Assessment of urban form resilience: a review of literature in the context of the Global South

Building resilient and sustainable cities in the face of rising climate change is increasingly getting attention of the research community as well as decision-makers. Despite the sizable quantum of research encompassing various facets of urban resilience, the physical form of cities has received limited attention from researchers. One of the challenges encountered involves the generalization of these studies across diverse settings and heterogeneous contexts. This study investigates different tools and frameworks proposed for the assessment of urban form resilience. Furthermore, it explores the applicability of these frameworks within the specific context of the Global South. The literature analysis is based on attribute selection, study context, methodology, and resilience perspective. The findings reveal a degree of fragmentation in the selection of attributes, approaches, and perspectives within the literature concerning the assessment of urban form resilience. Divergent arguments exist concerning the impact of urban form attributes on urban resilience, notably regarding factors like density and city size. Furthermore, the research underscores the complexities associated with integrating these assessment frameworks into the unique urban morphology of cities in the Global South, characterized by the prevalence of informal development. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for researchers and planners in comprehending the relationship between resilience and urban morphology, enabling the application of these concepts for the assessment of urban form resilience, particularly in the context of the Global South.