- Technical University of Lisbon - Faculty of Architecture
Department of Architecture
Office 5.1.1
Rua Sá Nogueira, 1349-055 Lisboa, Portugal
Jose Beirao
Universidade de Lisboa, Arquitectura, Faculty Member
- Delft University of Technology, Bouwkunde, Faculty Memberadd
RESUMO A questão da habitação e os paradigmas que envolvem o habitar humano na contemporaneidade têm sido uma temática recorrente no panorama arquitetônico do século XXI; assim, torna-se necessário entendê-los como elementos fundamentais... more
RESUMO A questão da habitação e os paradigmas que envolvem o habitar humano na contemporaneidade têm sido uma temática recorrente no panorama arquitetônico do século XXI; assim, torna-se necessário entendê-los como elementos fundamentais na estruturação das cidades. Essa problemática se intensifica ao analisarmos o tema da habitação de interesse social (HIS) e seu impacto na qualidade de vida dos habitantes e, como consequência, das cidades brasileiras. O presente trabalho é parte dos resultados de uma pesquisa de doutorado que utilizou o formalismo da gramática da forma e a abordagem da modelagem paramétrica como métodos para a geração de espaços públicos em conjuntos de HIS no Brasil, assumindo que essa metodologia possa contribuir para uma exploração mais ampla e aprofundada de diferentes soluções projetuais. A fim de testar o método proposto foram organizados três workshops com alunos do curso de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo, da Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Cada workshop foi direcionado para diferentes escalas do projeto de um conjunto habitacional: (1) desenho urbano, (2) implantação urbana do conjunto habitacional e (3) relação entre os edifícios e os espaços externos. Este artigo apresentará os resultados obtidos no workshop (1), denominado Parametric Urban Design. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Modelagem paramétrica, City Information Modeling, Habitação de interesse social. ABSTRACT The issue of housing and the paradigms related to human dwelling in the contemporary world have been a recurrent topic in the 21 st century architectural scenario; therefore, it is necessary to understand them as fundamental elements in the structuring of cities. This issue is even more relevant when we consider low-income housing and its impact on the life quality of people and, therefore, of Brazilian cities. This paper presents part of the results of a PhD research that used the Shape Grammar formalism and the parametric modeling approach as methods for the generation of public spaces in low-income housing developments in Brazil. The research assumed that these methods could contribute to the generation of a broader number of design alternative solutions. Aiming to test the proposed method, three workshops were offered to the University of Campinas Architecture and Urban Design students. Each workshop focused on a different design scale: (1) urban design, (2) site planning of the complex and (3) spatial relations between buildings and open spaces. In this paper the results of the first workshop, titled Parametric Urban Design, are described.
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This paper shows the first results of a prototype implementation of a generative urban design tool. This implementation will form part of a design support tool for a GIS based platform defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban... more
This paper shows the first results of a prototype implementation of a generative urban design tool. This implementation will form part of a design support tool for a GIS based platform defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban designs. These three goals, formulation, generation and evaluation are integrated by connecting three modules developed individually for each goal. In this paper we focus on the implementation of the generation module showing a prototype developed on the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) of AutoCAD Civil 3D. This implementation attempts to encode the design moves of the urban planner into design patterns supported on grammar formalisms which allow for design synthesis and design exploration in the field of urban design.
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Cities are non-linear systems quite difficult to manage and even more so to design. They are complex open systems involving unpredictable behaviour generated by local and global agents. Suggestions found in expert literature for dealing... more
Cities are non-linear systems quite difficult to manage and even more so to design. They are complex open systems involving unpredictable behaviour generated by local and global agents. Suggestions found in expert literature for dealing with this complexity point towards developing design tools and methods structured under the concept of flexibility. They demand a design practice for dealing with change. Flexibility is the ability of a system of adapting or responding to changes in the environment. Ascher (2001) proposes as a strategy for new urbanism the development of an urbanism of devices for negotiating and elaborating solutions instead of designing fixed layouts.
