Exploring the relationship between landscape ecology and urban morphology

a systematic review

Abstract

Objective – This article presents a systematic literature review aimed at understanding the relationships between landscape ecology and urban morphology. The article investigates how this relationship has been applied in urban studies, primarily using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools.

Methodology – To this end, a systematic review was conducted covering a two-decade time frame, between 2004 and 2024. The methodological process included searching for scientific articles in databases, applying the search string that best met the study's objective and related landscape ecology, landscape connectivity, spatial configuration, and urban morphology. The Scopus and ScienceDirect databases were used, applying Boolean operators for a more efficient search.

Originality/Relevance – The field of urban morphology is vast, with diverse theories and methodologies for analyzing the urban form of cities. The same is true of the field of landscape ecology, which consolidates studies on the relationship between nature and cities. There is a concern that relates both the morphology and ecology of the landscape to the issue of sustainable development and nature-based solutions regarding urban and regional planning. This analysis has been intensified more recently to mitigate the impacts of human action, climate change, and spatiotemporal transformations, and thus conserve and preserve the natural landscape within the urban setting. However, the relationship between these two fields of study is unclear, as little research demonstrates the state of the art of this relationship. Therefore, the possible interactions and their applicability in urban and regional studies are questioned.

Results – Thus, 29 scientific articles were explored, and the results indicated the existence, albeit fewer and more recent, of studies addressing urban morphology and landscape ecology. The approaches were classified into different thematic groups: accessibility to green areas, landscape units, spatial analysis and spatial correlation, urban form and crime, landscape transformations, and green corridors. These groups demonstrated similarities in methods and discussions, which fosters and strengthens dialogue between the fields. The results indicated the unanimous use of GIS as an analysis tool in empirical studies, and most adopted the city as the primary scale of analysis, followed by the regional scale, reinforcing the need to understand space in its entirety to investigate the relationship between urban form and landscape. Much of the research did not incorporate spatiotemporal analyses, resulting in predominantly static approaches that fail to capture transformations over time.

Theoretical/Methodological Contributions – This article contributes to a theoretically grounded exploration of the relationship between morphology and landscape, establishing a state-of-the-art framework. The text highlights the theoretical integration between the two fields, particularly regarding the subject of analysis, which investigates the city, particularly urban areas, and their relationship with nature. Furthermore, the article highlights the importance of using geotechnologies to understand this relationship in urban space, whether through spatial or spatiotemporal analyses, or by developing nature-based solutions aimed at addressing urban landscape transformations. The article contributes by systematizing and presenting the scientific literature that connects these two fields of study, helping to identify the existing knowledge gap. However, the results reveal that there is still a landscape to be explored, especially regarding the extent to which morphology influences, integrates, impacts, or contributes to landscape ecology, and vice versa. Finally, the adopted research method allows for replicability of the study, especially in investigations that seek to integrate urban spatial structures with ecological connectivity.

Social and Environmental Contributions – In summary, the material produced presents social contributions by demonstrating the effects and relationships of urban form on ecological conditions, promoting a qualified debate about urban sustainability. The article broadens the discussion on sustainable urban strategies that integrate urban morphology and landscape, articulating infrastructure, spatial connectivity, and environmental preservation. The studies analyzed indicate instruments for mitigating anthropogenic transformations and natural impacts through adaptation, conservation, and preservation actions, such as the implementation of green corridors, the identification of priority areas for conservation, and the analysis of urban factors that directly affect fauna and flora. Therefore, this articulation reinforces the need for interdisciplinary approaches capable of reducing ecological fragmentation and consolidating a symbiotic interaction between urban form and urban sustainability.