The Fuzzy Boundary: Spatial Definition of Urban Areas: Second Edition

What, in spatial terms, is an urban area within the larger whole of a city, and how do individual areas aggregate to form that whole? This book explores these questions through the concept of "fuzzy boundaries"-the discontinuities between urban areas that emerge from the internal structure of space and its relationship with the wider spatial system.Fuzzy boundaries can support the functional differentiation of urban areas without requiring them to be spatially self-contained, geometrically distinct, or defined by clear physical limits. Instead, the book argues that the spatial definition and aggregation of urban areas are shaped by the syntactic relationships among individual spaces and their contexts across multiple scales. By offering a new perspective on the spatial structure of cities, the book provides valuable insights for urban designers, planners, architects, researchers and others interested in understanding how urban areas relate to and form the city as a whole.