The use of morphological description in neighbourhood planning: form-based assessment of physical character and design rules

ABSTRACT

Despite ongoing efforts to encourage the use of urban morphology tools into current practice, uptake remains limited. Shortcomings are largely attributed to time and resource intensive methods of historical settlement transformation study. However, developments in quantitative morphological approaches offer new possibilities for efficiency and easier adoption of research tools in practice. This paper proposes the use of typo-morphology methods to inform the adoption of form-based design guidance in neighbourhood master plans. The aim of the study is to develop a comprehensive yet flexible method for form-based character assessment (FBCA) of residential streets. The resulting FBCA classification identifies streets where compliance with form-based design rules could be tightened. The FBCA method is empirically tested in the context of the local neighbourhood plan for Radlett, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, offering reflections from practice on the usefulness and limitations of the method.

KEYWORDS:

• Character appraisal
• spatial analysis
• typo-morphology
• neighbourhood plan
• form-based codes
• urban development
• united Kingdom

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Aldenham Parish Council for funding the Radlett Character Assessment work. We are also grateful to Viv Charrett, Chair, along with all members of the Radlett Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group for participating with us in a very useful knowledge exchange process; and especially to Claire Newbury, whose understanding of planning theory and practice was an essential part of our developing the approach to characterisation. Finally, we wish to thank the Editor of Journal of Urbanism, Prof. Emily Talen, and the reviewers, for their valuable comments on developing this contribution.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. https://www.radlettplan.org/

2. The “Radlett Built up area” is a statistical and spatial unit used in the 2011 Census, created by ONS Geography, with reference code ‘GSS code E34003774ʹ.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Garyfalia Palaiologou

Garyfalia Palaiologou is a Lecturer in Architecture and Urban Studies at Loughborough University, UK. Earlier she was Research Fellow at the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture at the Space Syntax Laboratory, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Her PhD research investigated the 20th century urban transformation of London terraced houses and Manhattan row houses, focusing on street micromorphology and street liveability. Her post-doctoral research looked at the use of space syntax methods to rethink zoning and delimitation practices for UNESCO historic urban landscapes. Twitter: @falli_p

Taimaz Larimian

Taimaz Larimian is a Lecturer in Urban Planning at Loughborough University, UK. Her primary research domain is urban social sustainability, and she has conducted research on a range of topics pertaining to adaptability, resilience, and livability of cities in the UK, New Zealand, and Iran. She has published in journals such as Journal of Sustainable Cities and Society, Environment and Planning B Journal, and Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments Journal.

Laura Vaughan

Laura Vaughan is Professor of Urban Form and Society and Director of the Space Syntax Laboratory at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Her most recent research includes a study of the significance of urban space in shaping religious solidarities in nineteenth century Whitechapel and she is currently collaborating on research into healthy high streets. Her book on the spatial dimensions of social cartography, Mapping Society, was published in 2018. twitter: @urban_formation