Exploring the relationship between compact urban form and green infrastructure

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Liu, Lixu and Palaiologou, Falli and Schmidt-Ill, Robert; (2022) Exploring the relationship between compact urban form and green infrastructure. In: Annual Conference Proceedings of the XXVIII International Seminar on Urban Form. University of Strathclyde Publishing, Glasgow, pp. 576-583. ISBN 9781914241161

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Abstract

Compact Urban Form (CUF) and Green Infrastructure (GI) are widely used in sustainability approaches. GI can be understood as a system of green components (e.g. parks, gardens, allotments, etc.) and has multiple benefits for the green and blue urban agendas. Alongside, CUF is an effective strategy used to address urban sprawl. The integration of the two approaches is challenging due to the limited availability of space in CUF and the lack of an analysis of existing and potential GI offerings in compact built environments. This paper looks at the relationship between urban form patterns and green space patterns at the urban scale. It seeks to identify the variables that can describe the compactness and greenness of CUF and the structure of GI, the typologies of CUF and GI, and their potential interrelationships. The method introduces selected variables for quantitative description of CUF and GI, and cluster-based typologies of CUF and GI based on the reproduced components. The three pattern variables are identified (using statistical analysis and spatial analysis) for CUF and GI respectively based on the degree of the greenness, density (e.g. Berghauser Pont and Haupt, 2007), landscape structure (FRAGSTATS) and space syntax measurements (e.g. connectivity). Subsequently, the clusters of CUF and GI are generated using fuzzy c-means clustering analysis (FCM). The method is applied to London, UK. Overall, this paper introduces a quantitative approach to understand CUF and GI as well as their relationship. The methods – which are reproducible because of the use of open-access data – take a fundamental step towards a deeper understanding of the way compact urban fabrics can become greener by activating and embedding green networks into the urban fabric.

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