Urban design journal

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URBAN DESIGN JOURNAL
(SEMESTER-VIII)
1. Aditi Sahani
2. Aashi Goyal
3. Aashi Jain
4. Apurva Agrawal
5. Akansha Goyal
6. Anushree Dutta
7. Ashmeet Kaur Bhatia
8. Ashmeet Kaur Bhatia
9. Archita Agrawal
10. Arunima Rane
11. Ayushi Dongre
12. Avisha Jain
13. Dimple Mahajan
14. Chetna Hartalkar
15. Deeksha Sharma
16. Eti Sharma
17. Gunjan Nagar
18. Garima Somani
19. Krishna Sharma
20. Kripa John
21. Manali Nikam
22. Mansi Jain
23. Mansi Sable
45. Sana Shinde
46. Saloni Maheshwari
47. Sangama Kulkarni
48. Shivani Banduke
49. Shivangi Verma
50. Shambhavi Shukla
51. Shivani Chouhan
52. Shreya Goyal
53. Shreya Soni
54. Snehal Pare
55. Sohili Jain
56. Shrashti Dengre
57. Swara Bendre
58. Shrashti Singh Kushwah
59. Tanvi Sable
60. Trapti Parihar
61. Trishla Gupta
62. Twinkle Shah
63. Urvi Laad
64. Urvashi Dhawani
65. Vaishali Sharma
24. Mansi Bajpai
25. Margesha Raiker
26. Mayuri Pathak
27. Meenakshi Jangid
28. Neekita Hatvalne
29. Nidhi Pandey
30. Prachi Gupta
31. Prachi Jain
32. Paridhi Patil
33. Pragya Nema
34. Pranjal Pitre
35. Prachi Patodi
36. Priya Israni
37. Purva Paliwal
38. Pratibha Gupta
39. Purva Singh Rathore
40. Rajkumari Shivani Patidar
41. Ravleen Kaur Chabbra
42. Richa Shrivastva
43. Sadhana Choudhary
44. Saloni Jain

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IUDI (Institutes of Urban Design India)
Amidst the present scenario of unprecedented growth and change across all levels of
urban settlements, especially in our part of the world, the need for increased networking
and dialogue between the participants of such change becomes imperative. The emerging
directions of change and developmental choices as witnessed all around us today raises
immense challenges and possibilities towards a dynamic and contributory role of the urban
design profession within different societal conditions. It is at this significant juncture that
the newly constituted Institute of Urban Designers India (IUDI) as a national level
association of urban design professionals, academicians and practitioners has come into
being.
The urban condition of many South Asian countries like India is unique in their complexity,
plurality and hybridity. Multiple layers of historicity juxtaposed over one another and their
simultaneous living existences within the urban fabric have created complex dynamics of
form, function and structure at every instant. Over the years, the planning process focusing
on expansion based strategies has added new layers to the existing multi-layered
structure of the cities constantly overlooking the inherent complexities of existing layers
and their interrelationships. Leap-frogging and lapses in the planning process to recognize
these distinct layers have led to failure of our planning policies to make the city compact
and sustainable. Every subsequent layer seems to have come up in isolation and
negligible inter-relationship with any of the existing layers, as the city keeps growing into a
fragmented metropolis.
URBAN DESIGN emerged sometime in the 1960s. Post war, rampant urban development
across the world found almost everywhere looking like everywhere else - banal,
monotonous, humdrum. The need for attractive, identifiable, memorable urban space
evoking a sense of place became strikingly visible. Thus the field was born out of a quest
for quality of the urban environment. This quest continues to date in responding, refining
and regulating urban environs that have both functional and aesthetic appeal to those who
inhabit it. Urban Design is an Attitude which nurtures the collective spirit of looking beyond
the individual to the public. Whereas Urban Design as a Profession believes in the
principle of the Second Architect recognizing and engaging with the work done before. It
creates an informed position and pushes developmental objectives from the perspective of
that position.

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As per the Memorandum of Association, some of the Objectives for which the Institute is
established are:
 To advance the study of Urban Design and kindred subjects and of the arts and sciences as
applied to those subjects.
 To promote planned scientific and artistic development of settlements of all types and scale.
 To foster the awareness of subjects related to Urban Design in the general public and
professionals and to assist in providing such awareness by making grants to technical
schools, colleges or institutions or by assisting to pay fees and expenses of
students/researchers on any such subject as well as providing and giving scholarship, prizes
and awards to such students/researchers.
 To consider all questions affecting the practice of Urban Design and to initiate and watch
over measures affecting, or likely to affect settlements and to procure changes of, and
amendments in, the law/s relating to or affecting the design and planning of settlements.
 To hold conferences or meetings for the discussion of, and the exchange of views on matters
affecting or relating to Urban Design, the reading of papers and he delivery of lectures, and
to hold congresses or exhibitions (either on its own or jointly with any other body or
institution) for the exposition of any matters affecting or relating to the practice and/or
theory of Urban Design or any allied subject: and to award medals, certificates, prizes or
diplomas in connection therewith.
 To form or acquire by purchase, donation, bequest or otherwise a library and collection of
maps, drawings, designs, data or other material in all media and to maintain, extend and
improve the same.
 To amalgamate, collaborate, combine or act temporarily or otherwise in conjunction with
any other body or bodies, institutions in India and abroad having the like or similar
objectives.
 To ascertain, notify and disseminate the law and practice relating to Urban Design and
Planning and compile, collect, collate, revise, print and publish statistics, professional
records and periodicals relating to any of the objectives of the Institute.
 To promote the general interests of those engaged in the practice of Urban Design.

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Index
(Content in this journal has been referred from different websites and articles published over the internet. For further details or to verify the
authenticity of content refer to books published by IUDI.)
a. IUDI……………………………………………………………………………………………………..02
b. Index…………………………………………………………………………………………………….04
I. Town Planning, Urban Planning, Urban Designing and Architecture……………….05
II. Urban design elements of medieval period ……………………………………………………15
III. Visual Surveys for Development……………………………………………………………………..25
IV. Urban Spaces: correlation between Built and Un-built spaces………………………..28
V. Grain and texture in Urban Design………………………………………………………………….30
VI. LeCorbusier’s Philosophy………………………………………………………………………………..33
VII. Jane Jacob’s Philosophy…………………………………………………………………………………..36
VIII. Sir Pattrick Geddes’s Philosophy……………………………………………………………………..42
IX. Philosophy of Doxidias…………………………………………………………………………………….45
X. Kevin A. Lynch…………………………………………………………………………………………………46
XI. Philosophy of Michael Angelo…………………………………………………………………………48
XII. Importance of Heritage conservation in making of Urban Spaces……………………52
XIII. Preservation v/s Conservation of Urban Spaces………………………………………………54
XIV. Importance of scale and proportion in Urban Design………………………………………59
XV. Scope of Urban design in hierarchy of planning………………………………………………61
XVI. Urban Space: an indicator of social, political and cultural development of human
kind………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...65
XVII. Relationship between Building Typology and Building Morphology…………………70
XVIII. Difference between Urban environment and Urban Morphology……………………72
XIX. Process of Preparation of Master Plan of a City……………………………………………….77
XX. Principles of New Urbanism…………………………………………………………………………….80
XXI. Transport Planning………………………………………………………………………………………….86
XXII. GIS: Geographic Information System……………………………………………………………….93
XXIII. Land-use and It’s importance for any Urban Planning……..……………………………...96
XXIV. Bye Law and its importance for any Urban Development ……………………………….102
XXV. Various patterns of Urban form………………………………………………………………………106

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I. Town Planning, Urban Planning, Urban Designing and Architecture
1. URBAN DESIGN
Urban design involves the arrangement and design of buildings, public spaces, transport systems,
services, and amenities. Urban design is the process of giving form, shape, and character of the
group of buildings, to whole neighborhood and the city.
It is a framework that orders the elements into a network of streets, squares, and blocks. The
urban design blends architecture, landscape architecture, and city planning together to make
urban areas functional and attractive. Urban design is about making connections between people
and places, movement and urban form, nature and built fabric.
Urban design is derived from but transcends planning and transportation policy, architectural
design, development economics, engineering, and landscape. it draws these and other strands
together creating a vision for an area then deploying the resources and skills needed to bring the
vision to life.
Urban design operates at many scales, from the macro scale of the urban structure (planning,
zoning, and transport and infrastructure networks) to the micro scale of street furniture and
lighting. When fully integrated into policy and planning systems, urban design can be used to
inform land use planning, infrastructure, built form and even the socio-demographic mix of a
place.
Influences of urban design
Urban design can significantly influence the economic, environmental, social and cultural
outcomes of a place:
Urban design can influence the economic success and socio-economic composition of a locality—
whether it encourages local businesses and entrepreneurship; whether it attracts people to live
there; whether the costs of housing and travel are affordable; and whether access to job
opportunities, facilities and services are equitable.
• Urban design determines the physical scale, space, and ambiance of a place and establishes the
built and natural forms within which individual buildings and infrastructure are sited. As such, it
affects the balance between natural ecosystems and built environments, and their sustainability
outcomes.
• Urban design can influence health and the social and cultural impacts of a locality: how people
interact with each other, how they move around, and how they use a place.
Elements of urban design
• This diagram shows the approximate hierarchical relationship between the elements of urban
design, followed by a brief definition of each of the elements. The section below provides basic
explanations for terms that are commonly used for urban design in the Australian context.
• Elements of urban form macro to micro.

