Modelling urban elements and patterns as shape grammars
Lessons from an urban design studio in Singapore
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21692599 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tanvi Maheshwari (0000-0002-0805-2951, Monash University, corresponding author), Aurel von Richthofen (Citigroup) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-07 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | URBAN DESIGN International (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1357-5317 • E-ISSN: 1468-4519 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1057/s41289-026-00329-3 |
| OpenAlex | W7160545488 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
The growing availability of big data and digital planning tools offers new ways to understand, analyse and design cities. Urban design pedagogy has accordingly adapted, embracing new analytical tools and methods to study the built form, including computer-aided design and parametric modelling. This paper investigates how procedurally modelled shape grammars can operationalise theoretical concepts of urban elements, patterns, morphological studies to inform design proposals. This investigation is based on an empirical study of an urban design studio conducted in Singapore where human-centric design principles were translated into computational logic for design synthesis. Through qualitative observations of the CGA modelling for urban design, the translation process and points of friction encountered are documented, offering new insights for urban design pedagogy and software development in the context of high-density Asian cities
Design studio · Engineering design process · Generative Design · Landscape architecture · Parametric design · Urban design · Urban planning · Architecture and Computational Design · Design Education and Practice · Urban Design and Spatial Analysis
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| Highly cited | No |
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