Toward an Integrative Framework of Urban Morphology: Bridging Typomorphological, Sociological, and Morphogenetic Traditions

Emad Noaime () and Mohammed Mashary Alnaim
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Emad Noaime: Department of Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Hail, Hail 55476, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Mashary Alnaim: Department of Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Hail, Hail 55476, Saudi Arabia

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-32

Abstract: This research reexamines key urban morphology traditions to develop a cohesive framework connecting form, process, and structure. Through a selective narrative review of key works from 1960 to 2025, this analysis examines the European typomorphological, Chicago sociological, and morphogenetic approaches using a seven-dimensional analytical matrix that encompasses ontology, scale, mechanism, and social–spatial coupling. The results show that the European school offers static and structural clarity, the Chicago school introduces dynamic processual reasoning, and the morphogenetic approach explains systemic emergence. Their convergence establishes a meta-framework of integrative urban morphology, viewing the city as a complex adaptive system characterized by continuous interactions of continuity, change, material, and social dimensions. This synthesis integrates diverse perspectives, augmenting the significance of morphological analysis in architecture and sociology. The paper thus advances urban theory by demonstrating how conceptual complementarities among traditions strengthen the explanatory and methodological coherence of urban morphology.

Keywords: urban morphology; typomorphology; morphogenesis; socio-spatial structure; integrative framework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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