Extending the concept of the morphological frame: a case study of Tangshan old military airport

Abstract

[EN] The concept of the morphological frame is important in urban morphology, but it has been discussed much less than other critical concepts, such as the fringe belt and the fixation line. Passing its features on as inherited outlines, the morphological frame contains not only the linear fixation line, but also ground plan and three-dimensional aspects. In this research, the linear, ground plan, and three-dimensional morphological frame of Tangshan old military airport during the expansion of the city after the removal of the airport is identified. The former boundary roads of the airport exert obvious influences on the division of plots. The former arterial roads also function as a linear morphological frame. In relation to the ground plan, property rights and plots containing important buildings have an impact on the consequent town plan. The distinct feature of the morphological frame of the airport is its three-dimensional constraint, i.e. the vertical clearance requirement, which restricted the height of surrounding buildings. The impact of this institutional limit can last a very long time owing to the high cost of demolishing the old surrounding buildings or adding extra storeys even if the limit ceased to exist with the removal of the airport. Based on this case study, this paper refines and extends the connotation of the concept of the morphological frame and further discusses the relationship between function and form.