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Marshall (2005) developed the concept of characteristic structure of a street network as a characteristic set of indicators extracted from the street network through a process which he called “route structure analysis”. In this paper we... more
Marshall (2005) developed the concept of characteristic structure of a street network as a characteristic set of indicators extracted from the street network through a process which he called “route structure analysis”. In this paper we propose an integrated process for street network generation and route structure analysis embedded in a parametric urban design process. The street generator is compatible with a larger system aiming at the production of parametric urban designs. The system has been built in a parametric CAD environment and encompasses a method for interactive urban design allowing for dynamic visual responsiveness to morphological change and data change. The street network generator, presented in this paper, is based on a recursive rule which subdivides rectangles within the bounding box of a site area. For each set of goal inputs a street network is generated and “complexity” and “relative connectivity” are calculated through a semiautomatic procedure.
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In urban planning exploration and analysis assist the generation, measurement, interpretation and management of the modelled urban environments. This frequently involves categorisation of model elements and identification of element... more
In urban planning exploration and analysis assist the generation, measurement, interpretation and management of the modelled urban environments. This frequently involves categorisation of model elements and identification of element types. Such designation of elements can be achieved through attribution (e.g. ‘tagging’ or ‘layering’) or direct selection by model users. However, for large, complex models the number and arrangement of elements makes these approaches impractical in terms of time/effort and accuracy. This is particularly true of models which include substantial numbers of elements representing existing urban fabric, rather than only newly generated elements (which might be automatically attributed during the generation process). We present methods for identification and categorisation of model elements in models of existing and proposed urban agglomerations. We also suggest how these methods can enable exploration of models, discovery of identities and relationships not otherwise obvious, and acquisition of insights to the models’ structure and contents which are not captured, and may even be obscured, by manual selection or automated pre-attribution.
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This paper presents the use of a City Information Modeling (CIM) platform composed of a GIS platform, a SQL database, a CAD design interface and a VPI used to develop the parametric models of possible development scenarios. It calculates... more
This paper presents the use of a City Information Modeling (CIM) platform composed of a GIS platform, a SQL database, a CAD design interface and a VPI used to develop the parametric models of possible development scenarios. It calculates urban indicators and measurable design properties in order to better understand and support choices while making design decisions. Such approach improves the generation of alternative scenarios projections supported by the calculation of urban properties.
The design of urban plan involves a complex interpretation and management of morphological structures, existent and proposed, as well as several kinds of measurements of the urban environment – again, existent and proposed – from which... more
The design of urban plan involves a complex interpretation and management of morphological structures, existent and proposed, as well as several kinds of measurements of the urban environment – again, existent and proposed – from which several urban indicators can be calculated and used for supporting design decision. Typically, design models are developed on different software than the ones used to perform analysis. For designing, urban designers use CAD (Computer Aided Design) platforms and for analysis they traditionally use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or other topology based software. Therefore, linking GIS and CAD in a common design workflow seems crucial for improving the information supporting design decisions.
This paper presents the structure of an urban design platform connecting spatial data with a parametric design environment. The goal is to allow an interactive flow of information during the design decision process contributing for what can be regarded as a common design practice. Using the structure described in the paper designers can test trial designs in a context and analyze them in many different ways by: (1) using the GIS analytical functions; (2) calculating indicators that can be measured from the geometric structure; and (3) fine tuning designs by manipulating the design parameters to match goal parameters.
Keywords: Parametric urban design; density studies; decision support systems.
This paper presents the structure of an urban design platform connecting spatial data with a parametric design environment. The goal is to allow an interactive flow of information during the design decision process contributing for what can be regarded as a common design practice. Using the structure described in the paper designers can test trial designs in a context and analyze them in many different ways by: (1) using the GIS analytical functions; (2) calculating indicators that can be measured from the geometric structure; and (3) fine tuning designs by manipulating the design parameters to match goal parameters.
