INHERITED SPATIAL CONFIGURATIONS AND EMERGING REAL ESTATE LOGICS: AN ANALYSIS OF VERTICAL DENSIFICATION TRAJECTORIES IN THE PERICENTRAL AREA OF BLIDA, ALGERIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2298/IJGI260327017BKeywords:
vertical densification, spatial configuration, urban transformation trajectory, real estate dynamics, colonial pericenterAbstract
This article investigates the trajectories of vertical densification in the colonial pericentral area of Blida (Algeria), with particular attention to the relationship between inherited spatial configurations, planning regulations, and emerging real estate dynamics. The research is based on an original database of building and demolition permits issued between 2019 and 2024, complemented by diachronic mapping of high-rise buildings constructed between 2012 and 2024. The methodological approach combines urban morphological analysis, spatial statistics, and space syntax indicators in order to examine how the configuration of the street network and the structure of urban plots shape redevelopment opportunities and investment patterns. The results show that vertical densification mainly occurs through an incremental demolition–reconstruction process largely driven by private investors rather than by coordinated public planning strategies. These transformations are strongly concentrated in the most accessible and spatially integrated pericentral areas, where parcel size, plot configuration, and network connectivity create favorable conditions for redevelopment. High-rise buildings initially display a marked linear distribution along historically integrated radial corridors, reflecting path-dependent investment strategies linked to the inherited structure of the urban grid. Over time, however, these developments progressively extend into adjacent and less integrated urban fabrics, indicating a gradual spatial diffusion of verticalization processes. Overall, the findings point to a transition from a model of outward urban expansion toward an urban renewal regime based on parcel-by-parcel replacement of existing structures. The study highlights the enduring influence of inherited spatial morphology in shaping contemporary transformation trajectories and real estate investment patterns in intermediate postcolonial cities, while contributing to broader debates on the spatial determinants of urban densification.
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