Institutions and urban form: the example of universities

Abstract

Urban morphologists have made much of the role of institutions in shaping urban form. Universities in particular are sizeable landholders, with common aims, but which have resulted in very different outcomes in the urban landscape. Morphological concepts are applied to the timing, location and form of foundations. Three models of university development are suggested: the campus, colonization, and dispersed. Campus universities in particular present problems for traditional urban morphological analysis.