Describing and Understanding the Morphology of the Urban Landscape. The Case Study of Cagliari, Italy

The development of a morphological analysis of the built environment emerges as a central issue for comprehending the structural properties of the urban layout and its generative processes and for establishing a knowledge framework for guiding planning decisions. The proposed study presents an analysis that combines space syntax and geo-spatial analysis tools to describe urban form quantitatively. The suggested analysis is structured as follows: i) definition of the case study and identification of available datasets; ii) definition of metrics for the description of the built environment; iii) discerning of distinct areas of the urbanised region, homogeneous in terms of configurational and functional properties. The proposed analysis is utilised to analyse the metropolitan area of Cagliari, in Sardinia, Italy. The case study underlines the relevance of developing a morphological understanding of urban form for addressing two issues: i) the definition of metrics for the description of the built environment, and ii) the discerning of distinct areas of the urbanised region. The proposed analysis contributes to applying the Geodesign paradigm to the urban realm by supporting the understanding of the spatial culture of a place.