean flow pattern and the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). The flow pattern and the TKE distribution influence the radioactive pollution dispersion. It is found that the radioactive pollution at the urban canyons is significantly affected by the vertical transport at the canyon. A comparison of the distributions of radioactive and traditional non-radioactive pollutants is also provided.

Located 30 km inland from Lebanon’s coast, The Beqaa Valley (or Beqaa Plains) is considered the agricultural backbone of the country. The Beqaa’s built geographies were shaped by the political and economic hierarchies established by the Roman and Ottoman Empires and revised by the French Mandate. Local and regional economic hardships in the last six decades have led the Beqaa to cycle through periods of decline and recovery, with quick introductions of infrastructural technologies, spurts of loosely regulated building development, and hasty innovations in industrial activity. In this vein, ‘reflexive realism’ concepts of risk regime, logic of production, topographical fragmentation, and internal connectivity, are useful to examine how towns and cities in the Beqaa developed, deteriorated, and adjusted. However, spatial evidence that would inform such inquiries in Rayak, Beqaa, is far from similar to evidence observed in Beirut. Urban morphology research techniques combined with the concept of vernacular architecture can help decode the layers and uses of the built environment. This article introduces a mapping workflow that typologizes built fabrics using five morphological criteria (streets, density, open space, architectural character, and land use) to construct a spatial narrative that can begin characterizing the nature of the Beqaa’s cities and towns.

Urban sprawl has become a concern in development because of its negative impact on sustainable development. Such a special trend is apparent in the transformation of a peri-urban area of Sinduadi Village that is directly affected by the city of Yogyakarta. The village is most likely affected by the urban sprawl phenomenon in the city of Yogyakarta, especially on the morphological aspect of the urban morphology. This study aims to analyze the urban morphology in the Sinduadi Village in 2021 as a result of the urban sprawl of Yogyakarta City. Using quantitative methods, this research is based on a primary data of obtained from field surveys through probability sampling method. The research data came from image interpretation and attribute data processing using ArcGIS 10.3 Software. Secondary data was obtained through Sentinel 2A Imagery while primary data was The data analysis used in this research is quantitative descriptive analysis and spatial analysis using maps. The analysis of the morphological form of the city is carried out by analysis of overlapping maps. This research found that the morphology of the city in the Sinduadi Village in 2021 is linear based on the center of the area on Magelang street This marked by activities in the center of the area are dominated by commercial activities, namely, trade and service. Therefore, regional needs can be accommodated. The center of the area has a high building density (BCR>70%). High density residential land surrounds the center of the area and its development follows a grid and spinal road network pattern. These findings show that Sinduadi village has experienced urban sprawl marked by development trend that trespasses its under bounded city.

Based on the urban morphology theory of the Conzen School and the actual situation of the Tangjiawan Ancient Town, a morphological process analysis of the Tangjiawan Ancient Town was conducted. The end result is a visualization of the process of urban form evolution. The first objective is to describe the morphological framework of Tangjiawan Ancient Town and the morphological changes that occurred during its development. The current urban landscape is divided into units by superimposing morphological units, building types, and land use. The results of the division also reflect the morphological development, structure, and compositional characteristics of the ancient city of Tangjiawan. Using Tangjiawan Ancient Town in Zhuhai city as an example, on-site research, historical evidence, urban morphology analysis methods, and interviews were used to elaborate and analyze the spatial structure and evolution process of traditional ancient towns in South China. In particular, morphological units, building types, and land use are included. The morphological map of the Tangjiawan ancient town is inconsistent with the current economic-oriented development of ancient town planning. This shows that current planning is less concerned with the physical form of architectural heritage, which may lead to further damage to the landscape of the ancient town. This study provides a strong reference for the follow-up planning of ancient town protection of the same type from the perspective of morphology and area and provides ideas for the subsequent preparation of protection plans.