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 Urban structure
The overall framework of a region, town or precinct, showing relationships between zones of built
forms, land forms, natural environments, activities and open spaces. It encompasses broader
systems including transport and infrastructure networks.
 Urban grain
The balance of open space to built form, and the nature and extent of subdividing an area into
smaller parcels or blocks. For example a ‘fine urban grain’ might constitute a network of small or
detailed streetscapes. It takes into consideration the hierarchy of street types, the physical
linkages and movement between locations, and modes of transport.
 Density + mix
The intensity of development and the range of different uses (such as residential, commercial,
institutional or recreational uses).
• Height + massing
The scale of buildings in relation to height and floor area, and how they relate to surrounding land
forms, buildings and streets. It also incorporates building envelope, site coverage and solar
orientation. Height and massing create the sense of openness or enclosure, and affect the amenity
of streets, spaces and other buildings.
 Streetscape + Landscape
The design of public spaces such as streets, open spaces and pathways, and includes landscaping,
microclimate, shading and planting.
• Facade + Interface
The relationship of buildings to the site, street and neighboring buildings (alignment, setbacks,
boundary treatment) and the architectural expression of their facades (projections, openings,
patterns and materials).
• Details + Materials
The close-up appearance of objects and surfaces and the selection of materials in terms of detail,
craftsmanship, texture, color, durability, sustainability and treatment. It includes street furniture,
paving, lighting, and signage. It contributes to human comfort, safety, and enjoyment of the public
domain.
•, Public Realm
o Much of urban design is concerned with the design and management of publicly used space
(also referred to as the public realm or public domain) and the way this is experienced and
used.
o The public realm includes the natural and built environment used by the general public on a
day-to-day basis such as streets, plazas, parks, and public infrastructure. Some aspects of
privately owned space such as the bulk and scale of buildings, or gardens that are visible from
the public realm, can also contribute to the overall result.

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o
o At times, there is a blurring of public and private realms, particularly where privately owned
space is publicly used.
• Topography, Landscape and Environment
The natural environment includes the topography of landforms, water courses, flora and fauna—
whether natural or introduced. It may be in the form of rivers and creeks, lakes, bushland, parks
and recreational facilities, streetscapes or private gardens, and is often referred to as ‘green
infrastructure’.
• Social + Economic Fabric
The non-physical aspects of the urban form which include social factors (culture, participation,
health and well-being) as well as the productive capacity and economic prosperity of a community.
It incorporates aspects such as demographics and life stages, social interaction and support
networks.
• Scale
The size, bulk and perception of a buildings and spaces. Bulk refers to the height, width and depth
of a building in relation to other surrounding buildings, the street, setbacks and surrounding open
space. For example, a large building set amongst other smaller buildings may seem ‘out of scale’.
• Urban Form
The arrangement of a built up area. This arrangement is made up of many components including
how close buildings and uses are together; what uses are located where; and how much of the
natural environment is a part of the built up area.

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URBAN PLANNING
 Urban planning is a technical and political process concerned with the development and use of
land, planning permission, protection and use of the environment, public welfare, and
the design of the urban environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and
out of urban areas, such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks.
 Urban planning is also referred to as urban and regional planning, regional planning, town
planning, city planning, rural planning or some combination in various areas worldwide.
 Urban planning guides orderly development in urban, suburban and rural areas.
 Urban planning is also responsible for the planning and development of water use and
resources, rural and agricultural land, parks and conserving areas of natural environmental
significance.
 Urban planners work with the cognate fields of architecture, landscape architecture, civil
engineering, and public administration to achieve strategic, policy and sustainability goals.
TOWN PLANNING
A city should be built to give its inhabitants security and “A place where men had happiness” –
Aristotle a common life for a people have the right to the city noble end” – Plato Town planning a
mediation of space; making of a place.
What is town planning ?
The art and science of ordering the use of land and siting of buildings and communication routes
so as to secure the maximum practicable degree of economy, convenience,and beauty.An attempt

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to formulate the principles that should guide us in creating a civilized physical background for
human life whose main impetusis thus … foreseeing and guiding change.
IN other words we can say that ,An art of shaping and guiding the physical growth of the town
creating buildings and environments to meet the various needs such as social, cultural, economic
and recreational etc. and to provide healthy conditions for both rich and poor to live, to work, and
to play or relax, thus bringing about the social and economic well-being for the majority of
mankind.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF TOWN PLANNING
• to create and
• social, economic, promote healthy cultural and
• To preserve the conditions and recreational individuality of the environments for amenities etc.
town all the people –
• Recreational • To preserve the• to make right use amenities - open aesthetics in the of the land for
the spaces, parks, design of all elements right purpose by gardens & of town or city plan, zoning
playgrounds, town
• to ensure orderly halls stadiums, development community centers,
• to avoid cinema houses, and encroachment of theatres one zone over the other .
ARCHITECTURE
Architecture is the practice of designing and creating buildings and other structures. One of
architecture's key characteristics is that it involves both form and function, which means that an
architect must design a structure that is both useful and aesthetically pleasing. This requirement
separates architecture from construction, which only involves putting up a structure that is
functional

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Different cultures have different architectural styles. The buildings of Asia and Africa are often
quite different than those of Europe, for instance. The architecture of a culture is a guide to that
society's history and aesthetic values.
Styles of architecture evolve and change over time. The architecture of a particular period in
history often provides great insight into what was happening at that time. For example, the
massive cathedrals of the Middle Ages are an indicator of the primary role of religion in the daily
life of that era.
Difference between urban design , urban planning , architecture and town planning
ARCHITECTURE
The art or practice of designing and constructing buildings. The 3 f ‘ s of architecture are
 Fuctionality
Fundamentally to provide shelter
 Form
an art that is appreciated by many for its beauty
 Firmness
Stability of structure
URBAN DESIGN
 The design of functionality and spaces between building and structures .
 Art of making places for people
 Human interaction with the environment .
 Involves places such as piazza, squares , streets , pedestrian precincts .
URBAN PLANNING
 The design and organization of urban spaces and infrastructure
 Layout of neighborhoods, cities and regions
 Fulfilling needs of community and economy .
 Balancing the built and natural environment .

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SUBURBANIZATION
• The increased movement of people / services and industries from the centres of inner urban areas
outwards, towards and onto the edges of the built-up area.
• The period 1800-1900 saw very rapid urban industrialisation
• Industry could pay the most for city centre sites
• Unplanned housing developed around factories –
with few amenities
• Middle classes began to move into suburbs
• The suburbs continued to grow rapidly in all
British cities in the inter-war and post-war periods.
• During this period there were fewer planning
regulations and urban growth took the form of
ribbon development along main routes
Suburbanisation is continuing:
• Construction / development of flats
• Infilling of vacant land
• Continuing outward expansion at the suburban fringe
Causes of suburbanisation
De-centralisation
• Shift of jobs into service sector
• Often tend to be in non-centralised locations to make use of cheaper land prices
De-industrialisation
• Loss of manufacturing jobs in inner cities
• Workers often lacked skills for jobs in service sectors
• Inner cities experienced spiral of problems
Consequences of suburbanisation
• These can relate to periphery and inner city/CBD
• Consequences can be economic, environmental or social
• Positive or negative

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URBANIZATION
Urbanization refers to a process in which an increasing proportion of a society live in cities and the
suburbs of cities. Historically, it has been closely connected with industrialization.
Industrialization is a process that extensively uses inanimate sources of energy to enhance human
productivity.
Following industrialization, surpluses increased in both agriculture and industry. Larger and larger
proportions of a population could live in cities. Economic forces were such that cities became the
ideal places to locate factories and their workers.
Causes of Urbanization
 Industrial Revolution
 Industrialization following the Industrial Revolution
 Emergence of large manufacturing centers
 Job Opportunities
 Availability of easy transportation
 Migration
CHICAGO IN 1820
POPULATION 15
CHICAGO IN 1898
POPULATION 16, 98,575

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Effects of Urbanization
• Positive
• Negative
MERITS
 Benefits include reduced transport costs, exchange of ideas, and sharing of natural
resources.
 Cities act as beacons for the rural population because they represent a higher standard of
living
 Cities offer opportunities to people not available in the countryside
 Social & Religious taboos/ sanctions disappearing
 Education is a tool to eradicate social evils
 Industrialization, Urbanization, Education, Legislation, Secularization-sequence of
development
 Diffusion of urban culture to rural areas
DEMERITS
 Industrial cities were difficult places to live in due to:
 Public health issues resulting from contaminated water and air and the spread
communicable diseases due to overcrowding.
 Unemployment and under employment
 Severe shortage of housing
 Transportation-commuting issues, lack of public transport, no adequate investment
 Social effects - poverty, lack of opportunities, psychological problems, alcoholism, drugs,
crime, violence and other deviant behaviors