Keywords: Parametric urban design; density studies; decision support systems.
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ABSTRACT: The use of typomorphology as a means of understanding urban areas has a long tradition amongst academics but the reach of these methods into urban design practice has been limited. In this paper we present a method to support... more
ABSTRACT: The use of typomorphology as a means of understanding urban areas has a long tradition amongst academics but the reach of these methods into urban design practice has been limited. In this paper we present a method to support the description and prescription of urban form that is contextsensitive, multi-dimensional, systematic, exploratory, and quantitative, thus facilitating the application of urban typomorphology to planning practice. At the core of the proposed method is the k-means statistical clustering technique to produce objective classifications from the large complex data sets typical of urban environments. Block and street types were studied as a test case and a context-sensitive sample of types that correspond to two different neighbourhoods were identified. This method is suitable to support the identification, understanding and description of emerging urban forms that do not fall into standard classifications. The method can support larger urban form studies through consistent application of the procedures to different sites. The quantitative nature of its output lends itself to integration with other systematic procedures related to the research, analysis, planning and design of urban areas.
Research Interests: Urban Geography, Spatial Analysis, Architecture, Data Mining, Urban Planning, and 17 morePattern Recognition, Computer Aided Design, Urban Morphology, Urban Studies, Housing, Transportation, Environmental Planning, Urban And Regional Planning, Urban Design, Environmental Criminology, Landscape Planning, Typomorphology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Sustainable City Design, Urban Built Form Patterns and Climate, Computer Modeling and City Form, and Traditional Sustainable City Forms
In this paper we show the structure of an urban design parametric system. The system is dynamic and builds an interactive relation with the designer updating the layout and related data at each input change. The responsiveness of the... more
In this paper we show the structure of an urban design parametric system. The system is dynamic and builds an interactive relation with the designer updating the layout and related data at each input change. The responsiveness of the system allows the designer to gain awareness on the qualitative consequences of each design move by comparing a design state with a set of urban indicators and density measures which are automatically calculated along with the geometrical updates.
Traditional urban plans use definitive design systems, without the flexibility required to deal with the complexity and change that characterize contemporary urban societies. To conceive urban plans with increased flexibility, a shape... more
Traditional urban plans use definitive design systems, without the flexibility required to deal with the complexity and change that characterize contemporary urban societies. To conceive urban plans with increased flexibility, a shape grammar-based design methodology is proposed which is capable of producing various design solutions instead of a single rigid layout. In this approach the plan is a design system encoding a set of alternative solutions, rather than a single, specific solution. This methodology was developed on the basis of the analysis of existing plans and on a series of experiments undertaken within the controlled environment of design studios. Results show that shape grammars produce urban plans with nondefinitive formal solutions, while keeping a consistent design language. They also provide plans with explicit and implicit flexibility, thereby giving future designers a wider degree of freedom. As a result, they are particularly appropriate for dealing with complexity and change throughout the legal lifespan of the plan. Finally, they provide students with a concrete methodology for approaching urban design, fostering the development of additional design skills.
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Abstract. Urban planning and design have a considerable impact on the economic performance of cities and on the quality of life of the population. Efficiency at this level is hampered by the lack of integrated instruments for formulating,... more
Abstract. Urban planning and design have a considerable impact on the economic performance of cities and on the quality of life of the population. Efficiency at this level is hampered by the lack of integrated instruments for formulating, generating, and evaluating urban plans. This chapter describes the theoretical foundations of a research project, called City Induction, aimed at the creation of a model for the development of such an instrument, departing from existing theories, which are integrated through a discursive grammar. The proposed model is composed of three sub-models: (1) a model for formulating urban programs from the analysis and interpretation of the context, based on Alexander’s pattern language; (2) a model for generating urban plans that match the program, based on Stiny’s shape and description grammars; and (3) a model for evaluating urban plans, that can be used for analyzing, comparing and ranking alternative solutions, departing from Hillier’s space syntax. A common urban space ontology guarantees the syntactic and semantic interoperability among the three sub-models. This ontology will be used to structure and codify information into a Geographic Information System (GIS), which will be the kernel for the computer implementation of the larger model. A CAD system is used to construct 3D models from contextual information stored in the GIS. In short, following Stiny and March’s design machines concept, the goal is to create an urban design machine that is able to produce flexible urban plans at the site planning level.
