Welcome to the Urban Morphology Network!

The formation and transformation of urban form in time never happen independently from its context. It is human action – psychological demands, socio-cultural preferences, economic objectives or technology requirements/advancement – that guides the form of our places, buildings and cities (with some help from the natural environment of course!). This has always been the case, and the forms that our environments have taken over time, are a wonderful illustration of how our cultures, ambitions, values and skills are different from each other, and have changed in history to respond to vary sets of constrains and demands. Urban morphology and typomorphology (*) aim to study how the form of our cities came about and has changed in a specific cultural context over time, to understand: a) the driving forces behind the change; b) the persistent urban elements and socio-cultural essences embedded in them. We study for example which are the physical forms that have lasted the longer across time, on the assumption that what is still standing through different circumstances might be inherently robust, fit and responsive. This knowledge is important to guide future intervention in the built environment so to ensure a good fit between form and life. A good understanding of the changing process of urban form through time is in fact key to support place-making, cultural identity enhancement and social cohesion.