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II. Urban design elements of Medieval Period
Medieval town foundations
It was the greatest town founding period in history. It was also a period in history when ordinary
people began to take acknowledged place in society. Birth, wealth and power began to give way to
personal merit. This new attitude was reflected in the form that towns took. They evolved to meet
human needs and their pattern changed to match increased social responsibility.
The time span between fall of the Roman Empire till the start of renaissance is termed as DARK
AGES as no great construction or development was carried out during this period.
Economy was rooted in agriculture and the feudal system was the new order.
Merchants & craftsmen formed guilds to strengthen their social & economic position.
Wars among the rival feudal lords were frequent.
Planning
1. Early medieval town was dominated by church or monastery & castle of lords.
2. For protective measures, towns were sited in irregular terrain, occupying hill tops or islands.
Towns assumed informal & irregular character.
3. Church plaza became a market place.
4. Roads generally radiated from church plaza& market plaza to gates with secondary lateral
roadways connecting them.
5. Castle was surrounded by wall & moat as protective elements.
Irregular pattern in planning was devised to confuse enemies; as enemies unfamiliar with town.
Open spaces, streets, plazas developed as an integral part of site.
Streets were used for pedestrian while wheels were restricted to main roads.
Types of Locations
Medieval cities did establish in many and varied locations -
In plains, on hillsides, on hilltops, on island, in valleys, on river crossings.
Site selection would depend on a combination of traditional needs such as protection, commercial
advantage, suitable communications or fertile hinterland. City layouts, therefore, follow different
planning styles depending on location and topography e.g. the hill towns of southern France,
southern Germany, and of central Italy.
Orientation Medieval Cities of Europe were orientated in relation to their topography.
Intentional orientation is not noticeable; layouts of towns and cities do not observe the four
cardinal points as in Antiquity.
Shape The shape or outline of town plans was delineated by the wall which would best protect the
city.
A wall had to have the shortest circumference possible and take advantage of topographical
features. Obviously, this often limited the use of geometric shapes; yet simple, geometric plans
were adopted whenever possible, especially in flat country.
However, the layout of medieval cities was not based on any symbolic geometric figure. The
choice of form or outline of a town was left to the engineer responsible for its fortifications.

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Form of growth
MEDIEVAL PERIOD IN EUROPE
The period of European history which we call “Medieval” is usually regarded as consisting of the
thousand years or so between the fall of the Roman empire in the west (around 400 AD), through
to the start of the Italian Renaissance (in c. 1400).
 The Towns
Compared to today, there were few towns in medieval Europe, and those that did exist were tiny.
Medieval towns were usually smaller than those in classical antiquity.
As time went by, and the population of Europe increased, trade and industry expanded and new
towns appeared. These often grew up where a powerful lord gave a village permission to have a
market: the market attracted trade, trade attracted merchants, craftsmen and workers arrived,
and soon a small town was growing up. Alternatively, the presence of a castle, and the demands
its inhabitants had for food, cloth and many other goods, caused the nearby village to grow into a
town. As these villages were often granted permission by the lord to hold markets, so that the
goods he and his household required were more readily available, this would have boosted the
process of town growth further.
 Society
For most of the Middle Ages, European society was almost entirely rural, with a very simple social
structure: nobles at the top, peasants at the bottom, and very few people in between. In the later
Middle Ages, however, trade expanded and towns becoming larger; more people joined the
"middle classes" between peasants and lords, such as merchants, craftsmen, shopkeepers and so
on.

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 Church
The Church exerted a powerful influence on all aspects of life in medieval Europe. All the key
moments of life - birth, marriage, death - were under the Church’s control. Education was
dominated by churchmen, and most medieval scholars in Europe were members of the clergy. The
vast majority of art and architecture was religious in nature, either commissioned by churches or
abbeys themselves or by wealthy lords and merchants to beautify churches. The largest and most
beautiful structures in any medieval town or city were religious buildings, and their towers.
 Trade
Most long-distance trade such as in amber, high quality ceramics, textiles, wines, furs, honey and
walrus ivory, or with regions beyond Europe, in such products as spices, gold, slaves and elephant
ivory, was carried in the small sailing ships of the day. Trade by sea was much cheaper than by
land (and would be until the coming of railways in the 19th century). The coasts and rivers of
Europe were the main thoroughfares of the time, and the North Sea, and even more, the
Mediterranean Sea, were the main arena for international commerce.
Urban Elements Of Medieval Period
 GREEK
The Greek philosopher Hippodamus (5th century BC) is regarded as the first town planner and
‘inventor’ of the orthogonal urban layout. Aristotle called him "the father of city planning", and
until well into the 20th century, he was indeed regarded as such. The Hippodamian plan that was
called after him, is an orthogonal urban layout with more or less square street blocks.
(Hippodamus arranged the buildings and the streets of Miletus around 450 BC such that the winds
from the mountains and the sea close to Miletus could flow optimal through the city and provide a
cooling during the hot summer. Hippodamus first applied to his home city the grid plan which he
had developed on inspiration from geometrically designed settlements, and that later many cities
were laid out according to this plan. Miletus, which is a fine example of the grid plan, comprises
houses on blocks created by streets and side streets crossing at right angles, with public buildings
in the city centre, This plan retained in the Hellenistic period, however in the Roman period it
began to deteriorate gradually and inevitably.)
 From about the late 8th century on, Greek city-states started to found colonies along the coasts
of the Mediterranean, which were centred on newly created towns and cities with more or less
regular orthogonal plans. Gradually, the new layouts became more regular. After the city
of Miletus was destroyed by the Persians in 494 BC, it was rebuilt in a regular form that, according
to tradition, was determined by the ideas of Hippodamus of Miletus.
 Following in the tradition of Hippodamus about a century later, Alexander commissioned the
architect Dinocrates to lay out his new city of Alexandria, the grandest example of idealised urban
planning of the ancient Hellenistic world, where the city's regularity was facilitated by its level site
near a mouth of the Nile.
 The ancient Romans also employed regular orthogonal structures on which they molded their
colonies. They probably were inspired by Greek and Hellenic examples, as well as by regularly
planned cities that were built by the Etruscans in Italy.
Urban development in the early Middle Ages, characteristically focused on
1. fortress,
2. fortified abbey,

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3. A Roman nucleus, occurred "like the annular rings of a tree", whether in an extended village or
the centre of a larger city.
 Since the new centre was often on high, defensible ground, the city plan took on an organic
character, following the irregularities of elevation contours like the shapes that result
from agricultural terracing.
 From the evidence of the preserved towns, it appears that the formal structure of many of
these towns was willfully planned. The newly founded towns often show a marked regularity in
their plan form, in the sense that the streets are often straight and laid out at right angles to one
another, and that the house lots are rectangular, and originally largely of the same size.
 ROMAN
Roman city is basically composed by a number of identic components, disposed in a special way -
parallel and equal-distant- separated by streets. The whole forms a unit of rectangular design
surrounded by a perimetral wall with watchtowers. All the streets are equal except for two: the
North-South one -kardo maximus- and the East-West one -decumanus-. Both are wider and end
at the four doors of the exterior wall.
At the cross of both streets is the city's forum and the market.
These components were necessary for the design of public buildings: amphitheatre -two
components long and one-and-a-half wide-, theatre -one component-, market -one component-,
the whole forum -two components-, and so on.
These urban rules were developped during nearly 10 centuries in order to create the different
cities.
In these cities, kinds of housing could be divided into house, domus, insula and villa. There also
were casae or housings for slaves and low classes. Because of their weak systems of building they
have all dissapeared in our days.

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FOLLOWING ARE THE BASIC URBAN COMPONENTS
 The Walls
Defence of cities has been one of the capital problems that civilizations had to solve in order to
project the futur of their citizens, goods, culture and ways of life. Romans were the first in the
technique of improving different kinds of defence, using walls. We have many instances in
Hispania. Most of them belong to the first years of domination -1st and 2nd centuries b.C.- and
have been restored or rebuilt, showing the weight of these constructions in Roman world. After
the "Pax Augusta" the reduction of these kind of walls was clear, being reactivated from 3rd
century because of the presence of barbaric invasions.
Walls did usually consist of two parallel covers or paraments of masonry -opus quadratum- of a
different size. There was between them a stuffing of mortar, stones or even Roman concrete.
These exterior walls had often padded ashlars and were separated by 4 m. from each other. They
were up to 10 m. in rare cases.
 Houses
The house, or basic Roman nucleus for living, is the older, more usual and poor of constructions
for lodging people in Roman world. First ones got a circular plan with a vegetable cover. Later,
they got better in their factory, being made of stone, wooden structure and rectangular plan,
keeping their vegetable cover.
Insula is a good sample for a popular urban house. It can be said that it is the forerunner of our
modern buildings with apartments. In order to take advantage from the room in cities, buildings
up to four floors were constructed. The ground floor was for shops -tabernae- and the ohers for
apartments of different sizes. Every room was communicated through a central communitary
patio decorated with flowers or gardens. We can imagine a building with these features between
the ruins of Termantia.
 The Basilica
A social center for trading, was also for political meetings. Judgements could be celebrated there.
Its plan is rectangular and composed by three or five naves separated by columns being wider
the central one. Those composed by five naves had often two levels at the central one in order to
open doors for receiving sunlight. This nave
was headed by an exedra or apse, where
presidence was located. At the bottom there
was the fauces or entering.
The cover, with gabled roof, got a flat inner
ceiling though sometimes vault was used.
 Forums
Forums were cultural centres in cities. They
were often placed at the crossroads of
important urban ways: kardo maximus and decumanus. A great porticated square was the center
of a group of buildings around it. They were communicated through it. Temples for Imperial
worship, schools, basilicae, markets or even termae had a direct access through forum. In many
cases even buildings for spectacles -circus, theatres and amphitheatres- were communicated so.
Forums were a way in for important persons to tribunals