Rapid urbanization has resulted in the substantial population growth in metropolitan areas. However, existing research on population change of the cities predominantly draws on grid statistical data at the administrative level, overlooking the intra-urban variegation of population change. Particularly, there is a lack of attention given to the spatio-temporal change of population across different urban forms and functions. This paper therefore fills in the lacuna by clarifying the spatio-temporal characteristics of population growth in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) from 2000 to 2020 through the methods of local climate zone (LCZ) scheme and urban–rural gradients. The results showed that: (1) High population density was observed in the compact high-rise (LCZ 1) areas, with a noticeable decline along urban–rural gradients. (2) The city centers of GBA experienced the most significant population growth, while certain urban fringes and rural areas witnessed significant population shrinkage. (3) The rate of growth tended to slow down after 2010, but the uneven development of population-based urbanization was also noticeable, as urbanization and industrialization varied across different LCZ types and cities in GBA. This paper therefore contributes to a deeper understanding of population change and urbanization by clarifying their spatio-temporal contingences at landscape level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a consequence of global climate change, sea level rise (SLR) presents notable risks to both urban and natural areas located near coastlines. For developing effective strategies to mitigate and adapt to these risks, it is essential to evaluate the potential impacts of SLR in coastal areas. While substantial research has been conducted on mapping the broad-scale impacts of SLR based on scenarios of Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL), consideration of regional scenarios, systematic classification, and distinct stages of SLR have been largely overlooked. This gap is significant because SLR impacts vary by region and by the level of SLR, so adaptations, planning, and decision-making must be adapted to local conditions. This paper aims to precisely identify the landscape and urban morphology changes caused by the impact of SLR for each foot of elevation increase based on remote sensing technologies, focusing on St. Johns County, Florida, and Chatham County, Georgia. These two counties are both situated along the southeastern coastline of the United States but with completely different urban forms due to distinct historical and cultural developments. Regional forecasting SLR scenarios covering the period from 2020 to 2100 were utilized to assess the landscape transformation and urban changes, incorporating selected landscape and urban metrics to calculate quantitative data for facilitating comparative analyses. This study investigated gradual alterations in urban morphology and green infrastructure both individually and in combination with the effect on wetlands due to SLR. The mapping outcomes of this research were generated by employing comprehensive remote sensing data. The findings of this research indicated that, when the sea level rose to 3 feet, the wetlands would experience notable alterations, and the level of fragmentation in urban built areas would progressively increase, causing most of the metric data to exhibit a pronounced decline or increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding building morphology is crucial for accurately simulating interactions between urban structures and hydroclimate dynamics. Despite significant efforts to generate detailed global building morphology datasets, there is a lack of practical solutions using publicly accessible resources. In this work, we present GLAMOUR, a dataset derived from open-source Sentinel imagery that captures the average building height and footprint at a resolution of 0.0009° across urbanized areas worldwide. Validated in 18 cities, GLAMOUR exhibits superior accuracy with median root mean square errors of 7.5 m and 0.14 for building height and footprint estimations, indicating better overall performance against existing published datasets. The GLAMOUR dataset provides essential morphological information of 3D building structures and can be integrated with other datasets and tools for a wide range of applications including 3D building model generation and urban morphometric parameter derivation. These extended applications enable refined hydroclimate simulation and hazard assessment on a broader scale and offer valuable insights for researchers and policymakers in building sustainable and resilient urban environments prepared for future climate adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings increase the urban surface roughness and reduce near‐surface wind speeds in the urban canopy due to the drag effect. Urban heat storage and other effects cause urban warming as well, which decreases the urban boundary layer stability and enhances the turbulence exchange between upper and lower layer. As upper momentum is transported downward, the wind speed of urban canopy increases. Quantitative descriptions of these mechanisms are still lacking currently. This paper presents high‐resolution numerical simulation results of a mega city, Shanghai, China from 2016 to 2020 using the building effect parameterization in WRF (WRF‐BEP) with urban morphological parameters. The dynamic and thermal effects of building morphology on urban canopy wind speed were separated and their quantitative expression functions were given. The results indicate that the influence of building morphology on urban canopy wind speed is mainly dynamic resulting in a wind speed attenuation of approximately 50% and nearly constant. The thermal effect of building morphology on urban canopy wind speed increases with the urban heat island intensity, and the thermal effect could increase urban canopy wind speed by about 30% under the condition of strong urban heat island. The relative contributions of the dynamic and thermal effects of building morphology to urban canopy wind speed change with the wind speed. As wind speed increases, the contribution of the thermal effect of building morphology to urban canopy wind speed gradually decreases. This paper provides a quantitative relationship between the urban canopy wind speed variation and urban morphology, as well as urban heat island intensity. Plain Language Summary: Urbanization changes the dynamic and thermal properties of urban and creates new dynamic and thermal processes in urban areas. Buildings increase the urban surface roughness and reduce urban canopy wind speed due to the drag effect. At the same time, urban warming causes the downward transportation of momentum, which increases the wind