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urban morphology:
methods to derive morphological properties
of city blocks by using
an urban landscape model and
their interpretations
Hiroyuki Yoshida a,*
Manabu Omae b
a Faculty of Policy Management, Shonan Fujisawa Campus, Keio University, 5322 Endo,
Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-8520, Japan
b Faculty of Environmental Information, Shonan Fujisawa Campus, Keio University, Japan
Received 1 September 2003; accepted in revised form 6 May 2004
Introduction
2. Objective of study
to fulfill the objective are concerned with the following two points:
1. City blocks are used as spatial units of observations and
analyses;
2. Quantitative analyses based on reproducible results from data
processing are performed.
With these two points being borne in mind, quantitative characterization
of morphology of city blocks through measurements and analysis of their
morphological properties is carried out in this study.
Example:
4. Study area
5. Datasets
Taking this relationship among the available data sets into account,
strategy for their usage in this study was drawn as follows:
1. The main material for processing and consequent analyses
would be combination of the LIDAR data set and the
observational layers, especially the building outlines layer, of
the vector data set;
2. The integrated aerial photograph, the most vivid presentation,
would be used for acquisition of extra information and
verification; and
3. The administrative layers would be used as references for
analyses carried out on the basis of the other data sets.
8. Morphological properties
8.1. Primary measurement
In blocks
without building,
surface area and
projected area
equal to 1,
and volume per
projected area is
null.
The legal limits for both BTL and FAR in residential zones
are stricter than those in commercial zones,
such regulations certainly have influences but are not
necessarily ultimate determinants of urban morphology.
As mentioned earlier, private land ownership and peculative
activity (Pesaresi & Bianchin, 2001) are also determinants of
urban mass.
It is, however, still worth knowing that the typical height per
storey in Japan is around 3 m to have an approximate sense of
the number of stories in the three types of zones, and hence the
effect of the regulations on FAR to an extent.
8.4. Compactness
Apart from the actual BTL and the mean height of buildings, yet
another highly interesting variable is obtainable.
It is surface area of buildings per unit volume (i.e. the ratio of surface
area to volume).
It can be calculated through the 4 steps:
The resultant variable indicates 3-dimensional compactness, and its
unit is sq. m per cu. m.
The variable, surface area per building volume, can be expressed as:
Hence, in the case of a sphere, the ratio of surface area to volume is:
This means that the larger the radius of a sphere is, the smaller the
ratio becomes.
Three variables were chosen and a color image was created. After
extensive experimentations of combinations, the FCC consisting of
(1) surface area of buildings per unit volume,
(2) mean building volume, and,
(3) volume per projected unit area
was found to exhibit the largest variation of colors. It is shown
in Fig.10(a). The three variables are assigned respectively to
red, green and blue.
In Fig. 10(a), red blocks are mostly residential blocks where small
houses are densely located with or without open space.
A small number of blocks are in yellow, mixture of red and
green, as they contain less compact yet large buildings.
The false color composite and the urban planning guideline set
by the governments present the context of morphological status
quo.
Firstly, Residential zones in Fig. 10(b) are also well
represented by blocks in shades of red in Fig. 10(a).
Transitional zones as indicated by magenta in Fig. 10(b) are
indeed mixture of blocks having a wide variation of colors.
Secondly, red blocks are relatively uncommon in commercial
zones in Fig. 10(a). Exceptional red blocks in the commercial
zones are mostly relict residential patches or car parking spaces.
Then, geographical distribution of such red blocks in commercial
zones is potentially a useful indicator of urban economics.
9. Discussion
10. Conclusion
The false color composite produced from three of the six variables
showed the gradations of morphological properties comparable to
the framework of the governmental regulations on land use.
attempt made in this study still needs certain refinements and
enhancements,
Future research scope from what this study has achieved
and standardization of methods to utilize morphological
properties are the key achievement of this approach.
It is hopeful that such networks of analyses become a foundation
for a wide range of studies and applications related to cities in
the world.
Thank You