The Morphological Characteristics of the Block Structure in Central Areas

Abstract

This thesis aims to introduce the fundamental role of the block structure in formation of the urban fabric, and with the aim to develop an alternative method for optimum conditions of the block structure, unlike the formation methods of the 'Development Regulation'. Block structure refers to arrangement of the plots, buildings and spaces within the building blocks. So, this thesis revealed the importance of the appropriate formation of the block structure to form the urban space creating the urban vitality in central part of the city. In order to achieve these aims, urban fabric, urban space, block structure, and streets are defined with their components to understand the scope of the study. After that, the existing conditions of the urban planning techniques are mentioned to expose the formation methods of the current applications. Then, the design criteria, which are selected in the literature survey, are introduced to welladjusted design conditions of the block structure arrangement. Within this framework, the design methods are designated to analyze and design the optimum formation conditions of the block structure. Finally, these design methods, which are defined as 'Comparative Study', 'Typo-Morphological Approach', 'Figure-Ground Theory', 'Density Distribution Model', 'Natural Lighting Assessment Method', 'Urban Design Guidelines' and 'Urban Coding', are used to suggest a conceptual model for an alternative size and form of the block structure, in contrast the existing conditions of the case study area with the aim to evaluate the determination process of the optimum conditions. Key Words: Urban Fabric, Urban Form, Block Structure, Plot Pattern, Building Structure, Network, Building Density, Design Criteria, Urban Morphology, Urban Design Guidelines, Comparative Study.