speed. Quantitative descriptions of these mechanisms are lacking currently. This study investigated the impact of building morphology on urban canopy wind speed using WRF‐BEP model with high‐resolution urban morphological parameters. The dynamic and thermal effects of building morphology on urban canopy wind speed were separated and their quantitative expression functions were given. Key Points: The dynamic and thermal effects of building morphology on urban canopy wind speed are separatedThe quantitative expression functions of the dynamic and thermal effects of building morphology on wind speed are givenThe relative contributions of the dynamic and thermal effects on urban canopy wind speed are investigated [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidimensional integrated indicators have become extremely popular for ranking territorial units and comparing them in terms of performance, development and quality of life. The concept of sustainability is not exempt from this global phenomenon. Recognizing the ecosystem services (ES) framework as a tool to drive urban and landscape regeneration toward sustainability, we propose a ranking based on ES multifunctionality. Adopting this approach allows for pursuing different goals on several time frames: to enhance the policy–science interface in the short term; to mainstream ES values in the governance of green transition in the medium term; and to improve sustainability performance in the long term. Based on a spatially explicit assessment of a relevant set of ES variables, we mapped the multiple ecosystem services landscape index (MESLI) and compared the results with the main Italian cities rankings, demonstrating how the ranking tool brings heterogeneous results with relevant differences in assessing territorial features. The conclusions highlight the potential of such a ranking in order to address sustainability thinking in regeneration processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the pedagogical process of reading and designing in the design studio course in the first semester of the fourth year in Architecture and Urbanism (2020–2021) held at the Lisbon School of Architecture of the Universidade de Lisboa. The research by design results are inscribed in the Embryo Project "[entra]mar Sea Intertwined City. Interpretation and Design of Portuguese Seashore Streets Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise", funded by the FCT exploratory projects through CIAUD—Research Center in Architecture, Urbanism and Design at the Lisbon School of Architecture, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal). The aim of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of urban morphology in the reading and design process of an urban seafront vulnerable to extreme weather events. The approach to the "Sesimbra [entra]mar" in a pedagogical context confirms morphological interpretation as a key instrument for the formation of students and is consequently valuable for the practice of architecture and urbanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban land use provides essential information about how land is utilized within cities, which is critical for land planning, urban renewal, and early warnings for natural disasters. Although existing studies have utilized multi-source perception data to acquire land use information quickly and at low cost, and some have integrated urban morphological indicators to aid in land use identification, there is still a lack of systematic discussion in the literature regarding the potential of three-dimensional urban morphology to enhance identification effectiveness. Therefore, this paper aims to explore how urban three-dimensional morphology can be used to improve the identification of urban land use types. This study presents an innovative approach called the UMH–LUC model to enhance the accuracy of urban land use identification. The model first conducts a preliminary classification using points of interest (POI) data. It then improves the results with a dynamic reclassification based on floor area ratio (FAR) measurements and a variance reclassification using area and perimeter metrics. These methodologies leverage key urban morphological features to distinguish land use types more precisely. The model was validated in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration using random sampling, comparative analysis and case studies. Results demonstrate that the UMH–LUC model achieved an identification accuracy of 81.7% and a Kappa coefficient of 77.6%, representing an 11.9% improvement over a non-morphology-based approach. Moreover, the overall disagreement for UMH–LUC is 0.183, a reduction of 0.099 compared to LUC without urban morphology and 0.19 compared to EULUC-China. The model performed particularly well in identifying residential land, mixed-use areas and marginal lands. This confirms urban morphology's value in supporting low-cost, efficient land use mapping with applications for sustainable planning and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green city areas are crucial in mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI). However, the cooling effect of green city areas can be influenced by the surrounding complex urban spatial environment. This study focuses on Changsha, a subtropical city in China, where 40 green city areas were screened and analyzed. The study aims to quantify the specific impact of urban spatial morphology on the cooling effect of green city areas. Through statistical correlation and regression analysis, this study focused on six urban spatial morphology indicators: building density (BD), building floor area ratio (BFR), building volume density (BVD), building evenness index (BEI), building average height (BH), and building height standard deviation (BSD). The results indicate that the cooling effect of green city areas could be influenced by urban spatial morphology. Factors such as BD, BFR, BH, and BSD were found to be significantly correlated with the cooling effect of green city areas, with BH showing the strongest influence. BD and BFR were negatively correlated, while BH and BSD were positively correlated. The range values of BD, BFR, BH, and BSD were determined to achieve the optimal conditions for the cooling effect of green city areas. Additionally, the relative position of the green city areas in the neighboring urban areas affects the cooling effect of the green city areas. The cooling effect is most pronounced in the urban area situated to the south of the green city areas. These findings provide a solid foundation for urban planning around green city spaces and offer scientifically sound evidence for mitigating the UHI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the streets and spatial networks of the historic urban area