Typology, topography, tectonics. Urban forms in transition

The form of 21st cities isn’t comparable with the urban form of Alnwick or Venice, but the legacy of the urban morphology’s masters stays also in considering the continuous dynamics of urban settlements’ configurations, the real value of tradition as interplay of permanencies and permutations, the transitions of urban forms to different orders. Six years after the publication of “Cities in transition” (2015) and starting from the basic keywords “typology”, “topography” and “tectonics”, the “transitional” paradigm is expressed as a conceptual tool to understand the developments to future forms of Western and Asian cities in order to inform future urban policies and practices. This paradigm is preparatory for broader research on urban morphology. The round table hosted at ISUF 2021 on Wednesday 30 June was an occasion to bring on the desk the above described issues. Michela Barosio (Politecnico di Torino, “Transitional Morphologies” Joint Research Unit) presented the movie “FUTURE IN THE PAST. The form of contemporary urban settlements in Europe and Asia” (produced by the PhD Program “Architecture. History and Project” at Politecnico di Torino in 2021). Marco Trisciuoglio and BAO Li (Directors of Transitional Morphologies Joint Research Unit) launched the international conference “TOPOGRAPHY, TECTONICS, TYPOLOGY. Urban Morphologies in transition. Nanjing 2023: an International Forum on Urban Forms”.