UP 371
Principle of Urban Design
UP 371

UP 371
I
Design of Cities and Urban
Spaces

UP 371
Urban areas
Man made structure
Full of infrastructure and super structure
Heterogeneous group of people
Not more than 25% of the area is agricultural
Social component (social capital) includes values, citizens’ laws (norms),
culture, traditions, behavior, safety/security, demography….

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Rural areas
GOD made structure
No infrastructure and superstructure
Homogeneous group of people
Not less than 75% of the area is an agricultural
man-made (buildings,
infrastructure...) and natural elements (land, air, water, climate, open spaces,
flora and fauna)…

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“city is composed of different kinds of people; similar
people cannot bring a city into existence”
(Aristotle, 384-322 BC)

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Urbanism
the way of life people living in the urban center
takes the form of private and public spaces, built
and un-built environments
composed of a “fabric” of solids and voids often
represented as figure-ground

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creating “figural-space” by giving more importance
to the quality and definition of the collective public
realm
Being ‘urban’ has a lot to do with people in the
public spaces. In fact urbanity could not have
developed without the free movement of people in
public spaces (streets, squares, open spaces…)
The public space is an integral part of any urban area. The identity and quality
of an urban area is not only a factor of the quality of its private spaces but by
large the public realm

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Why Urban Design emerged as a Separate
Discipline?
Urban planning is the discipline of land-use
organization which deals with the
•physical,
•social,
•economic development,
•political and managerial ‫ـ‬aspects of urban areas;

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Architecture is concerned with the design of
individual buildings;
Landscape design concerned on the features of the
natural space;
Transport Planning focuses on road traffic
management…

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There was no profession, which deals with the
public realm, and which provides a framework on the
overall effects of development interventions in the
urban scene.

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Urban Design
‘The way places are designed affects our ability to
move, see, hear and communicate effectively.
Urban design essentially is a process by which
quality in the built environment is facilitated.

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It is the three-dimensional design of a city both at
the local and city scales.
It deals with the design of new and regeneration of
existing settlements.

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Urban design is the three-dimensional design of a
city both at the local and city scales. It deals with the
design of new and regeneration of existing
settlements.
It is the art of place making or city building; the
process of shaping the physical setting for life in
cities, towns, villages....

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Urban Design is ‘the relationship between different
buildings and the streets, squares, parks, waterways
and other spaces which make up the public domain.
the relationship of one part of a town or city with
other parts; and the patterns of movement and
activity which are thereby established.

Region District Neighborhood
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Acceptable way of Classification of cities
1. pre-industrial city
2. Industrial city and
3. Post-industrial city

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1. The pre-industrial city
Concept by the Us Geographer Gideon Sjoberg in
the 1960
Islamic cities of the near east, but the idea of the
pre-industrial city today covers European cities
before the industrial revolution(particularly in the
mediaeval period)
An old town with narrow winding streets enclosed
by defensive walls
Walled extended family compound
Streets are totally irregular as they are merely the
spaces left between the compound

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2. The industrial city
Many of the larger city of the world, specially in
North America and Europe.
Associated with the rapid urbanization
Pre-dominantly agricultural society to an
industrialized one
Segregation of functions becomes much more
noticeable
Depopulated city center and mainly given to
commercial functions
Housing types reflects big social and economic
division with in the population

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Housing types reflects big social and economic
division with in the population
This rapid urbanization results
•Pollution
•Congestion
•Waste disposal
•Unsatisfactory housing
•Unemployment(because of ….)
•crime

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2. post-industrial city
Dating back to the second half of the twentieth
century
Cities needed to adjust to other forms of
employment in light manufacturing
Demolition and clearance of large area of heavy
industrial plant
Replacement of one physical form with the other

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The growth of office towers and luxury high- rises
or refurbishing of old waterfronts
Cafe’s and boutiques arise to feed and clothe the
new classes.-
Global cities
Ideal cities

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World War II impact on cities development
large segregated single-use zone areas
 unbreakable with too wide streets and
 large parking lots that are designed to make cars
happy but hostile (unfriendly) for people

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pedestrians-hostile
large-buildings-setbacks –
usually with high solid fences – that failed to
properly define the public realm

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buildings with their backs or sides turned towards
the street confronting the pedestrians with long
blank walls and building utilities
large street blocks with no cross access or
connecting streets (alleyways)
money replaced known social values and structures
such as religion

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in addition, public spaces became leftover spaces
of the private spaces development, a result of
uncoordinated exercises carried out by various
professionals
exposed to abuse and problems: unsafe, dirty and
dominated by minority user - the car
Due to world war II cities generally became ugly, unhealthy and often with
conflicting social relations thus hostile to the majority of their population the poor.