in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, China, by mainly investigating the evolution of their geometric and topological characteristics. It draws on the theories and methods of urban morphology and space syntax, combines the digital historical maps at different times, and uses methods such as historical map spatial interpretation, geographic information system (GIS), sDNA tools, and urban morphological parameter analysis to explore and sort out the evolutionary process of the street and alley network in Changsha from the early modern period to the present. The paper constructs a parameter system for analyzing the street and alley network of historic urban areas from a geometric and topological perspective. It introduces the indicators of road density, road orientation, intersection density, and approaches such as closeness, betweenness, and intelligibility in space syntax into the parameter analysis framework of street and alley network morphology and spatial characteristics evolution. By comparing the changes in various parameters at different spatial scales, the process of the spatial order evolution of the street and alley network in the historic urban area is analyzed, and the evolutionary rules of the various periods' morphological characteristics are extracted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in car domination, air pollution, traffic congestion, and urban sprawl, sustainable, livable, creative, and walkable cities are critical, now more than ever, for improving quality of life. The effect of neighborhood urban morphologies on walkability has received much attention in recent years. In this vein, the main research question is: how do different neighborhood urban morphologies impact the level of walkability in urban environments, and what are the essential elements impacting the walkability index? Thus, this research aims to determine the impact of urban morphology on walkability in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, as a case study by utilizing multi-spatial analysis. In particular, the study focused on assessing the walkability of four different study areas that vary according to their urban morphology: Kafr–Abdo, Smouha, Latin Quarter, and Roushdy areas. The analysis utilized GIS to calculate a number of indicators to reach the final walkability index for each study area. Results helped to identify the neighborhoods characterized by the lowest level of pedestrian walkability in relation to the area's urban morphology in an attempt to help decision-makers suggest the appropriate interventions for those areas. The aggregated index results showed that the highest walkability index was that of the gridiron morphology, followed by the linear morphology, with the radial and organic morphologies coming in behind them, respectively. The composite walkability index values were 0.364, 0.247, 0.232 and 0.225, respectively. The reason for this is mainly the presence of the commercial density, intersection density, street density, services density, BCR, and residential density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the dynamic evolution characteristics of urban spatial morphology by analyzing real road network data from 2000, 2010, and 2020, along with nighttime lighting data employing spatial analysis methods and spatial syntax models. Accordingly, two separate dimensions of urban morphology: internal and external, are covered. First, the integration and synergy of interior morphology features are analyzed using spatial syntactic modeling. Subsequently, the spatial compactness, fractal dimension, and level of center of gravity shift of the city are assessed by combining the nighttime lighting data with the earlier dataset. This analysis facilitated the deep exploration of the spatiotemporal evolution of the city's external morphology. Building upon this foundation, the interaction between the "internal and external" domains was analyzed further. The main findings of the study reveal a synchronous pattern of urban expansion throughout the evolution of urban spatial morphology. Furthermore, the urban form was observed to undergo a progressive transformation, transitioning from a "single core" morphology to a "primary and secondary double core" morphology. Over time, this development progressed and evolved into a "belt-like multi-core" structure. Additionally, the coupling characteristics further validate the relationship between the structure of the road network and the urban morphology in river valley-type cities. In particular, accessibility of dense and horizontally distributed transportation network was found to significantly influence the spatial development of these cities. As observed, the findings provides valuable insights into understanding the characteristics of internal and external associations regarding urban spatial patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting urban morphology based on local attributes is an important issue in urban science research. The deep generative models represented by generative adversarial network (GAN) models have achieved impressive results in this area. However, in such methods, the urban morphology is assumed to follow a specific probability distribution and be able to directly approximate the distribution via GAN models, which is not a realistic strategy. As demonstrated by the score-based model, a better strategy is to learn the gradient of the probability distribution and implicitly approximate the distribution. Therefore, in this paper, an urban morphology prediction method based on the conditional diffusion model is proposed. Implementing this approach results in the decomposition of the attribute-based urban morphology prediction task into two subproblems: estimating the gradient of the conditional distribution, and gradient-based sampling. During the training stage, the gradient of the conditional distribution is approximated by using a conditional diffusion model to predict the noise added to the original urban morphology. In the generation stage, the corresponding conditional distribution is parameterized based on the noise predicted by the conditional diffusion model, and the final prediction result is generated through iterative sampling. The experimental results showed that compared with GAN-based methods, our method demonstrated improvements of 5.5%, 5.9%, and 13.2% in the metrics of low-level pixel features, shallow structural features, and deep structural features, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban heat islands will occur if city neighborhoods contain insufficient green spaces to create a comfortable environment, and residents' health will be adversely affected. Current satellite imagery can only effectively identify large-scale green spaces and cannot capture street trees or potted plants within three-dimensional