Mapping Urban Morphology

Mapping urban morphology captures the form and structure of cities—block sizes, street networks, building footprints and heights, plot subdivisions, open spaces, and land-use mix. It links physical form to social and environmental performance: walkability, ventilation corridors, heat islands, and social interaction. Datasets include cadastral parcels, LiDAR/photogrammetry-derived 3D models, mobility traces, and historical plans. Metrics such as floor-area ratio, frontage length, sky-view factor, and network centrality describe patterns quantitatively. At multiple scales, morphology reveals typologies: courtyard blocks, superblocks, fine-grained grids, cul-de-sacs. Mapping must respect temporal layering—cities are palimpsests with traces of prior plans and informal adaptations. Qualitative fieldwork complements metrics to understand lived experience. Combining typology maps with street-level photography creates a feedback loop between numbers and lived texture of place. Combining typology maps with street-level photography creates a feedback loop between numbers and lived texture of place. Publishing reusable metrics like sky-view factor rasters and centrality layers empowers other teams to build on morphology studies. Method sheets should explain how building heights were derived and validated.