The Fractal Dimension as Alternative Theoretical Tool to Examine and Develop Urban Patterns

Abstract

Contemporary theories on urbanism admit the complex nature of the urban fabric. This means that reading and understanding urban facts requires a much more complex theoretical model than the Euclidian Geometry can offer. As Nikos Salingaros admits, we need to rethink the discipline of urbanism by involving algorithms as advanced developing tools. Urban patterns are produced by complex algorithms which describe their morphology and not just their geometry in Vitruvian terms. Especially in vernacular (self-grown) patterns is noted the presence of fractal algorithms as urban fabric generators. This research intends to identify and evaluate the fractal nature of Korça’s vernacular pattern by using the fractal dimension as measurement tool. By observing Korça’s pattern is easy to note the phenomena of the self-similarity and of a morphological hierarchy transmitted across the scales. Through a multi-scale analysis this research aims to verify the hypothesis of the fractal nature of this pattern. The self-affinity phenomena will be explored in the repetitive presence of specific planar motifs in different urban scales. Theoretically, the fractal dimension controls the dispersion of mass over a structure and in this case it gives information about the fragmentation scale of the build environment. The measurement process is done by the use of the box-counting method and the Fractalyse software. On one hand the research identifies the fractal nature of a self-grown pattern; on the other one it raises an important question: Can we list the fractal dimension as an additional parameter which gives more complete information about the urban morphologies?