building spaces. In this study, we used a deep convolutional neural network semantic segmentation model on Google Street View to extract environmental features at the neighborhood level in Taipei City, Taiwan, including the green vegetation index (GVI), building view factor, and sky view factor. Monthly temperature data from 2018 to 2021 with a 0.01° spatial resolution were used. We applied a linear mixed-effects model and geographically weighted regression to explore the association between pedestrian-level green spaces and ambient temperature, controlling for seasons, land use information, and traffic volume. Their results indicated that a higher GVI was significantly associated with lower ambient temperatures and temperature differences. Locations with higher traffic flows or specific land uses, such as religious or governmental, are associated with higher ambient temperatures. In conclusion, the GVI from street-view imagery at the community level can improve the understanding of urban green spaces and evaluate their effects in association with other social and environmental indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses a crucial gap in understanding the impact of urban morphologies on the canopy urban heat islands (CUHI) effect. The selection of reference stations lacks a unified standard, and their surface air temperature (SAT) sequences are also inevitably influenced by urbanization. However, synchronous observational data from relocated meteorological stations could provide high-quality sample data for studying CUHI. Utilizing remote sensing techniques, the findings of this paper revealed that the observation environment of stations after relocation exhibited remarkable representativeness, with their observation sequences accurately reflecting the local climatic background. The differences in synchronized observation sequences could characterize the CUHI intensity (CUHII). Among the various factors, land use parameters and landscape parameters played particularly significant roles. Furthermore, the fitting performance of the random forest (RF) model for both training and testing data was significantly superior to that of the linear model and support vector regression (SVR) model. Additionally, the influence of local circulation on CUHI could not be overlooked. The mechanisms by which urban morphologies affect CUHII under different circulation backgrounds deserve further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of Latin American intermediate cities has left irregular and discontinuous occupation patterns in their peripheral territories. In appearance, the configurations of the urban edges do not have relevant differences. In fact, each morphological structure is heterogeneous and has its own behaviors, different occupation motivations, and diverse resulting consolidated models. In Cuenca, Ecuador, these diffuse zones between the urban and rural limits are marked by segregation dynamics and dependence on the consolidated center and have the lowest quality-of-life indexes in the city. In this context, the objective of the research was to find a possible relationship between the types of peripheral morphologies and the levels of urban habitability of four city urban centers, using a quantitative methodological design with a two-stage correlational scope. Initially, urban morphologies were classified, and the habitability levels were rated separately, applying independent instruments. Then, the results were cross-checked to describe possible links between variables. The findings highlight significant disparities in habitability between conurbations and define an apparent direct correlation between the two dimensions of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biotope map provides ecological and spatial information that reflects the natural and ecological features and values of a city. In South Korea, efforts have been made to create a map that includes grades based on evaluating the ecological value of a specific surface space. However, plans for applications have not been established, except for development restrictions or regulations for biotopes with high ecological value ratings. The aim of this study was to promote environmentally friendly and sustainable urban management through ecological land use management for all biotope types that are influenced by anthropogenic land use. Strategies for maintenance, protection, recovery, improvement, creation, and reduction based on ecological restoration principles were set as management goals. To achieve these management goals, evaluation items and indicators were suggested for minor-classification types and applied to Dongducheon City. Management strategies were suggested for target sites based on grades and thematic maps of biotope types to be utilized, such as urban ecological axes, river naturality restoration, and wetland and forest preservation. These findings support sustainable and environmentally friendly urban development by providing fundamental data for ecological and environmental management, including the preservation and restoration of natural environments and the creation of urban ecological networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to track the evolution of urban morphology studies, focusing on a graphical understanding of transformation phenomena in historical and contemporary city fabrics. It points out similarities in urban morphology studies by authors like Aldo Rossi, Carlo Oswald W. Ungers, Hans Kollhoff, Saverio Muratori, Gianfranco Caniggia, and Giancarlo de Carlo. These studies developed within a supportive cultural environment, aligning with analogical procedures and anticipating the contemporary concept of urban acupuncture. Urban acupuncture denotes episodic and locally impactful interventions countering grand, self-celebratory architectural projects. These interventions are promoted both by liberal and capitalist culture as well as by socialist-inspired culture. Lastly, these interventions, promoted by various cultural backgrounds, highlight the multi-scale nature of urban morphology studies and urban acupuncture projects. Each change in form corresponds to a morphological adaptation and a redefinition of urban rules and grammar usable in projects with territorial significance. Today, enhanced by digital tools, these studies confirm insights and syntheses, presenting urban acupuncture interventions in real-time socio-economic flows and dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban buildings are an important part of urban morphology, and building height has an important impact on the three-dimensional spatial morphology of cities. At present, research on the two-dimensional morphology of cities is relatively abundant, but there are fewer studies on the characteristics of the three-dimensional undulating