The Necessity of a Paradigm Shift in Urban Form Studies: An Examination through Different Philosophical Paradigms of Science

The concept of urban form encounters numerous uncertainties. It finds applications in various discussions within architecture, urbanism, and environmental design. However, its meaning is often assumed rather than clearly defined. Urban studies are typically divided into two main categories: architectural and urban historians, and geographers. Yet, these groups often fail to explain the reasons for changes in urban form. Understanding the factors that shape urban form requires a new theoretical framework. The philosophy of science can assess and categorize existing studies while offering a fresh definition. This article aims to classify urban studies through content analysis and library research. The paper demonstrates that previous studies have predominantly embraced a "positivistic" and "critical rationalism" approach, which tends to reduce the ontological nature of urban form to its epistemology. Critical realism can illuminate the hidden mechanisms underlying the urban form, leading to the introduction of the term "influential forces" to represent these concealed mechanisms. In other words, focusing solely on the dimensions of form presents a limited perspective; attention should be given to causal factors in urban form studies. These influential forces can provide insights into causality.