Final answer:
Urban patterns are influenced by topography, which restricts growth and shapes city development. Urban morphology studies city layouts and how they impact social and cultural elements. Examples include Roman standardized city plans disregarding topography and New Urbanism integrating communities with sustainable growth in mind.
Step-by-step explanation:
An urban pattern, often influenced by natural topography, suggests that the physical landscape can shape the development of a city by providing barriers that restrict growth. Factors such as hills, bodies of water, or transportation spines play a significant role in how an urban area expands and organizes itself. This concept falls within the study of urban morphology, which analyzes how cities are laid out and how this layout affects cultural, political, and social aspects of urban life. As cities evolve, factors like urban sprawl, transit systems, and cultural perceptions of nature drastically influence their growth and organization. For instance, the Roman Empire's standardized city plan showed how disregarding topography could manifest the colonizers' control over a region. In contrast, modern movements like New Urbanism integrate various community elements to revitalize urban cores and manage growth more sustainably.