A taxonomy of suburban fragments. A diachronic discussion of suburban value creation, state power and livelihoods in the periphery of a Southern European city

This article presents a morphological and diachronic framework for analyzing the (re)production of suburban space in the metropolitan periphery. Grounded in Suburban Critical Studies (SCS) and urban morphology, the framework advances Lefebvre’s implosion – explosion dialectic and Keil’s concept of disjunct fragments. It challenges linear, center-periphery models and regionally fixed suburban typologies by revealing how suburbanization unfolds through overlapping spatial, temporal, and socio-political processes. Focusing on a medium-sized city in Southern Europe, the study identifies eight suburban fragment types – organized into four categories – based on land assembly, infrastructure provision, and housing production. Drawing on cartographic analysis, planning documents, and interviews, the research traces how these fragments are shaped by diverse logics of value creation, state power, and everyday livelihood strategies. The findings show that suburban forms are relationally produced, coexisting and evolving over time, rather than emerging as residual extensions of urban cores. This approach enables a more nuanced understanding of intra-metropolitan heterogeneity and reveals emerging forms of centrality and decentrality in the metropolitan landscapes. The proposed framework contributes to current debates on suburban governance, placemaking, and sustainable transformation in rapidly urbanizing peripheries.