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Public spaces and Urban Areas
Public spaces are everywhere, in and between the
places where we live, work and relax. All of us - rich
or poor, old or young, men or female – living in
cities, towns, villages or the countryside - use public
spaces every time we leave our homes

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Public spaces are
the streets and paths we use on the way to work,
shops, school, or hang out with friends.
the parks and play areas, town centers and
waterfronts we visit on weekends or holiday.

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the privately owned and managed places to which
the public has free access, such as car-parks,
shopping malls, leisure and business parks, and bus
or rail stations or terminals.
the front faces of our buildings which are seen from
the public space

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The quality of public spaces has a major impact on
our lives. It affects our sense of well-being,
experience and feeling about the places where we
and others live, work and relax
Everybody of us everyday make decisions which,
when and how we use places/areas. Many of these
decisions are influenced by our perception of the
quality and safety of the spaces we encounter

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Degraded public spaces are not a sign of a vibrant
community. Concerns about the real or perceived
quality of public spaces affect all areas and are
bound up with the social and economic life of
communities; indicating whether a community is on
the up, in decline or in recovery.

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Ugly, dirty and dangerous, poor quality places
make people, businesses and investments to move
to better places; encourage anti-social behaviours;
undermine public confidence; discourage
investments and eventually lead to the malfunction
of the areas

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Whereas quality environment makes people to visit
a place
invest 0n it and
pursue healthier lifestyles through exercise such as
walking,
cycling and
active children's play

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characteristics of Well-organized living spaces
giving people a sense of access, comfort, and joy

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making successful
vibrant, livable and
people-oriented
Places;
creating community
pride

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attracting and maintaining high quality investments
achieving urban regeneration,
economic development,
real social improvement and
sustainable urban areas

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Main Objectives of Urban Design
to create places:- which are not only beautiful, but
also properly function and reflect the different
social,
economy and
cultural need of and goals of the current society

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to create a place for the society which is
Healthy settlements that ‘make life more safe,
convenient and pleasant’, which care for the total well being of
their citizens
Comfortable space for the day to day activities

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to create successful urban areas by integrating time
tasted ideas with new ideas, including how people
relate to, feel about, and use their places

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to create a ‘sense of place’ and ensure that an area
has identity, where public and private spaces are
clearly distinguished yet integrated

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Major Benefits of Urban Design
underpins the role of towns and cities as centers of
economic, cultural and social activity
helps neighborhoods and communities to be self-
sufficiency, permanent thus sustainable

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attracts businesses and investments by improving
the quality of the existing area as well creates a
condition for small-scale businesses to establish and
operate
helps revitalize historic structures/places instead of
replacing them with short-term/throw-away
structures, visual blights…

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relieves pressure for developments on green-
field sites, thus reduces costly urban sprawls
promotes functional and social mix that helps
reduce extreme polarization among citizens
improves neighborhood values by making them
healthy, safe, memorable and dignified

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promotes ‘citizens surveillance’ of places,
reducing crime and enhancing urban livability
reduces the need for travel - the distance and
number of trips - and increases transport
choices
reduces air, noise, visual… pollutions
makes all including disadvantaged people feel
safe and independent in their world and making
walking feel more enjoyable

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Challenges in Practicing Urban
Design
Identified a number of gaps
 between contextual knowledge of urban
design and either the design activity or the
processes of implementation;
 between the formulation of design proposals
and the means for their implementation;
 between national, regional and city-wide
policies and the private and public realm
(territory)projects;

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time limitations: creating civilized places takes time,
and urban design must be there right at the initial
stage of urban planning, or major opportunities are
easily lost....