Keywords: urban design, ontology, pattern language, shape grammars, space syntax, GIS, CAD
Keywords: urban design, ontology, pattern language, shape grammars, space syntax, GIS, CAD
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Abstract: This paper presents a shape grammar for planned urban spaces intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and... more
Abstract: This paper presents a shape grammar for planned urban spaces
intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation
will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban designs. The goal is to formulate urban program descriptions according to context conditions using a description grammar and generate alternative design solutions using a shape grammar. The generation is guided by several evaluation processes performed by an evaluation module. In this paper we are focusing on the definition of the generic shape grammar using an existent urban plan as a case study. The aim is to encode the design moves of the urban designer into generic grammar rules amenable for specific instantiations through the customization of rule parameters.
Keywords: Shape grammars; patterns; generative urban design.
intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation
will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban designs. The goal is to formulate urban program descriptions according to context conditions using a description grammar and generate alternative design solutions using a shape grammar. The generation is guided by several evaluation processes performed by an evaluation module. In this paper we are focusing on the definition of the generic shape grammar using an existent urban plan as a case study. The aim is to encode the design moves of the urban designer into generic grammar rules amenable for specific instantiations through the customization of rule parameters.
Keywords: Shape grammars; patterns; generative urban design.
One of the problems that planners face currently is the difficulty in finding appropriate guidelines for organizing public open spaces in urban areas. This invokes the need to create a system tool to describe and guide the planning of... more
One of the problems that planners face currently is the difficulty in finding appropriate
guidelines for organizing public open spaces in urban areas. This invokes the need to create a
system tool to describe and guide the planning of such components of the urban space. This
research explores the problems related to the description and the location of public open
spaces, and defines a system that integrates three distinct and complementary phases –
appraisal, description, and location of public open spaces – each involving a specific
methodology and associated tools. The main purpose is to provide computer-readable
descriptions of patterns for planning urban space, to make available programmatic strategies
and design options to the participants of the urban development process.
Keywords: public space, data mining, urban ontologies, eco-problem solving, patterns
guidelines for organizing public open spaces in urban areas. This invokes the need to create a
system tool to describe and guide the planning of such components of the urban space. This
research explores the problems related to the description and the location of public open
spaces, and defines a system that integrates three distinct and complementary phases –
appraisal, description, and location of public open spaces – each involving a specific
methodology and associated tools. The main purpose is to provide computer-readable
descriptions of patterns for planning urban space, to make available programmatic strategies
and design options to the participants of the urban development process.
Keywords: public space, data mining, urban ontologies, eco-problem solving, patterns
Abstract. The street system is an important component of the city ontology created for a generative urban design tool and should be able to integrate the many visions or interpretations that designers or other urban design agents may... more
Abstract. The street system is an important component of the city ontology
created for a generative urban design tool and should be able to integrate the
many visions or interpretations that designers or other urban design agents
may have about streets. This paper describes several characteristics of the
street system, with its components organized into object classes which are the
shape sets of algebras used by a generation module to generate street network
representations that can be assessed by a GIS platform.
Keywords. Ontology, urban design, shape grammars, planning
created for a generative urban design tool and should be able to integrate the
many visions or interpretations that designers or other urban design agents
may have about streets. This paper describes several characteristics of the
street system, with its components organized into object classes which are the
shape sets of algebras used by a generation module to generate street network
representations that can be assessed by a GIS platform.