morphology of cities and their spatial distribution patterns, and thus knowledge of the degree of utilization of the airspace above the city and its developmental pattern is still relatively lacking.Based on the multi-scale urban agglomeration, the landscape pattern is converted from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, and the overall spatial differentiation can be analyzed more intuitively. The purpose of this paper is to explore the three-dimensional spatial differentiation law of urban architectural landscape pattern. Through in-depth spatial analysis of the architectural landscape in urban areas, it is found that the landscape patterns in different areas show significant differences, and the interrelationship between them and the urban landscape pattern is revealed through the study of three-dimensional characteristics of urban buildings, such as height, density, form and layout. It is found that the different characteristics of urban buildings have a significant impact on the landscape pattern, which leads to the differentiation of urban space. This study provides more comprehensive spatial information for urban planning, contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of urban architectural landscapes, and provides a scientific basis for future urban design and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the Ottoman Period urban fabric of Silifke, a crucial historical town in Turkey. The aim of this paper is to develop a research framework for the transfer of cultural heritage and cultural continuity in multi-layered historical cities. In this context, investigating the level of sociocultural transition and physical permeability between layers is the main problem of the article. The scope of the study consists of an approximately 1.5 km2 (150 hectares) area within the boundaries of the 3rd Degree archaeological site determined in 1995 by the Adana Cultural and Natural Heritage Conservation Regional Board. In the case area, there are building remains and 58 registered buildings, 40 of which were built during the Ottoman Period. The findings and evaluations were examined in three parts: the periods before the Ottoman Period, the Ottoman Period, and the Republican Period. Analyses were developed independently or overlapped from archive documents such as the Presidential Ottoman Archive (BOA), provincial yearbooks, engravings of travelers, photographs, aerial photographs of different years, current maps, zoning plans, and conservation plans. Then, we made descriptions and inferences about urban change/transformation, which is affected by the political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental factors of the town and will shape the future change/transformation and management of the town. The ultimate goal is to set up a basis for the Silifke town center that will guide future interventions and design and planning policies for cultural continuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living convenience in public service facilities has attracted significant attention as a crucial indicator of urban development and quality improvement. However, the performance of plot patterns—a fundamental unit for precise control when measuring urban quality—influencing living convenience requires in-depth exploration. This study integrates multiple urban datasets with quantitative urban morphology methods to investigate the impact of various plot pattern features on living convenience. Specifically, we investigate the Inner Ring area of Shanghai as an empirical case. The assessment considers the diverse effects of facilities at different distances, accounting for the life radiuses of both older individuals and the general population. Additionally, the analysis of plot patterns includes planar and three-dimensional aspects, controlling key variables such as road network accessibility and centrality. The results indicate that, for small-scale plots, shape has a strong impact, while, for large-scale plots, the division and construction intensity within a block has a stronger influence. Furthermore, plots of different area types have different recommended construction intensities. Notably, for large-scale blocks, it is advisable to maintain a building density of around 0.3. In short, this study contributes to human-centered planning by providing targeted recommendations to address the existing deficiencies in plot morphology regulation and control from the perspective of quantitative urban morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research simultaneously examining building energy consumption and outdoor thermal comfort within urban environments remains limited. Few studies have delved into the sensitivity of design parameters based on building energy consumption and outdoor thermal comfort. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlations between urban morphological design parameters and performance indicators, focusing on building energy consumption and outdoor thermal comfort (UTCI), across different urban block layouts in hot-humid regions, like Guangzhou. By establishing six fundamental morphological models—three individual unit layouts and three group layouts—the research explores both control and descriptive parameters through extensive simulation studies. Scatter plot visualizations provide insights into the impacts of various design parameters on energy consumption and UTCI, facilitating a comprehensive analysis of trends and quantitative relationships. Additionally, the study conducts sensitivity analyses on design parameters under different layout conditions to highlight their influences on target performance indicators. The findings reveal common trends, such as the significant impacts of plan dimensions and the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) on energy efficiency and outdoor comfort, as well as differential patterns, such as the varying sensitivities of the Shape Factor (S/V) and the Sky View Factor (SVF), across individual and collective layouts. Ultimately, this study offers a nuanced understanding of urban block morphology's role in creating sustainable, comfortable, and energy-efficient urban environments, providing valuable guidelines for urban form design in hot-humid climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban ambient environment is directly responsible for the health conditions of millions of people. Comfortable living space is a significant aspect that urban policymakers need to address for sustainable planning. There is still a notable lack of studies that link the spatial profile of urban climate with city-specific built-up settings while assessing the vulnerability of the city population. Geospatial approaches can be beneficial in evaluating patterns of thermal discomfort and strategizing its mitigation. This study