From Analysis to Design A framework for developing synthetic shape grammars

This paper focuses on the problem of lack of housing, due to fast urbanization processes and urban population growth, particularly in developing regions of the globe. The goal is to propose an alternative for planning housing settlements, using a computational-based approach, and having as a case study an existing Brazilian favela, Santa Marta. The paper proposes a strategy to bridge between the use of shape grammars from analysis to design, by performing changes on the rule level. The research includes the development of an analytical grammar that captures the physical features of the settlement and its subsequent transformation into a synthetic grammar that can generate urban configurations that keep key features of the original settlement while avoiding its flaws. The paper is focused on the grammatical transformations performed to the analytic grammar to obtain the synthetic grammar and its subsequent validation. Results show that the solutions generated by the synthetic grammar do have higher quality when compared to the case study. This strategy is proposed as a framework for the application of shape grammars in design.