Keywords. Ontology, urban design, shape grammars, planning
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The present paper is part of an undergoing research that aims at developing software that can generate urban plans, based on contemporary urban design concepts, in an optimized way. As a design method, the project proposes the use of the... more
The present paper is part of an undergoing research that aims at developing software that can generate urban plans, based on contemporary urban design concepts, in an optimized way. As a design method, the project proposes the use of the trilogy formulation/ generation/evaluation, which starts with an outline of the design requirements, proceeds with the definition of generative procedures that can result in these requirements, and follows with the evaluation of the generated designs. The paper describes the development of a computer program that implements some of Marshall’s evaluation methods, and further elaborates them to define generative criteria and to optimize the resulting designs with GA techniques. The program aims at generating what Marshall calls a “characteristic structure”, a type of urban fabric that is usually found in vernacular urban fabrics.
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The aim of the City Induction project is to develop an urban design tool consisting of 3 parts: an urban programme formulation module, a generation module and an evaluation module. The generation module relies on a very generic Urban... more
The aim of the City Induction project is to develop an urban design tool consisting of 3 parts: an urban programme formulation module, a generation module and an evaluation module. The generation module relies on a very generic Urban Grammar composed of several generic grammars called Urban Induction Patterns (UIPs) corresponding to typical urban design moves. Specific grammars, such as the analytical grammars inferred from our case studies, can be obtained by defining specific arrangements of Urban Induction Patterns and specific constraints on the rule parameters. We show that variations on the UIP arrangements or rule parameters can provide design variations and specific grammars to be synthesised through design exploration. It is therefore seen as a process for synthesizing a specific design grammar within the field of urban design and has two main features: (1) it allows for the synthesis of specific grammars during the design process and (2) it allows for the customization of a personal design language within the broad scope of the generic grammar.
A formal definition of Urban Grammars is presented and its application in the production of customized urban designs is demonstrated by customizing design languages using a specific compound grammar defined by a specific arrangement of generic grammars.
A formal definition of Urban Grammars is presented and its application in the production of customized urban designs is demonstrated by customizing design languages using a specific compound grammar defined by a specific arrangement of generic grammars.
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The goal of an urban plan is to provide a development vision for a given territory. Three crucial issues in the conception and implementation of urban plans are how to define the program, how to convert the program into a flexible design,... more
The goal of an urban plan is to provide a development vision for a given territory. Three crucial issues in the conception and implementation of urban plans are how to define the program, how to convert the program into a flexible design, and how to adapt the design to changes in the program.
This paper describes the preliminary results of ongoing research aimed at devising a methodology for addressing these issues. This methodology uses Alexander’s pattern language to define the program and Stiny´s shape grammar formalism to convert the program into design solutions. A design studio has been used as the basis for developing and testing the methodology. Preliminary results suggest that the use of patterns helps to tie the urban plan to a specific development vision, and shape grammars are successful in generating alternative design solutions that match varying programs.
This paper describes the preliminary results of ongoing research aimed at devising a methodology for addressing these issues. This methodology uses Alexander’s pattern language to define the program and Stiny´s shape grammar formalism to convert the program into design solutions. A design studio has been used as the basis for developing and testing the methodology. Preliminary results suggest that the use of patterns helps to tie the urban plan to a specific development vision, and shape grammars are successful in generating alternative design solutions that match varying programs.
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This paper presents a shape grammar for planned urban spaces intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban... more
This paper presents a shape grammar for planned urban spaces intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban designs. The goal is to formulate urban program descriptions according to context conditions using a description grammar and generate alternative design solutions using a shape grammar. The generation is guided by several evaluation processes performed by an evaluation module. In this paper we are focusing on the definition of the generic shape grammar using an existent urban plan as a case study. The aim is to encode the design moves of the urban designer into generic grammar rules amenable for specific instantiations through the customization of rule parameters.
