Urban Design Flashcards
GREEK CITY
grid layout with a public center (agora or marketplace) and an irregular wall
ROMAN CITY
2 major roads, cardo and decumanus, intersect at central forum
2 kinds, commercial (oppidum) and military (castrum)
MEDIEVAL CITY
irregular, geometric streets that roughly radiate from church/marketplace
BAROQUE CITY
wide boulevards connect important features
ex: Versailles, Washington, DC, Paris
RENAISSANCE CITY
ideal star shape with radial streets; walled; plazas for markets
ex: Florence
CITY BEAUTIFUL
1890s-1900s
beautification to create harmonious social order
ex: Columbian Exposition, McMillan Plan for Washington, D.C.
6 tenets of Perry’s Neighborhood Theory
roads form boundaries of neighborhood
interior streets are cul-de-sacs and traffic-calming
neighborhood size based on one elementary school
school and green space at center
160 acres, 10 families/acre, 1/2 mile from school
10% of space for recreation; include shopping, church, library, community center near edges
8 basic types of land use
government residential commercial industrial natural resources open/conservation institutional agricultural
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: LINEAR
in a line, connected by transportation spine, usually has 2 main points. lacks focus or center; is congested
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: MEGALOPOLIS
extensive linear arrangement of cities
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: AXIAL
similar to linear but with 2 spines
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: RADIAL
center core; inflexible but compact; lots of interaction
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: GRID
flexible, compact, standardized. complex distribution of use; can be boring. very American
Savannah, GA
Philadelphia, PA
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: PRECINCTUAL
dispersed activities; may not have central core. flexible, efficient and economical. expands in any direction
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: CONCENTRIC
core with concentric rings; common pattern is original business center, old housing/factories, dense suburbs, post WWII suburbs
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: MULTIPLE NUCLEI
system of connected sub-centers. variations include finger plan, cluster, and satellite (in satellite, one is the major center)
URBAN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: SHEET
extensive urban area without focal point, routes or forms (sprawl)
Le Corbusier’s 5 Points of Architecture
Pilotis (reinforced concrete stilts) Free Facade (non-supporting walls designed any way Open Plan (no structure in the way) Ribbon Windows (for unencumbered views) Roof Garden (relocate natural material from footprint of building to roof)
5 elements contributing to Lynch’s legibility
path: trails, streets, walks
edge: perceived boundary: wall, shoreline
district: city section with identity/character
node: focal point, intersection
landmark: identifiable object; reference point
GARDEN CITY
Ebenezer Howard’s plan for balance of nature and development - ring of suburbs connected by rail to main city - self-sustaining with agricultural belt
Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England (FIRST)
Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England
Radburn, NJ
Reston, VA
NEW URBANISM
1980s-present
America
reform to contain diversity of uses, walkable communities
4 factors that make defensible space (Oscar Newman)
territoriality - idea that one’s home is sacred
natural surveillance - link between physical characteristics and ability to see
image - physical design imparts sense of security
milieu - other factors - proximity to police or busy area
5 principles of designing defensible space (Oscar Newman)
assign resident groups to environments they can utilize and control
define territory to reflect zone of influence - adjacent residents can develop proprietary attitudes
place spaces to allow natural surveillance of public areas
juxtaposition of dwellings, entries and amenities with streets to put the under sphere of influence
building forms that avoid stigma of isolation or vulnerabilit
ROAD TYPES: ARTERIAL
connects and expressway to a street serving a residential area
usually 2 lanes each way, controlled by stoplights, sometimes populated by restaurants and shopping
