Study of urban form in Portugal : a comparative analysis of the cities of Lisbon and Oporto

Abstract

Throughout the last years a systematic morphological research has been carried out in CITTA, theResearch Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment. The first part of this paper overviews thedifferent approaches in the study of urban form, paying particular attention to the Portuguese context.After defining the position of the research centre in the national context, the paper identifies the mainapproaches, theories, concepts, methods and techniques that are being used in CITTA'smorphological research on the city of Oporto. Three aspects of the research deserve a particularattention: i) the development of the method of cartographic redrawing, enabling the rigorousrepresentation of the spatial characteristics of urban phenomena; ii) the link between two conceptsdeveloped within the Conzenian School and Space Syntax, morphological period and globalintegration; and finally, iii) the knowledge acquired on the morphogenetic history of Oporto. The lastpart of the paper focuses, as it would be expectable due to the nature of the research centre, on therelationships between urban morphology and planning, on moving from description and explanation toprescription.