This paper presents a shape grammar for planned urban spaces intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban... more
This paper presents a shape grammar for planned urban spaces
intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban designs. The goal is to formulate urban program descriptions according to context conditions using a description grammar and generate alternative design solutions using a shape grammar. The generation is guided by several evaluation processes performed by an evaluation module. In this paper we are focusing on the definition of the generic shape grammar using an existent urban plan as a case study. The aim is to encode the design moves of the urban designer into generic grammar rules amenable for specific instantiations through the customization of rule parameters.
intending an implementation for generative urban design. This implementation will form part of an urban design support tool defined to formulate, generate and evaluate urban designs. The goal is to formulate urban program descriptions according to context conditions using a description grammar and generate alternative design solutions using a shape grammar. The generation is guided by several evaluation processes performed by an evaluation module. In this paper we are focusing on the definition of the generic shape grammar using an existent urban plan as a case study. The aim is to encode the design moves of the urban designer into generic grammar rules amenable for specific instantiations through the customization of rule parameters.
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Analytical work has demonstrated the potential of shape grammars for capturing rules embedded in existing design styles, and generating designs within such styles that match given design contexts. However, the creation of grammars for... more
Analytical work has demonstrated the potential of shape
grammars for capturing rules embedded in existing design styles, and generating designs within such styles that match given design contexts. However, the creation of grammars for new design styles, from exploratory rules to design synthesis, remains elusive. The combined use of patterns and discursive grammars is here proposed as a way of encoding the semantics behind recurrent urban design operations and enable the development of a tool to support the creation of new grammars. The idea is that by exploring the combination of generative patterns designers may arrive at new grammars.
grammars for capturing rules embedded in existing design styles, and generating designs within such styles that match given design contexts. However, the creation of grammars for new design styles, from exploratory rules to design synthesis, remains elusive. The combined use of patterns and discursive grammars is here proposed as a way of encoding the semantics behind recurrent urban design operations and enable the development of a tool to support the creation of new grammars. The idea is that by exploring the combination of generative patterns designers may arrive at new grammars.
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Abstract. Traditional urban plans have defi nitive design systems, without the fl exibility required to deal with the complexity and change that characterise contemporary urban societies. To provide urban plans with increased fl... more
Abstract. Traditional urban plans have defi nitive design systems, without the fl exibility required to deal with the complexity and change that characterise contemporary urban societies. To provide urban plans with increased fl exibility, it is proposed a design methodology capable of producing various design solutions instead of a specifi c defi nitive design. The methodology uses shape grammars as a process for generating urban design. In this approach, design becomes a system of solutions rather than a specifi c one.
Through the analyses of a group of urban plans, a design methodology was
sketched in which rules are used to enable more fl exibility. These plans where chosen for their perceived qualities in terms of language, planning effi ciency, and latent fl exibility. As a result, a four-phased methodology was identifi ed and thus, proposed for designing urban plans. This methodology was then combined with shape grammars and tested in a design studio setting. Students were asked to use the methodology and shape grammars as auxiliary instruments in the design of a fl exible plan for a new town. In the following year, to simulate real-world conditions and oblige students to consider urban ordering and scale, work was structured differently. First, students were asked to develop a rule-based urban plan as in the previous year. Second, they were asked to conceive a detail plan for a sector of an urban plan defi ned by another group of students following its rules.
The plans were then analysed with the goal of refi ning the methodology.
Results show that shape grammars produce urban plans with non-defi nitive formal solutions, while keeping a consistent spatial language. They also provide plans with explicit and implicit fl exibility, thereby giving future designers a wider degree of freedom. Finally, they provide students with a concrete methodology for approaching urban design and foster the development of additional designing skills.
Keywords. Shape grammars, fl exible urban design.