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 Domes
The Romans were the first builders in the history of architecture to realize the potential of domes
for the creation of large and well-defined interior spaces.
Domes were introduced in a number of
Roman building types such as temples, thermae, palaces, mausolea and later also churches. Half-
domes also became a favoured architectural element and were adopted as apses in Christian
sacred architecture.
Monumental domes began to appear in the 1st century BC in Rome and the provinces around the
Mediterranean Sea. Along with vaults, they gradually replaced the traditional post and lintel
construction which makes use of the column and architrave. The construction of domes was
greatly facilitated by the invention of concrete, a process which has been termed the Roman
Architectural Revolution.
CITY DESIGN
The Romans used a consolidated scheme for city planning, developed for military defense and civil
convenience. The basic plan consisted of a central forum with city services, surrounded by a
compact, rectilinear grid of streets, and wrapped in a wall for defense. To reduce travel times, two
diagonal streets crossed the square grid, passing through the central square. A river usually flowed
through the city, providing water, transport, and sewage disposal.Hundreds of towns and cities
were built by the Romans throughout their empire. Many European towns, such as Turin, preserve
the remains of these schemes, which show the very logical way the Romans designed their cities.
They would lay out the streets at right angles, in the form of a square grid. All roads were equal in
width and length, except for two, which were slightly wider than the others. One of these ran
east–west, the other, north–south, and they intersected in the middle to form the center of the
grid. All roads were made of carefully fitted flag stones and filled in with smaller, hard-packed
rocks and pebbles. Bridges were constructed where needed. Each square marked off by four roads
was called an insula, the Roman equivalent of a modern city block.
Each insula was 80 yards (73 m) square, with the land within it divided. As the city developed, each
insula would eventually be filled with buildings of various shapes and sizes and crisscrossed with
back roads and alleys. Most insulae were given to the first settlers of a Roman city, but each
person had to pay to construct his own house.
The city was surrounded by a wall to protect it from invaders and to mark the city limits. Areas
outside city limits were left open as farmland. At the end of each main road was a large gateway
with watchtowers. A portcullis covered the opening when the city was under siege, and additional
watchtowers were constructed along the city walls. An aqueduct was built outside the city walls.
IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDIEVAL INDIAN
TOWNS –
 Medieval period in India was a transitional time and it was not possible under the unstable
political conditions for the planned and systematic urban growth. Only fortress towns under the
patronage of chieftains and petty rulers couldgrow.

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 Towns along the main routes of travel, and by the river-side had trade in food grains, cloth,
swords, carpets, perfumes and several other handicraftarticles.
 Small urban centres was the ‘rule’, and only capitals were having busy life. Jaunpur was the
capital city under the rule of Firozshah.
 It was only under the rule of Akbar that the disturbed urban life was reconstituted and
redeveloped. All centres – ‘dasturs’ (districts) as well as ‘parganas’ (tehsils) beside capitals in
nature were also ‘garrison towns’ where armies were invariably stationed for protection.
 Medieval towns, whether in India or anywhere else, were walled, encircled by an outside moat.
The town resembled “an island when its gates were locked atsundown”.
 Medieval town site was usually governed by physically significant terrain; it was either on a hill
flanked on the other side by a water body, or it was guarded by a ring of mounds.
 Medieval town used to have its first nucleus often as a fortress of walled property of a landlord,
its internal roads being controlled to connect the market place lying directly before the gate of the
castle or place of worship. Nucleus of the town was “the stage on which were enacted the daily
drama of buying and selling, religious pageant, tournament and procession”.
 Urban centers of the medieval times were surrounded by agricultural land, and farmers and
labourers commonly were having their dwellings near or outside the town limit. The areas within
the walls of a town near its bound were occupied by artisan castes engaged in handicrafts.
Wealthy merchants were having their mansions around the market place in the central area, while
the administrative officials and high-ranked army personnel’s’ residences were around the palace
or castle, church, abbey and the place of worship. The entire structure of a town was divided into
socially hierarchical classes controlled by the chieftain or bishop.
IN SHAHJAHANABAD
By the time the emperor Shah Jahan (1928‐58) came to the throne, the Mughal empire had ruled
continuously over northern India for almost a century and the artistic tradition of Mughals had
reached a stage of maturity and refinement. During Shah Jahan’ rein the architectural
development was remarkable due to his interest and patronage of architecture. His buildings were
characterized by sensitivity and delicateness.
By Shah Jahan’s time, the Muslims in India had partially Indianized. Under the Mughals, they were
mainly an urban community, and they disliked village. Muslim life was closely linked to religious
event, as well as to ceremonies and festivals or ritualevents.
Shah Jahan was a religious person and was very particular about observing ceremonies.On the
morning of the most important Muslim festival Eid‐i‐Qurba (the fest of the sacrificed), Muslims go
to Id‐gah, or place of prayer, generally situated outside the city or village in an open space. The
Id‐gah of Shahjahanabad is located on the crest of the ridge, west of the city.

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Spatial Structure
 Urban spatial structure of Shahjahanabad was different from that of the other Mughal Capitals,
because it was planned and built by one concentrated planning effort.
 Creation of architectural expression of what has often been called the patrimonial system in its
climax.
 The shurafaur ignited from the qasbah garrison posts & admn. settlements in which Islamic
scholars also met their clients & where an integrative or even syncretists cultured prevailed –
usually established around a tomb or a waqf.
 The shurafa usually were situated to the west of the place, along one of the two boulevards at
Chandni Chowk, & originated from the employer’s palace, thus furnishing the city with an
unequivocal structure.
 Those professional groups delivering fresh agrarian products to the city must have settled along
the southern and south‐south‐western rim of the city walls (Delhi gate & Turkman gate): this is
where institutions , such as Masjid gadarion (shephered’s mosque), Masjid kasai (butcher’s
mosque) were located. They all represent “low ranking traders”.
 The closer to the core of the city the more socially recognized are the professional settled
there: weavers, producers of wool, traders of saddle‐ horses, oil‐ extractors & manufacturers of
straw goods, each of them represented by their respectivemosques.
 Further, in the direction of Chandni Chowk, mostly representative of the trading professions,
e.g. traders of fabrics, fish, meats and luxury goods, but also some of the professional groups
processing goods, e.g. producers of water pipes can be found, all of them are characterized by the
spatial proximity to the imperialhouse.

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Planning Of Sahajahanabad
 The city was planned according to hindu planning principles of shilpashastra from vastushastra.
 The site was placed on a high land as in the shastra and was karmukha or bow shaped, for this
ensured its prosperity.
 The arm of the archer was Chandni Chowk.
 The string was Yamuna river.
 The junction of the two main axes is the most auspicious point in the whole region and was
therefore the red fort.
THE CITY FORM‐ MORPHOLOGY ELEMENTS
 The urban infrastructure was laid out in a geometric pattern.
 Shows traces of both Persian and Hindu traditions of town planning and architecture with the
Persian influence largely accounting for the formalism and symmetry of the palaces gardens and
boulevards.The designed infrastructure of Shahjahanabad comprised‐
 The fort
 The Friday mosque.
 The other major mosques, including the corresponding waqfproperties.
 The two main boulevards.
 The bazaars around the Friday mosque.
 The elaborate system of waterchannels.
 The major gardens and the city wall.
 The arrangement of these planned elements was influenced by certain site features, which
precluded absolute geometry.
 Streets
The streets in Mughal capital were usually narrow and crooked. However, the major streets in the
new capital were designed as wide and straight. The east‐west street called Chandni Chowk
connected the Lahori Darwaza of the fort to the Lahori Darwaza of the city wall. It ran in a straight
line forming a wide boulevard with broad vista. The Fort was visible from any place on the street.
This perspective view marked a new concept of town planning for the Mughal capital.
Chandni Chowk is 1.4km in length and jogged right at the Fatehpuri Begum Mosque. It was built as
the central axis of the city. Karawan Sarai and begum ki Sarai were also located in this area.
Another main street the Faiz Bazaar or Akkarabadi Bazaar, was also wide and straight. It had a
north‐south axis and connected Delhi gate of the fort with the city walls Delhi gate and is about

24
1km in length. These major two streets developed as processional routes, as well as commercial
arteries. The streets also assumed importance for ritual events.
Streetscapes of Sahajahanabad
 City Walls
The layout of the city walls was based on a geometrical planning; i.e. to say, a polygonal plan with
gateways. The four main gates were Delhi Darwaza on south, the Ajmeri Darwaza on the south-
west, the Lahori Darwaza on the west and the Kashmiri Darwaza on the north. These important
gates were positioned according to the basic network of the city, being laced on the cardinal
points. The graphic representation of the city was indicated geometric planning and the geometric
placement of the main gates.
(Towns had trade in food grains, cloth, swords, carpets, perfumes and several other handicrafts.
Small urban centres was the ‘rule’ and only capitals were having busy life.
It was only under the rule of Akbar that the disturbed urban life was reconstituted and
redeveloped.
Medieval towns, were walled, encircled by an outside moat. The town resembled “an island when
its gates were locked at sundown”.
Medieval town site was either on hill flanked on the other side by a water body, or it was guarded
by a ring of mounds.
Medieval town – Internal roads were connected to market place lying directly before the gate of
the castle or place of workship.
Urban centresof the medieval times were surrounded by agricultural land, and farmers.