attempts to provide a thorough remote sensing framework to analyze the summer magnitude of thermal discomfort for a city in a tropical hot and humid climate. Spatial profiles of dry bulb temperature, wet bulb temperature and relative humidity were prepared for this purpose. A simultaneous assessment of various discomfort indices indicated the presence of moderate to strong heat stress to a vast extent within the study area. The central business district (CBD) of the city indicated a 'danger' level of heat disorder for outdoor exposure cases. Nearly 0.69 million people were vulnerable to a moderate threat from humid heat stress, and around 0.21 million citizens faced strong heat stress. Combing city morphology in the study showed that mid-rise buildings had the maximum contribution in terms of thermal discomfort. City areas with built-up cover of more than 68%, along with building height between 5.8 m and 9.3 m, created the worst outdoor discomfort situations. Better land management prospects were also investigated through a multicriteria approach using morphological settlement zones, wind direction, pavement watering, building regulations and future landscaping plans. East–west-aligned road segments of a total 38.44 km length were delineated for water spray cooling and greener pavements. This study is likely to provide solutions for enhancing ambient urban health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a machine learning-based framework for mapping street patterns in urban morphology, offering an objective, scalable approach that transcends traditional methodologies. Focusing on six diverse cities, the research employed supervised machine learning to classify street networks into gridiron, organic, hybrid, and cul-de-sac patterns with the street-based local area (SLA) as the unit of analysis. Utilising quantitative street metrics and GIS, the study analysed the urban form through the random forest method, which reveals the predictive features of urban patterns and enables a deeper understanding of the spatial structures of cities. The findings showed distinctive spatial structures, such as ring formations and urban cores, indicating stages of urban development and socioeconomic narratives. It also showed that the unit of analysis has a major impact on the identification and study of street patterns. Concluding that machine learning is a critical tool in urban morphology, the research suggests that future studies should expand this framework to include more cities and urban elements. This would enhance the predictive modelling of urban growth and inform sustainable, human-centric urban planning. The implications of this study are significant for policymakers and urban planners seeking to harness data-driven insights for the development of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying driving factors of the urban heat island phenomenon is vital for enhancing urban ecological environments. Urban functional zones (UFZs), key for planning and management, have a substantial impact on the urban thermal environment through their two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) morphology. Despite prior research on land use and landscape patterns, understanding the effects of 2D/3D urban morphology in different UFZs is lacking. This study employs Landsat-8 remote sensing data to retrieve the land surface temperature (LST). A method combining supervised and unsupervised classification is proposed for UFZ mapping, utilizing multi-source geospatial data. Subsequently, parameters defining the 2D/3D urban morphology of UFZs are established. Finally, the Pearson correlation analysis and GeoDetector are used to analyze the driving factors. The results indicate the following: (1) In the Fifth Ring Road area of Beijing, the residential zones exhibit the highest LST, followed by the industrial zones. (2) In 2D urban morphology, the percentage of built-up landscape (built-PLAND) and Shannon's diversity index (SHDI) are the main factors influencing LST. In 3D urban morphology, building density, the sky view factor (SVF), and the area-weighted mean shape index (shape index) are the main factors influencing LST. Therefore, low-density buildings with simple and dispersed shapes contribute to mitigating LST, while fragmented distributions of trees, grasslands, and water bodies also play important roles in alleviating LST. (3) In the interactive detection results, all UFZs show the highest interaction detection results with the built-PLAND. (4) Spatial variations are observed in the impact of different UFZs on LST. For instance, in the residential zones, industrial zones, green space zones, and public service zones, the SVF is negatively correlated with LST, while in the commercial zones, the SVF exhibits a positive correlation with LST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land is needed for many activities in cities due to rapid urbanization and population growth taking place on a global scale. In order to meet the demands of the increasing population, cities grow towards extensive rural lands and try to meet the citizens' needs for land spatially used for housing, transportation, industrial facilities, and education facilities. The change in urban morphology is one of the most discussed topics in planning from the past to the present, consisting of uniquely complex phenomena. The traditional method of urban science offers approaches based on Euclidean geometry, based on the assumption of uniform growth. However, urban morphology has a multidimensional fractal structure, and it is insufficient to understand the city as a living organism that evolves, changes, and develops very quickly. Since urban growth and expansion are an inevitable reality intertwined with economic growth, spatial changes in cities as living organisms are inevitable. Population growth worldwide is one of the most critical parameters affecting cities' growth. Unplanned growth in cities causes many environmental problems, such as unplanned urbanization. Monitoring and forecasting land changes in urban growth and expansion processes are significant in producing effective regional and urban planning policies. In this process, the concept of urban morphology comes to the fore. In this context, the fractal dimension analysis emerges as a technique of interest. Decreases and increases in fractal values gain meaning by being associated with processes such as expansion and growth observed in cities. Fractal geometry, on the other hand, provides the opportunity to evaluate this complex structure quantitatively. At the same time, it offers a new mathematical framework for describing urban morphology. The study aimed to investigate the development process of the development zone in the western corridor of Ankara, with a fractal analysis to be made at the urban scale