Through the analyses of a group of urban plans, a design methodology was
sketched in which rules are used to enable more fl exibility. These plans where chosen for their perceived qualities in terms of language, planning effi ciency, and latent fl exibility. As a result, a four-phased methodology was identifi ed and thus, proposed for designing urban plans. This methodology was then combined with shape grammars and tested in a design studio setting. Students were asked to use the methodology and shape grammars as auxiliary instruments in the design of a fl exible plan for a new town. In the following year, to simulate real-world conditions and oblige students to consider urban ordering and scale, work was structured differently. First, students were asked to develop a rule-based urban plan as in the previous year. Second, they were asked to conceive a detail plan for a sector of an urban plan defi ned by another group of students following its rules.
The plans were then analysed with the goal of refi ning the methodology.
Results show that shape grammars produce urban plans with non-defi nitive formal solutions, while keeping a consistent spatial language. They also provide plans with explicit and implicit fl exibility, thereby giving future designers a wider degree of freedom. Finally, they provide students with a concrete methodology for approaching urban design and foster the development of additional designing skills.
Keywords. Shape grammars, fl exible urban design.
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This paper presents an assessment of a selection software tools for urban design confronting their capabilities with the goals of the CityInduction research project. The goal of this paper is the assessment of existing platforms for... more
This paper presents an assessment of a selection software tools for urban design confronting their capabilities with the goals of the CityInduction research project. The goal of this paper is the assessment of existing platforms for computer aided urban design to select one as the basis for implementing the urban design model proposed in the CityInduction project. This model includes three sub-models that support the formulation of design programs from contextual information, the exploration of designs solutions through a grammarbased generative approach, and the validation of designs against the program through the use of evaluation tools. To each of these sub-models corresponds a module in the envisioned platform and so, existing platforms are assessed in terms of their ability to support the implementation of each module. The current goal is a proof-of-concept implementation, but the final goal is the development of a complete platform for supporting urban design.
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Cite: Gil, J., Montenegro, N., Beirão, J. N., & Duarte, J. P. (2010). On the Discovery of Urban Typologies. In Bringing City Form Back Into Planning, Proceedings of the CITTA 3rd Annual Conference on Planning Research, pp. 163-176.... more
Cite: Gil, J., Montenegro, N., Beirão, J. N., & Duarte, J. P. (2010). On the Discovery of Urban Typologies. In Bringing City Form Back Into Planning, Proceedings of the CITTA 3rd Annual Conference on Planning Research, pp. 163-176. Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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Grammar formalisms for design come in a large variety, requiring different representations of the objects being generated, and different interpretative mechanisms for this generation. At the same time, all grammars share certain... more
Grammar formalisms for design come in a large variety, requiring different representations of the objects being generated, and different interpretative mechanisms for this generation. At the same time, all grammars share certain definitions and characteristics. Building on these commonalities, we consider a component-based approach for building grammar systems, utilizing a uniform characterization of grammars. Sortal representations constitute the components for this approach. They implement a model for representations, termed sorts, that defines formal operations on sorts and recognizes formal relationships between sorts. Each sort defines an algebra over its elements; formal compositions of sorts derive their algebraic properties from their component sorts. This algebraic framework makes sortal representations particularly suited for defining grammar formalisms considering a variety of algebra, and match relations (or interpretative mechanisms). For urban design and simulation, sortal grammars may include, among others, descriptive grammars, shape grammars, GIS-based grammars and any combination thereof.
One of the problems that planners face currently is the difficulty in finding appropriate guidelines for organizing public open spaces in urban areas. This invokes the need to create a system tool to describe and guide the planning of... more
One of the problems that planners face currently is the difficulty in finding appropriate guidelines for organizing public open spaces in urban areas. This invokes the need to create a system tool to describe and guide the planning of such components of the urban space. This research explores the problems related to the description and the location of public open spaces, and defines a system that integrates three distinct and complementary phases – appraisal, description, and location of public open spaces – each involving a specific methodology and associated tools. The main purpose is to provide computer-readable descriptions of patterns for planning urban space, to make available programmatic strategies and design options to the participants of the urban development process.