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III. Visual Surveys for Development
SURVEY: - Surveys are conducted to collect data and information based on spot observations. The
surveys establish ultimately the present state of the town and indicate the measures for its
improvements.
TYPES OF SURVEY: -
Following four surveys are carried out to collect data and other relevant information, required
in the process of town planning:
1. Functional survey: The functional aspects of a town life are studied under this survey. The
type of information collected in the functional survey can be enlisted as follows:
· Roads including history of roads, traffic survey, details of width of roads and tree planting,
· Railways with positions of level-crossings, passenger stations and goods sheds,
· Airports and seaports,
· Waterways and canals,
· Routes of bus, tram, ferry, suburban railways,
· Local industries, their classification and location,
· Availability of raw materials and type of labour employed
· Mines and their location,
· Conditions of commercial activity,
· Probable cost of planning scheme and sources of raising funds.
2. Social survey: The social aspects of a town life are studied under this survey. This type of
information collected in the social survey can be enlisted as given below:
· Ancient ruins,
· Architectural character of the locality,
· History of growth from the study of old maps,

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· Conditions favourable for preservation of wild life,
· Preservation of natural beauty,
· Birth rates, death rates and charts of diseases,
· Residential areas, types of buildings, slums and suburban development,
· Historical buildings and public buildings, their location and classification,
· Parks and playgrounds, their size,
· Public services comprising of water supply, sewerage, drainage, electricity, telephone, street
lighting, cemeteries and fire protection.
3. Territorial survey: The physical aspects of territory are studied under this survey. The type of
information collected in the territorial survey can be enlisted as follows:
· Geological features showing rocks and method responsible for formation of topography,
· Contours of the land surface showing actual heights and variations of surface,
· Rivers, oceans, streams and lakes,
· Climatic conditions including temperature range, rainfall and direction and intensity of winds,
· Types of soil including areas of first class agricultural soil,
· Forests and other natural vegetation.
1. Vital survey: The population aspects of the town under consideration are studied under this
survey. This type of information collected in the vital survey can be enlisted as follows:
History of past growth of population,
· Characteristics of present population,
· Density of population, Factors which may influence the future rate of growth of the town such
as migration, development of local industries, etc.
METHODS ADOPTED TO COLLECT DATA:
The methods adopted to collect data for the surveys can be summarized as follows:
1. A questionnaire form may be prepared and information may be collected by house to house
investigation.
2. The interview may be arranged with individuals or organizations having special knowledge in
specific fields.
3. The specialist maybe employed in some cases to supply the information on topics related to
their work.

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4. The records and reports maintained by the government offices, police department, municipal
offices, revenue department, etc. can be studied and analyzed.
5. The town planner himself carries out the surveys and collect the necessary information on spot
examination with the help of the staff.
The data collected in surveys are properly analyzed in relation to the area under consideration and
they are recorded on maps, charts, schedules and models.

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IV. Urban Spaces : Correlation between built and un-built spaces
The urban space refers to several urban areas and their related multi-centric municipalities
forming a whole in a single stretch. The space forms a connected whole. An urban space
comprising just a single urban area is said to be mono-centric.
URBAN BUILT SPACES:
A urban built area is area with human settlement having high population density and
infrastructure. Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization.
Urban built spaces includes the city itself and also surrounding area.
Importance of Urban Built Spaces:
 People get the opportunities to interact with other people.
 All kind of physical comforts are within easy reach.
 There are hospitals and clinics for proper medical treatment.
 There are well developed recreational centers like clubs, cinema halls,etc.
 In large towns, there are good chances of getting suitable and better occupations.
URBAN UN-BUILT SPACES:
Urban built up spaces are the spaces between buildings in the town which includes paths, squares,
gardens, parks, etc means planning an open spaces.
Importance of Urban Un-Built Spaces:
 They give shape and form to the city.
 They provide space needed for recreation.
 They create chances for interacting between people.
 They preserve natural beauty.
 They provide places for economic activities.
Types of Urban Un-Built Spaces:
 Waterways
 Playground
 Green areas
 Parks
 Open air theater.
Co-Relation between Built Spaces And Un-Built Spaces:
Built spaces and un-built spaces are co-related with each other such as:
 The character of built spaces is greatly influenced by un-built spaces.
 People live outdoors as well as inside the building; therefore the outdoor environment should
be as pleasant and comfortable as possible.
 The built space and the un-built spaces can be related to one another and organized into
coherent patterns of form and space.
 The spaces between buildings should stimulate the human senses.

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 The quality of each space, whether large, small, high, low, wide or narrow, has observable
characteristics which can be related to human reactions and feelings.
BUILT SPACE
OPEN SPACE

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V. Grain and Texture in Urban Design
GRAIN IN URBAN DESIGN
Urban grain is the combined pattern of blocks and streets, taking into account the character of
street blocks and building height and size, and how they will work together in an interrelated
manner to create and enable movement and access.
The urban grain of the city generally determines how people use the space and what kind of
beneficial implications it would have on different user groups, it is also an indication of how
people used the space in the past and how it operates in the present is an indication of its
resilience.
One cannot say that one kind of grain has superiority over another, because both coarse and fine
grain come with their own set of pros and cons. Also, one cannot say that one kind of urban grain
will work universally in any kind of city context because every street pattern and street-to-building
relationship was established within its own unique historical context which worked in conjunction
with whatever urban planning ideology of thought was in operation at the time.
It is the degree of fines and coarseness in an urban area
Coarse grain- larger building and larger plots.
Fine grain- small building and small projects.
COARSE GRAIN :
A Coarse urban grain is characteristic of larger blocks which isolates users of the space from
others around them. This gives the city dweller very little opportunity to interact with the space
through access linkage. Larger city blocks often act as fortresses, blocking themselves off from the
public realm, isolating themselves inwards. These who move through such as an urban form
without any purpose of function will ultimately feel out of the place.
FINE GRAIN
A fine urban grain typically features small or city blocks, usually more organic than its coarse
counterpart because it grows according to dynamic and changing needs of the city and is easier to
navigate and contains fewer intersections, creating the higher level of safety for all users of the
space (pedestrians and vehicles); Although this form ultimately discourages vehicular movement.
Fine urban grain is also more likely to be more resilient because the nature of its growth allows for
more change of land use according to user needs without actually having to effect any changes on
the physical form of the city.
In addition, finer urban grain gives the user of the space the opportunities to explore their choices
in activities and experiences within the space, which in turn makes the space attractive as well as a
safer place to be in.

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URBAN TEXTURE
Texture is the degree of mixture of fine and coarse elements of urban form.
Urban texture is harmonised with conditions of life and natural factors and uses these factors in
the very unsuitable climate of this city. The important aspects of in urban texture are as follows:
A. Very dense texture.
B. Urban spaces are completely surrounded.
All the public and private spaces are surrounded with tall walls and they have internal courtyards
to decrease the effect of hot and sandy winds.

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C. Narrow, irregular and sometimes covered Alleys.
To provide shade and protect from hot sun and dusty winds, the alleys are not straight with tall
walls and roofs in some parts.
D. Buildings are connected together.
To achieve minimum absorption of solar energy by outdoor walls. All the buildings about each
other.
E. Buildings shaped by sun and wind direction.
The main axis of all court yards is toward south-west. With this order they use the winter sun fully
on two sides of the courtyard and they use the wind.

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VI. LeCORBUSIER’S PHILOSOPHY
Le Corbusier was a Swiss architect , designer, urbanist, writer, and painter , famous for being one of
the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture or the international style. He was born in
Switzerland and became a French citizen in his thirties. His career spanned five decades, with his
buildings constructed throughout central Europe , India, Russia and one each in north and south
America and one each in north and south America. He was a pioneer in studies of modern high design
and was dedicated to providing better living conditions for the residents of crowded cities
Le corbuiser’s theory of urban planning, as it developed over the following decades in search for
these basic principles
CONTEMPORARY CITY
Le corbusier ‘s “contemporary city” has three basic componanets a central buisness district
surrounded by residential district, a large open belt for future expansion , and farther off , suburbs
with residential and industrial areas. The buisness district can accommodate from 400000 to 600000
people with a density of 1200 person per acre. The surrounding residential districts have 600000
residents with 120 person per acres. There are two kinds of appartment buildings some built around
parks from large closed city blocks others, consisting of long slabs, set in large planted areas, straddle
the streets. The two million people live in gardens cities located in the suburbs. The city itself is
densely populated, since
“the higher the density of a city’s population, the shorter the distances to be covered … however,
though we must increases the density of the population, we must also greatly increased planted
areas ….we must there fore build the city the vertically
Le corbusier developed four basic principles
1. Relieve the congestion of central district to
satisfy the traffic requirements
2. Increase the population density of central
districts to facilitate business contacts.
3. Improve traffic flow. This mean that we
shall have to change totally he existing
concept of a street, which is outdated by
contemporary means of transportation:
subways, cars, streetcars, airplanes.
4. Increase planted areas. This is the
only way to promote healthy conditions
and create a tranquil atmosphere that will
offset the strain produced by the
accelerated tempo of modern business.

