Urban morphology for passive–active energy efficiency in residential complexes: a scoping review and framework for early-stage design in the MENA region

Urban morphology in residential complexes can resist heat and generate energy. Across recent studies, key urban morphology indicators consistently linked to passive design that decrease cooling loads in buildings and to active solar strategies that support PV potential. Although post-2020 research links urban morphology to passive and active energy efficiency outcomes, fragmented methods still limit early-stage design guidance. The objective of this scoping review is to synthesize evidence on how urban morphology can manipulate passive design for less heat gain and active solar strategies for generating on-site energy in residential districts tailored to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. The study followed the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews, implementing eligibility criteria, information sources, database search strategy, selection of sources of evidence, data charting, and synthesis. A total of 33 high-quality studies were identified from major academic databases: Scopus and Web of Science. These studies cover a range of geographical locations, extending from the Middle East and North Africa to parts of South Asia, and tested different urban morphological indicators through parametric design simulations, and field experiments. The synthesis reveals that current research is dominated by passive performance assessment, while only a limited number of studies integrate active solar design. It also highlights a regional gap, as relatively few studies directly address MENA cities despite the region’s severe cooling demand and exceptional solar potential. In response, this study proposes an early-stage conceptual framework that links urban morphology to passive-active energy efficiency outcomes to support concept-phase decisions. The framework also establishes the basis for future machine-learning applications to support generative passive and active energy-efficient urban design in MENA residential contexts.