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SEMANTICS OF INTEGRITY OF CITY CENTER // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2016. Issue 2 (8). P. 82-96

Urban morphology of the city center is considered as an integral phenomenon. Their topology localization, structure and semantics of own text is represented in the observers reflection. I attempt to reveal the essence of the integrity as characteristics of a system in architectural context and show the types of its manifestation in the various examples. The article describes а syntax of urban morphology and its influence on the perception of centrality.

Keywords: integrity, city center, urban morphology, perception, urban environment

PATTERN THEORY IN URBAN ENVIRONMENT FORMATION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2019. Issue 3 (21). P. 75-88

Existing methods of representing the integrity and quality of urban spaces in visual perception are faced with the limitations of their use. The theories of visual perception physiology and theories of compositional structures and their harmonic relationships face a many additional conditions that level down their meaning in practice. We declare an alternative approach to analyzing the urban environment and explaining the principles of its visual perception based on the interdisciplinary theory of patterns. The essence of this approach tells the urban environment is historically formed on the basis of spatial formation models, archetypal models, and spatial prototypes. We call these templates as patterns. The concept of a pattern, which is widely used in various fields of science and practice, is adapted and updated within to urban planning in relation. We argue the principle of mosaicity of city area and folding the urban environment by “imprints” of spatial prototypes called urban units. The context of the notion “pattern” is considered: its etymology, history and essence of the pattern phenomenon in the interdisciplinary angle. Types of urban patterns and their basic properties are listed. The of the patternity space levels on which to fix and explain the influence of spatial prototypes are established. The principle mechanism of formation and patterns replication on the city area into the elementary spatial units is revealed on the example of a socialistic city, microdistrict and central blocks of the city. The differences in the mapping principles at different levels for this types of spaces are shown. We note the main problems of research in visual perception of the urban environment on the basis of the theory of patterns. The article uses the methods of theoretical definition of concept based on an interdisciplinary analogy. The study will provide use of the patterns theory to identify and diagnose a “genetic code” of city for its further translation or transformation.

Keywords: pattern, urban morphology, integrity, mosaic, visual perception, city archetype