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THE RADIANT CITY 1935
The main difference between Le corbusier’s “radiant” and “contemp orary” cities stems from his
growing determination to give city dwellers a more pleasant as well as more efficient environment.
Le corbusier defines the goal of the “Radiant city” as follows
“ the radiant city, inspired by physical and human laws, propose to bring machine age man essential
pleasures
Sun in house,
A view of the sky through large windows,
Trees he can see from his house.
According to him material of urban design are
 Sun
 Sky
 Trees
 Steel
 Cement
In this order of importance
Thinking of his “sports grounds right outside the houses;”
The “Radiant city” despite its higher density, frees considerably more ground space for pedestrian by
raising all the buildings on stilts. By eliminating all closed city blocks and using only open building
patterns, which straddal streets, it does away with convential corridor streets and also produces
more attractive and varied open spaces
The different means of transportation will be organized as follows: cars will use elevated drives, trucks

35
and streetcar routes will be located side by side under these drives, with underpasses for
pedestrians.
The concentration of large numbers of people in tall apartment buildings will simplify their access to
these buildings.
Le Corbusier concludes
“Here, then the artificial garden city is an effective concept: because the city is vertical, not horizontal.
Height resolves every difficulty.
“And the city immediately becomes an organized entity: transportation problems are solved,
common services, which eliminate waste, bring urgently needed time saving benefits to each
household”
Le Corbusier later used the ideas expressed in his Radiant city for a number of specific urban planning
projects.

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VII. JANE JACOB’S PHILOSOPHY
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they
are created by everybody.”
— Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh,
community-based approach to city building. She had no formal training as a planner, and yet her
1961 treatise, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, introduced ground-breaking ideas about
how cities function, evolve and fail, that now seem like common sense to generations of architects,
planners, politicians and activists.
Jacobs saw cities as integrated systems that had their own logic and dynamism which would change
over time according to how they were used. With an eye for detail, she wrote eloquently about
sidewalks, parks, retail design and self-organization. She promoted higher density in cities, short
blocks, local economies and mixed uses. Jacobs helped derail the car-centered approach to urban
planning in both New York and Toronto, invigorating neighborhood activism by helping stop the
expansion of expressways and roads. She lived in Greenwich Village for decades, then moved to
Toronto in 1968 where she continued her work and writing on urbanism, economies and social issues
until her death in April 2006.
A firm believer in the importance of local residents having input on how their neighborhoods
develop, Jacobs encouraged people to familiarize themselves with the places where they live, work,
and play.
While working for the Office of War Information she met her husband, architect Robert Jacobs. In
1952 Jacobs became associate editor of Architectural Forum, allowing her to more closely observe
the mechanisms of city planning and urban renewal. In the process, she became increasingly critical
of conventional planning theory and practice, observing that many of the city rebuilding projects she
wrote about were not safe, interesting, alive, or economically sound. She gave a speech on this issue
at Harvard in 1956, and William H. Whyte invited her to write a corresponding article
in Fortune magazine, titled “Downtown is for People.” In 1961 she presented these observations and
her own prescriptions in the landmark book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, challenging
the dominant establishment of modernist professional planning and asserting the wisdom of
empirical observation and community intuition.

37
During the 1960s Jacobs also became involved in urban activism, spearheading local efforts to oppose
the top-down neighborhood clearing and highway building championed by New York City Parks
Commissioner Robert Moses. In 1962 she became the chairman of the Joint Committee to Stop the
Lower Manhattan Expressway, in reaction to Moses’ plans to build a highway through Manhattan’s
Washington Square Park and West Village. Her efforts to stop the expressway led to her arrest during
a demonstration in 1968, and the campaign is often considered to be one of the turning points in the
development of New York City. Moses had previously pushed through the Cross-Bronx Expressway
and other motorways despite neighborhood opposition, and the defeat of the Lower Manhattan
Expressway was an important victory for local community interests and an instigator of Moses’s fall
from power. Jacobs’ harsh criticism of “slum-clearing” and high-rise housing projects was also
instrumental in discrediting these once universally supported planning practices.
In 1968 Jacobs moved with her family to Toronto, in opposition to the Vietnam War. In Toronto, she
remained an outspoken critic of top-down city planning. In the early 1970s she helped lead the Stop
Spadina Campaign, to prevent the construction of a major highway through some of Toronto’s
liveliest neighborhoods. She also advocated for greater autonomy of the City of Toronto, criticized
the bloated electric company Ontario Hydro, supported broad revisions in Toronto’s Official Plan and
other planning policies, and opposed expansion of the Toronto Island Airport. After publishing The
Death and Life of Great American Cities, her interests and writings broadened, encompassing more
discussion of economics, morals, and social relations. Her subsequent books include The Economy of
Cities (1969); The Question of Separatism (1980); Cities and the Wealth of Nations (1984); Systems of
Survival (1993); and most recently The Nature of Economies (2000). She became a Canadian citizen in
1974 and lived in Toronto until her death on April 25th, 2006.
 PERSPECTIVES:
Cities as Ecosystems- Jacobs approached cities as living beings and ecosystems. She suggested that
over time, buildings, streets and neighborhoods function as dynamic organisms, changing in response
to how people interact with them. She explained how each element of a city – sidewalks, parks,
neighborhoods, government, economy – functions together synergistically, in the same manner as
the natural ecosystem. This understanding helps us discern how cities work, how they break down,
and how they could be better structured.
Mixed-Use Development- Jacobs advocated for “mixed-use” urban development – the integration of
different building types and uses, whether residential or commercial, old or new. According to this

38
idea, cities depend on a diversity of buildings, residences, businesses and other non-residential uses,
as well as people of different ages using areas at different times of day, to create community vitality.
She saw cities as being “organic, spontaneous, and untidy,” and views the intermingling of city uses
and users as crucial to economic and urban development.
Bottom-Up Community Planning- Jacobs contested the traditional planning approach that relies on
the judgment of outside experts, proposing that local expertise is better suited to guiding community
development. She based her writing on empirical experience and observation, noting how the
prescribed government policies for planning and development are usually inconsistent with the real-
life functioning of city neighborhoods.
The Case for Higher Density- Although orthodox planning theory had blamed high density for crime,
filth, and a host of other problems, Jacobs disproved these assumptions and demonstrated how a
high concentration of people is vital for city life, economic growth, and prosperity. While
acknowledging that density alone does not produce healthy communities, she illustrated through
concrete examples how higher densities yield a critical mass of people that is capable of supporting
more vibrant communities. In exposing the difference between high density and overcrowding,
Jacobs dispelled many myths about high concentrations of people.
Local Economies- By dissecting how cities and their economies emerge and grow, Jacobs cast new
light on the nature of local economies. She contested the assumptions that cities are a product of
agricultural advancement; that specialized, highly efficient economies fuel long-term growth; and
that large, stable businesses are the best sources of innovation. Instead, she developed a model of
local economic development based on adding new types of work to old, promoting small businesses,
and supporting the creative impulses of urban entrepreneurs.
 Jane Jacobs Guide to City Planning:
Jane Jacobs’ main ideas for city planning are generating diversity through the use of small,
incremental plans, and learning from experience. The basic principle is the need for what she refers
to as, “The four generators of diversity.” These generators of diversity are a necessity in order to
develop successful opportunities for culture, commerce, and daily life. The four generators of
diversity are primary mixed use, small blocks, aged buildings, and dense concentration of
people. Streets must be filled with differing residents, businesses, and public amenities, in order to
generate “a continuous come and go on city streets and sidewalks.

39
.” Short blocks are needed to create more variety. And differing ages of buildings add character, offer
differing rent prices, and ensure that neighborhood buildings necessitate renovations at varying
times. Additionally, dense concentration of people creates “safety of the streets and assimilation of
restless youngsters into the constructive life of the city
.”Fostering the four generators of diversity can create lively city neighborhoods that attract and
retain residents and visitors, provide safety, and stimulate economic growth. A variety of uses and
dense concentration within cities ensures security as there will always be “eyes on the street.” As
seen in every city, “a well used city street is apt to be a safe street,” and a “deserted city street is apt
to be unsafe.
” With ample diversity, people will be coming and going on city sidewalks at various times of the day
therefore allowing a continuous monitoring of street and sidewalk activity. The continual flow of
people within city neighborhoods, created from the four generators, also works to facilitate and
improve commerce and exchange. Diverse, lively cities provide places for people to interact, for
business meetings to take place, for new enterprises to be established, and for innovation to be
encouraged. Additionally, a dense and diverse concentration of people provides a “great and
exuberant richness of differences and possibilities,” that can only be seen as an asset to commercial,
social, and cultural life.
Shorter blocks promote the mixture of uses and people by creating “more variety to the streetscape,”
and adding “to the sense of liveliness.
” Longer blocks “automatically sort people into paths that meet too infrequently,” thereby
eliminating the beneficial effects created by mixed-use in the first place.
Lastly, a variety of building ages and constructions is necessary “to provide low rental bases for new
businesses and low income ventures that add character to the district.
” All of these generators are important in creating a dynamic and alluring city or district, however,
one of these generators alone will not do the trick. It is important to foster all four generators while
also allowing for incessant adaption and transformations. The use of small, incremental plans
in development allows for flexibility and change, as the city itself changes. Whereas big plans excite
planners, they are “the product of too few,” and they “stifle alternative possibilities and new
departures.
” Additionally, the process of observing others successes and failures, creates a level of observation
at the street level and the use of experimentation. It is through the use of diversity, small plans, and
street-level analysis that planners can begin to create cities for the people, successful cities that

40
“have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are
created by everybody.”

