Quantification is not enough: the analysis of the complexity and uncertainty of urban form evolution

M.R.G.Conzen has implied that quantification, as a purely methodological approach, is not a methodology. It means quantitative approaches can be used as auxiliary means to study urban morphology, but it is not decisive. Thus, integrated method is more comprehensive and effective to analysis the complex influential factors of urban form. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to prove this idea above through analyzing the complexity and uncertainty of urban form evolution, used by real examples of the burgage cycle. The evidences for choosing this outline are, firstly, the burgage cycle that M.R.G.Conzen proposed has demonstrated the complexity of the urban form evolution, and it still be used to research today. Second, these realistic cases can proved clearly that the determination and the value of the "climax" in the cycle is far from being decided and measured by purely quantitative methods, because many uncertain internal and external factors are able to influence it.