The genealogy of urban form : Brisbane case study

Cities as constructs of either incremental development or planned settlement reflect their economic, political and social condition. Much development is conceived and executed without an understanding of the intrinsic urban characteristic that resides in the existing urban form; or the traces of its urban evolution that have been lost to the physical landscape. The tendency has been for the urban landscape of the city to morph from a state of cohesion to fragmentation. The research presented in this paper traces the morphological development of Brisbane. Through the mapping of the physical changes that have occurred in a particular place, by extracting information from historical maps and photographs, patterns can be identified that convey the continuity of urban form, active usage and building typology. The analysis can be measured to identify developments that are incongruous, and critically, a methodology of predictive urban form that is indicative of a consonant urban development. The paper presents archival research undertaken at QUT that has documented the morphological evolution of Brisbane, from settlement to the present. A particular emphasis will be the analysis of built types, documenting characteristics of urban scale and aspects of the building interface with the street (public realm) and offering evidenced explanations for the urban experience in this particular sub-tropical city. The objective of the paper is to introduce a methodology that demonstrates the importance of urban morphological analysis, the study of the many layers of historical growth that a city has undergone, and in the understanding of these urban form characteristics, determine a model for future development based on a principle of sustainable urban form that requires continuity and coherence with the existing city.