42
VIII. SIR PATRICK GEDDES’ PHILOSOPHY
Introduction
- Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a Scottish biologist, sociologist,
geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner.
- He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and sociology.
- Survey before plan I.e diagnosis before treatment.
- He introduced the concept of "region" to architecture and planning and coined the term
“conurbation”.
- Sir Patrick Geddes said “Rural development, Urban Planning and City Design are not the same
and adopting a common planning process is disastrous”
- Patrick Geddes also known as “Father of Modern Town Planning” First to link sociological
concepts into town planning.
- The Sequence should be:
- Regional Survey
- Rural Development
- Town Planning
- City Design. These are kept constantly up to-date
- He gave his expert advice for the improvement of about 18 major towns & cities in India.
- Concepts…….
- Patrick Geddes explained an organism’s relationship to its environment as follows-“The
environment acts, through function, upon the organism and conversely the organism acts, through
function, upon the environment.“ (Cities in Evolution, 1915)
- In human terms this can be understood as a place acting through climatic and geographic
processes upon people and thus shaping them. At the same time people act, through economic
processes such as farming and construction, on a place and
thus shape it. Thus both place and folk are linked and through
work are in constant transition.
Philosophy
- Think globally, act locally – patrick geddes the life and work
of patrick geddes prefigures the age in which we now live.
- He was a solitary thinker and planner which became a
collective task for our generation.
- He was far in advance of supporting army of
administration, technicians and architects which helped in faster development.
- Geddes was first to study sociological development of cities.

43
- Patrick geddes in india patrick geddes's thought had two sides :
- Patrick geddes – the planner
- As a planner geddes thought of -
- Reducing the number and width of paved streets in residential areas
- Turning the land saved into more usable forms of open space, were typical geddesian
innovations.
- Increase the number of gardens and playgrounds
- To plant fruit trees
- To retain, in an effectively sanitary state, the existing tanks.
- Respect for the land and for agricultural processes the old traditions in india included a number
of typical plans for the layout of towns.
- Idea for remodelling city
- Are two schools of thought, each containing town planners, architects, and gardeners.
- Firstly- many cities, imposing new streets have been laid out without survey the diagnostic
survey of their surrounding quarter and constructed without reference to local needs or
potentialities
- Secondly -happily there is another school of planning, of building and of gardening that
investigates and considers the whole set of existing conditions
- Environment and organism, place and people, are inseparable but, since the essential unit of a
city is the home, it patrick geddes in india will be as well to start by examining its especial
requirements.
- The transition in an indian city, from narrow lanes and earthen dwellings to small streets, great
streets and buildings of high importance and architectural beauty form an inseparably interwoven
structure.
- ASPECT TWO: TO BE EQUALLY
FUNDAMENTAL
- ARE OF A MORE PERSONAL ORDER AND
LESS CAPABLE OF GENERAL APPLICATION.
- BUT THIS SIDE REQUIRES SPECIAL STUDY
AND DISCRIMINATING USE MUCH OF IT
REPELS, AT FIRST GLANCE, THOSE WHO
ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE SCOPE AND
PURPOSE OF GEDDES'S THINKING, AND
WHO DO NOT APPRECIATE THE
SOUNDNESS OF HIS.
- ASPECT ONE : SYSTEMATIC AND RIGOROUS
TO AN EXTRAORDINARY DEGREE.
- IT WAS BASED UPON A CARTOGRAPHY OF
LIFE, MIND, AND SOCIETY CREATED TO
FACILITATE HIS OWN THINKING
- SO THAT HIS IDEAS WOULD BE RELATED, IN
SPACE, TIME, AND FUNCTION, TO THE
CONCRETE SITUATION FROM WHICH THEY
WERE MOMENTARILY ABSTRACTED
- UNLIKE THE THOUGHT OF THE SPECIALIST -
THE ABSTRACTION AS IF IT WERE SELF-
SUFFICIENT.

45
IX. PHIOSOPHY OF DOXIDIAS
EKISTICS
 Ekistics concerns the science of human settlements including regional, city, community
planning and dwelling design.
 The study involves every kind of human settlement, with particular attention
to geography, ecology, human psychology, anthropology, culture, politics, and
occasionally aesthetics.
 As a scientific mode of study, ekistics currently relies on statistics and description, organized in
five ekistic elements or principles: nature, anthropos, society, shells, and networks.
 The term 'ekistics' was coined by Constantinos Apostolos Doxiadis in 1942.
 Doxiadis believed that the conclusion from biological and social experience was clear: to avoid
chaos we must organize our system of life from Anthropos (individual) to Ecumenopolis (global
city) in hierarchical levels, represented by human settlements. So he articulated a general
hierarchical scale with fifteen levels of Ekistic Units.
Names of Units and Population Scale
 Anthropos – 1
 room – 2
 house – 5
 housegroup (hamlet) – 40
 small neighborhood (village) – 250
 neighborhood – 1,500
 small polis (town) – 10,000
 polis (city) – 75,000
 small metropolis – 500,000
 metropolis – 4 million
 small megalopolis – 25 million
 megalopolis – 150 million
 small eperopolis – 750 million
 eperopolis – 7,500 million
 Ecumenopolis – 50,000 million

46
X. KEVIN A. LYNCH
Kevin Andrew Lynch (January 7, 1918 – April 25, 1984) was an American urban planner and
author. He is known for his work on the perceptual form of urban environments and was an early
proponent of mental mapping. His most influential books include The Image of the City (1960), a
seminal work on the perceptual form of urban environments, and What Time is This Place? (1972),
which theorizes how the physical environment captures and refigures temporal processes.
A student of architect Frank Lloyd Wright before training in city planning, Lynch spent his
academic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, teaching there from 1948 to 1978.
He practiced site planning and urban design professionally with Carr/Lynch Associates, later
known as Carr, Lynch, and Sandell
IMAGE OF THE CITY
KEVIN LYNCH SAYS THAT:
 A city is constructed in space, but of a vast scale.
 A city is described with it's surrounding and elements.
 Explains that people's perception of the city is important.
 Going through a city from the viewers mind is " image of the city".
 Elements like nodes, paths, districts, edges, landmarks makes a city.
 To make a visual plan (map)
 Analyzing the forms and public areas.
 Understanding problems, opportunities and use them in designing of city.
CONCEPT OF LEGIBILITY
 It is said to be the ease with which people understand the layout of place.
 to understand the layout of the city , people make a mental map, which contains mental images
of the city constrains.
ELEMENTS OF THE CITY DEFINED BY LYNCH:
 PATHS:
channels by which people move along. eg: roads, sidewalks, rails etc.
 EDGES:
dividing lines between 2 phases. eg: seashores , railway lines etc.
 DISTRICTS:
are medium to large sections of the city , characterized by a wealthy neighborhood. eg: suburbs ,
college campuses etc.
 LANDMARKS:
point of reference , it makes one orient oneself . eg: signs , buildings, stores, etc.
 NODES:
area of strategic sports where extra focus is given . eg: busy intersection , popular city centre, etc.

47
CONCEPT OF IMAGEABILITY
 Another term introduced by lynch , is the qulity of physical objects, which gives a observer a
strong vivid image.
 high imageable city would be well formed, would contain district paths.
 they should be instantly recognizable.
 well formed city is highly dependent upon the elements because , that would make the viewers
their city imageable.
 remembering your city on images in meaningful.
 eg: well designed paths includes special lighting , clarity of direction, etc.
 similarly with nodes, landmarks , districts edges.
 these elements placed in good form, increases human ability to see and remember patterns
and it is these patterns which make easier to learn.

48
XI. Philosophy of Michael Angelo
Painter, sculptor, architect and poet Michelangelo, one of the most famous artists of the Italian
Renaissance, was born Michelangelo di Lodovico
~ Buonarroti Simoni on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, Italy.
~ the greatest of the Italian Renaissance artists
In his classic book The Italians, Luigi Barzini described the significance of the Battle of Fornovo for
the psyche of his defeated compatriots. It seemed to show:
“the world the impotence of a great nation, the immense booty which could be gathered with
little danger, the passive weakness of the over-civilised inhabitants, their incapacity to work in
cohesive and coherent bodies, their readiness to resign themselves pliantly to the ways of rough,
brutal and resolute invaders. The ruin and humiliation of great peoples, … proud of their
achievements, fanned nationalism, a hidden hatred of the foreigners, so obviously inferior to the
natives in culture, savoir faire and the arts, a xenophobia without which many succeeding events
could not be easily explained. It sporadically burst out in savage and bloody revolts, followed by
periods of supine and servile resignation.”
Donatello’s tiny, frail and girlish ‘David’ of less threatening times © Chris Haile

49
In the context of the incessant invasions of Italy, Florentines’ cultural unity over Michelangelo’s
giant David as a symbol of Florence’s independence and ability to defeat its enemies becomes
clearer, and more painful. It is difficult to see the statue and not be awed by its power; it is also
difficult to see this Goliath-sized representation of the Bible’s diminutive giant-killer and not think
‘if this is their David, how vast, how terrifying, how powerful must their Goliath have been?’
Establishing this sculpture as the symbol of Florentine independence was an act of defiance,
certainly; but surely also a despairing admission that their life as an independent state was nearing
its end. A common desire for Florence’s built environment to embody a shared culture had been
born, but only when that culture was seen as being under mortal threat; the republic of Florence’s
citizens only became conscious of what they shared when the republic was dying. ‘The owl of
Minerva’, in Hegel’s phrase, ‘spreads its wings only at the falling of the dusk’.
Few situations are as dramatic, few cultural conflicts so extreme, as that which preceded the
unveiling of the world’s greatest piece of public art. Are there, then, any urban planning lessons to
be drawn from this history? Naturally, all sites must be looked at on their own terms, but there
seem to be several implications worth drawing out.
Firstly, and perhaps rather uncontroversially, urban planning decisions are far easier when the
society is not highly stratified, as there is less opportunity for different cultures to develop in
isolation from, and in opposition to, each other. Whilst much of how to achieve this lies beyond
the ambit of urban planning, planners too have their contributions to avoiding such a situation, for
example in making provision for a wide mix of people to live in the same area, to plan so as to
avoid dependence on expensive modes of transportation to fully engage in public life, and to avoid
dividing neighbourhoods in two through the intrusion of impermeable barriers such as urban
motorways or train lines.

