Mara, F., Anselmi, C. & Deri, F. Urban systems, when they conurbate: The diachronic-configurational approach to detect the shifting of centrality in Versilia. Urban Design International (2025).
This study introduces a six-step diachronic-configurational method to explore the evolution of urban systems and their structural transformations over time. Understanding the historical evolution of urban structures and hierarchies is essential for identifying planning opportunities and prioritization strategies.
The research has a dual objective:
- To develop a comprehensive methodological framework that serves as both a guiding tool for researchers and a decision-support system for practitioners in studying urban dynamics at both local and regional scales. This is achieved by integrating and structuring existing fragmented approaches.
- To demonstrate the implementation of this method through the complex case study of Versilia – an Italian conurbation that has emerged from the fusion of historically autonomous centres. The study highlights the method’s utility in identifying evolutionary trajectories, spatial hierarchies, and shifts in urban centrality over time.
The findings underscore the method’s potential for analysing urban systems, revealing evolutionary processes, and informing planning strategies by identifying former urban centres, current hierarchies, and emerging dynamics. Overall, the diachronic-configurational method offers a valuable tool for interpreting the complex geographies of urban settlements and conurbations, as well as the socio-spatial relationships that shape these communities.
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The paper is available through Springer at the following link: Urban systems, when they conurbate