Symbiotic Architecture: How Cities Survive on Their Own

Contemporary city develops not only through formal planning but also spontaneous architectural forms, such as symbiotic architecture—unauthorized extensions and add-ons that become stable elements of the urban environment. Under conditions of managerial inertia and social pressure, these structures fulfill important functions and reflect the city capacity for self-organization. In post-Soviet cities, including those in Azerbaijan, this phenomenon remains understudied.

Purpose: The aim is to identify the reasons for the emergence of symbiotic architecture, its functions and significance as a form of urban adaptation and examine its role within informal urbanism with a focus on the post-Soviet time.

Methodology: Architectural theory, urban studies, spatial sociology, and urban economics (including research by M. Serra, J. Friedman, F. Rahma). The comparative analysis, visual typology, spatial observation, and contextual interpretation. Empirical data are used on cities in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the post-Soviet space, including Moscow, Baku, and Istanbul.

Research findings: Key typologies of symbiotic architecture are identified by spatial positioning, function (residential, commercial, social), and legalization. It is shown that such architecture emerges in response to shortages of infrastructure, housing, and economic opportunities, becoming an adaptive element of the urban environment. Examples from Moscow and other cities demonstrate how these structures may either integrate into the urban fabric or be subject to removal.

Value: Symbiotic architecture serves as an indicator of the urban system’s resilience under conditions of inefficient planning. It represents a form of survival architecture and may contribute to reorganization of urban space. Rather than being categorically dismissed, it is regarded as a potential resource for sustainable and inclusive urban development, especially in transitional societies and context of spatial scarcity.

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