THE BEGINNINGS

SETTLEMENT DESIGN
Agricultural Societies
Rectilinear Plotting
LAYOUT
1. Grid (or Rectilinear) product of the farmer
2. Circular (Fencing)
product of the herdsman
defensive role
3. Radio-centric when circular settlements enlarge
fortress cities (i.e. Paris)
Pictures
Circular Layout

Radio-centric Layout



A. Ancient Greece
LANDSCAPE
Powerfully assertive
HIGH PLACES
fortified hilltop
Sacred precinct
TOWN DESIGN = SENSE OF THE FINITE
Aristotles ideal size of city = 10,000 20,000 people
Never attempted to overwhelm nature
Buildings give a sense of human measure to landscape
THE STREET
Not a principal element but as a leftover space for circulation
PLACE OF ASSEMBLY
Market (agora)







Pictures
Acropolis

Agora

The agora was a central spot in ancient Greek city-states. The literal meaning of the word is
"gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center of athletic, artistic, spiritual and
political life of the city.
B. Ancient Rome
URBAN DESIGN
Greek : sense of the finite
Romans : political power and organization
USE OF SCALE
Greek use of scale is based on human measurements
Romans used proportions that would relate parts of building instead of human measure

MODULE
Greek use of house as module for town planning
Roman use of street pattern as module
to achieve a sense of overpowering grandeur
made for military government
THE STREET
Greeks : as a leftover space for circulation
Romans: street are built first; buildings came later
PLACE OF ASSEMBLY
Greeks: market (agora)
Romans: market, theater, and arena
Pictures


C. Medieval Era
DECLINE OF ROME
Dark Ages, but not for urban design
URBAN SETTINGS
Military strongholds, castles, monasteries, towns
MILITARY STRONGHOLDS
Acropolis and Capitoline Hill
CASTLES
Built atop hills, enclosed by circular walls
Radio-centric growth
MONASTERIES
Citadels of learning
Laid out in rectilinear pattern
MEDIEVAL TOWNS
Like Greek towns, small and finite in size
Lacks geometry
Became parts of larger territorial states
Growth and population created the need for marketplaces
VISIBLE EXTERIORS
Suit the viewing conditions of small spaces
VISTA considerations and HUMAN SCALE
Fine accents in landscape
STREET LAYOUT
Functional
But with no logical form
MEDIEVAL ERA sets the stage for RENAISSANCE
Skill of builders
Wealth of bourgeoisie and nobility
Organization of the military and new force in gunpowder
Development of political powers and expertise
New organizations
Scholarly knowledge of the church
3 MAJOR EVENTS MARKING TRANSITION FROM MEDIEVAL TIMES
Dawn of science
Fall of Constantinople
Discovery of the New World
Pictures

D. Renaissance Era
MEDIEVAL URBAN DESIGN were to be discarded
Sense of scale
Intimate relation between house and street
MEDIEVAL SYSTEM OF TOWN DESIGN
Truly livable
Humanist basis
RENAISSANCE SYSTEM OF TOWN DESIGN
Role of the individual as builder of his town was lost
IDEAL CITIES
1440 (beginning of Renaissance)
Leon Battista Alberti
Foremost theoretician
Albertis De Architectura
Treats architecture and town design as single theme (just like Vitruvius)
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF EARLY RENAISSANCE
Public Works
Civic improvement projects
REBUILDING FERRARA
Palazzo Diamanti
Most famous structure
Biaggio Rossetti
Architect and town planner
Regarded as one of the worlds earliest modern urban designers
Rossettis plan
Street widening, new buildings, wall improvement
Enlarge the town
Carry on with the plan build upon
LESSONS FROM ROSSETTIS EFFORT
Repair an existing city
Plan for enlargement
Decide which to concentrate effort
Lay down a plan that is logical and realizable
Provide framework for others to build upon