Urban Classification, Morphology and Land Use Patterns

Urban Classification, Morphology and Land Use

Quantitative Criteria

Quantitative criteria are based on figures; they consider a settlement to be a city when the core population exceeds a certain number of inhabitants. Quantitative criteria also consider villages to be cities if they meet certain characteristics.

Morphology and Location

Morphology refers to the physical form of the city.

• Location: the concrete space where the city sits.
• Location in the environment: the position of the city with respect to its geographical environment.
• Plano (plan): the arrangement of built-up areas and open spaces in the city.
• Catchment area: the area or zone influenced by an urban center.
• Urban network: a group formed by the location of cities in space and the relations established among them.
• Structure: the division of the city into areas with different morphology and functions.
• PGOU: Plan General de Ordenación Urbana — the general urban plan.
• Construction and land use: basic components of any urban landscape.

Plot: the arrangement of buildings within the city.

Building: may be individual or collective, low-rise or high-rise.

The land uses are the various uses of urban space.

Process of Urbanization

• Pre-industrial cities: The first cities emerged in Mesopotamia and were organized around major temples and palaces. In classical antiquity, the Greeks and Romans created new towns with major public buildings and squares. In the Middle Ages, Christian and Muslim cities were surrounded by walls and adopted an irregular plan with religious buildings and built spaces devoted to crafts and trade. In the modern age, absolutist kings embellished cities to show their power.
• Industrial cities: Cities grew rapidly with the implementation of modern industry; new urban spaces arose and the urban aspect changed with the introduction of factories, railroads, etc.
• Current or modern city: In developed countries urban growth increased due to rural exodus. In underdeveloped countries urban growth has become so intense that it can be described as an urban explosion.

Plan Types (Flat-Type)

• Irregular: Jumbled streets, narrow and arranged around a central core with shapeless spaces; characteristic of ancient and medieval cities.
• Grid: Consists of straight streets intersecting at right angles; typical of cities from the Greek era and later.
• Radiocentro: A center with radial streets departing outward, cut by others that form rings around the center; typical of cities located on hills or along curves.