through its morphological change. The temporal changes in urban form and texture between 2005-2022 and the morphological character of Ankara are questioned through fractal analysis. The study was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the western corridor of Ankara was analyzed on an urban scale, and the morphological change in 2039 was estimated within the scope of two different scenarios. The compact growing scenario (GC) proposes a growth model within the boundaries of the determined area. The spreading-growing scenario (GS) assumes a spreading-growth behavior into the land cover, regardless of field boundaries. The GC scenario defines areas where growth will not occur outside the determined western development zone. On the other hand, the GS covers the growth areas produced by assuming that the entire urban geography is suitable for settlement without any restrictions. After defining the scenarios, fractal blots from 2005, 2013, 2022, and 2039 were obtained, and fractal analysis was carried out using the box-counting method. At the same time, it showed that urban spatial richness increased, as the value of 1.63 in 2005 reached 1.85 in GC and 1.98 in growing by GS in 2039. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the changes in the fractal dimensions obtained at the urban scale, the West development corridor experienced a rapid urbanization process from 2005 to the present, and this process showed urban expansion in the east-west direction. Increases in fractal dimensions also indicate an increase in the complexity of the urban fabric, in other words, spatial richness. The simulation results of the year 2039 using the Cellular Automata - Markov chain method also support these results. Compact and spreading growth approaches produced within the scope of the research resulted in different growth behaviors of the city. While the growth is more controlled in the model restricted by the research area boundaries, the expansion pressure of the city is quite remarkable in the scenario where there is no restriction. The data obtained by this method for West Ankara, which is determined as the development direction of the city with the plan decisions, has significant potential in evaluating the current situation and future spatial patterns. Therefore, the research offers a new perspective to describe the complexity of the urban system. In addition, it is thought to have a guiding quality in the planning processes. The research offers a current perspective and innovation with a scenario-based model based on fractal geometry to describe the complexity of urban morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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With the advancement of urban modernization, more and more residents are flocking to large cities, leading to problems such as severe traffic congestion, uneven distribution of spatial resources, and deterioration of the urban environment. These challenges pose a serious threat to the coordinated development of cities. In order to better understand the travel behavior of metropolitan residents and provide valuable insights for urban planning, this study utilizes taxi trajectory data from the central areas of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. First, the relationship between daytime taxi drop-off points and urban amenities is explored using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). Subsequently, Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) techniques were applied to identify spatial differences in these urban drivers. The results show that commonalities emerge across the four cities in the interaction between external transport stops and commercial areas. In addition, the average daily travel patterns of residents in these four cities show a trend of "three peaks and three valleys", indicating the commonality of travel behavior. In summary, this study explores the travel characteristics of urban residents, which can help urban planners understand travel patterns more effectively. This is crucial for the strategic allocation of transport resources across regions, the promotion of sustainable urban transport, and the reduction in carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining the morphological evolution of ancient Jiande County (JD) over time, our research adopts a diachronic perspective to explore county-level spatial planning and its correlations with local governance during the feudal and republican eras. Utilizing historical records, including chronicles, geo-maps, and remote sensing images, to reconstruct urban ground plans, our findings unveil a historical shift in administrative management within the ancient Yanzhou region (YZ). In the Song Dynasty, feudal authority was distinctly manifested through a spatial hierarchy, diminishing in influence during the Ming-Qing Dynasty. In contemporary times, Meicheng Town (the ancient Jiande County) has departed from traditional urban layouts, relinquishing its central position in the local administrative hierarchy. JD’s historic transition in county-level urban planning and local governance paradigms provides evidence for examing its future development trajectories.

Building height dataset is crucial in urban studies, holding significant importance in understanding the interactions of human activities and the built-up environment. However, high-resolution three-dimensional building datasets covering large areas are limited. A rapid and accurate method for revealing fine-scale urban morphology is required. In this study, we developed a method for estimating building heights at the building scale. First, we integrated multisource datasets (i.e., synthetic aperture radar, optical, terrain, social-economic, and vector-based datasets) and built the machine learning model for building height estimation. Second, we applied the model to 11 cities in the U.S. and assessed its performance. Our results were consistent with the reference data, indicating that the effectiveness of our method is applicable [i.e., the R2 was 0.82, and the root mean square error (RMSE) was 3.39 m]. The evaluated results in various cities, across different height intervals, and within distinct regions also show the good agreement with reference heights according to the correlation (R2: 0.51–0.86, RMSE: 2.57–5.97 m in cities) and similar height distribution. Moreover, our results also showed the superiority by comparing with other height datasets at different scales. Finally, we mapped the building-scale height to characterize the urban morphology. These results demonstrate our proposed method's usable accuracy and the vast application potential in estimating building heights. Our proposed method's refined building height information can significantly help socioeconomic and climatological urban studies.