50
Secondly, a culture sufficiently conscious of itself to be capable of culturally representing itself in
defining works of art, literature etc. has already started to formalise the structure of that culture,
and fix its limits. Presuming that every culture is not wholly unified but possesses structural
tensions, then the formal recognition of the character of the culture consequently also formalises
these tensions. Such tensions thus clearly become a potential target for criticism, and those
deemed outside the culture’s limits become a potential pool of critics of that culture. A culture
sufficiently conscious of itself to want to codify itself in the design of the built environment may
then, already have peaked and be on the path to being replaced by a very contrary culture.
(Indeed, as in the case of Florence, it may be the very mortality of the culture that is driving the
desire for its immortalisation in the built environment.) Therefore, whilst it may be inspiring to
work on urban design projects on behalf of a community with a coherent vision of itself, also take
time to identify internal tensions in that vision, and talk to those who live lives beyond the limits of
that culture. Work on achieving the vision, but, in designing, also whilst designing also consider
that the dominance of cultures may be fleeting, and that generations often revolt against the
culture they grew up with. Our work should not only serve the culture of today, but should span
generations.
Thirdly, planning projects may take years from conception to completion and, like Michelangelo’s
cathedral roofline enhancement project, may be completed in social and economic circumstances
vastly different to those that accompanied their beginnings. In these days of recession, forlorn,
half-completed construction projects have become a feature of many landscapes, and projects
once seen as ‘aspirational’ may now be ‘symbols of excess’ under the influence of newly-powerful
opponents of that culture. Yet history shows many examples of the styles of one period having
been bitterly attacked by the succeeding generation yet now beloved by those remote in time,
context and place. There is no way to determine in advance which styles will one day be admired
and which will attract no interest, but I suggest that a helpful test is through seeking out not only
those who share the place’s vision, nor only those who live outside its limits in potential
opposition to it, but also a range of those who have no connection to the place or its culture, and
seeing if to them, too, our plan has a grain of appeal. Whilst building on existing culture is a vital
part of the planning process, the demographic changes of urban areas can be vast and swift, and
so we need to keep in mind that future inhabitants of the place may have little in common with
those on behalf of whom we labour.
Lastly, though seeing a project through to completion requires the winning of many battles, we
should bear in mind that without sufficient goodwill even the greatest accomplishments can be
swiftly destroyed, and the most utopian of projects may swiftly become sink estate no-go areas.
Without sufficient goodwill towards a place, budgets to maintain it form a tempting victim for
spending cuts. It is therefore important to turn no opponent into an enemy; turn no shared, public
space into the exclusive playground of a privileged few; and turn no celebration of a culture into a
triumphal sneer. After all, there isn’t only David but also Ozymandias.

52
XII. Importance of heritage conservation in making of urban space
Cultural endowments such as traditional architecture, unique streetscapes, and historic sites are
increasingly recognized as important economic resources in both developed and developing
countries.
Cities are often an important focal point for development based on these resources because they
provide concentrations of heritage assets, infrastructure services, private sector activity,
and human resources.
 Improving the conservationn and management of urban heritage is not only important for
preserving its historic significance, but also for its potential to increase income-earning
opportunities, city livability, and competitiveness.
 Heritage conservation has increased city liveability by preserving streets and neighbourhoods
built at a human scale, public areas that support positive community interaction, and green
spaces that offer recreational activities.
 By preserving their heritage, cities can create a unique sense of place and singular urban
landscapes, developing strong branding and conditions to attract investors.
 In addition, improving a city’s self-image and identity through recognition of heritage assets
has been shown to increase civic pride and energize communities to actively addres2s a wide
range of development and livelihood issues.
 One of the most highly-visible and dynamic links between heritage conservation and local
economic development lies in the potential for cultural and natural assets to attract tourism
investment and spending.
 The investments in heritage conservation that are advantageous for tourism development are
also key elements of creating liveable cities-in other words, improvements that support
tourism also enhance residents’ economic opportunities and standard of living.
 Heritage conservation and tourism development can improve standards of living, increase
income-earning opportunities, and generate wealth for the poor.
Combining the conservation of heritage assets and improving infrastructure services provides
more liveable and dynamic environments that directly impact the ability of poor communities to
take advantage of the opportunities for a better life, while at the same time supporting city
competitiveness.

54
XIII. Preservation v/s conservation of urban space
PRESERVATION / CONSERVATION
The urban space refers to several urban areas and their related multi-centric municipalities
forming a whole in a single stretch. In the multi-centric urban space, the urban areas are either
adjoining or linked together by multi-centric municipalities. This space forms a connected whole.
An urban space comprising just a single urban area is said to be mono-centric.
Urban conservation is an approach to planning that seeks to preserve and as often necessary
revitalize and transform the historic elements of cities into hubs of urban life and activity Piece-
meal or “crisis driven “and reactive approaches to preserve structures only when they are
threatened is always an inadequate response, even if resulting in one
Isolated success. Urban conservation is a long-term commitment to maintain a city’s cultural and
historic identity while also accommodating inevitable transition, growth and new uses.
Urban conservation includes all the desired connections between following elements:
• The web and its external links
• The blocks within the local web
• The streets
• The pedestrian realm of walks, squares, etc.
The aspects of preservation that address only a single building—focusing upon structural or
architectural considerations dealing with its use, age or fitness—are only a small part, best seen as
an outcome, of planning for urban conservation.
Urban conservation deals with questions of context that underlie a building’s existence, including
issues of ownership, land division, private and public property, the arrangement of urban space,
including change of use, and their conservation by maintenance and adaptation through time.
The conservation of nature in an urban environment has direct impact on people for another
reason as well. A Toronto civic affairs bulletin entitled Urban Open Space: Luxury or Necessity
makes the claim that "popular awareness of the balance of nature, of natural processes and of
man’s place in and effect on nature – i.e., "ecological awareness" – is important. As humans live
more and more in man-made surroundings – i.e., cities – he risks harming himself by building and
acting in ignorance of natural processes." Beyond this man-nature benefit, urban open spaces also
serve as islands of nature, promoting biodiversity and providing a home for natural species in
environments that are otherwise uninhabitable due to city development.
In a sense, by having the opportunity to be within a natural urban green space people gain a
higher appreciation for the nature around them. As Bill McKibben mentions in his book The End of
Nature, people will only truly understand nature if they are immersed within it. He follows in
Henry David Thoreau's footsteps when he isolated himself in the Adirondack Mountains in order
to get away from society and the overwhelming ideals it carries. Even there he writes how society
and human impact follows him as he sees airplanes buzzing overhead or hears the roar of
motorboats in the distance.

55
Optimum benefit of urban conservation:
The optimum benefits of urban conservation can considered is in these following aspects:
1. Culture – Heritage
Cultural endowments such as traditional architecture, unique streetscapes, and historic sites are
increasingly recognized as important economic resources in both developed and developing
countries. Cities are often an important focal point for development based on these resources
because they provide concentrations of heritage assets, infrastructure services, private sector
activity, and human resources. Improving the conservation and management of urban heritage is
not only important for preserving its historic significance, but also for its potential to increase
income-earning opportunities, city livability, and competitiveness. Heritage conservation has
increased city liveability by preserving streets and neighborhoods built at a human scale, public
areas that support positive community interaction, and green spaces that offer recreational
activities. By preserving their heritage, cities can create a unique sense of place and singular urban
landscapes, developing strong branding and conditions to attract investors. In addition, improving
a city’s self-image and identity through recognition of heritage assets has been shown to increase
civic pride and energize communities to actively address a wide range of development and
livelihood issues.
2. Economy
One of the most highly-visible and dynamic links between heritage conservation and local
economic development lies in the potential for cultural and natural assets to attract tourism
investment and spending. The investments in heritage conservation that are advantageous for
tourism development are also key elements of creating livable cities-in other words,
improvements that support tourism also enhance residents’ economic opportunities and standard
of living.
When the industry revives, cities in developing countries with a strong basis for tourism
development will be better poised to attract private sector and foreign investors who see
opportunities in developing hotels and other tourist-related activities. Employment opportunities
for local workers will increase through the development of the service industry and increased
demand for local food production, handicraft manufacturing, and other cultural industries. The
number of small and medium enterprises will grow as economic opportunities become apparent.
Heritage conservation and tourism development can improve standards of living, increase income-
earning opportunities, and generate wealth for the poor.
Combining the conservation of heritage assets and improving infrastructure services provides
more livable and dynamic environments that directly impact the ability of poor communities to
take advantage of the opportunities for a better life, while at the same time supporting city
competitiveness.

56
 A continuous process of remodeling older parts of urban areas, including their central business
areas by means of rehabilitation and conservation as well as redevelopment.
 The displacement of an existing low-income population, creating space for more profitable
office, commercial and luxury residential development or the provision of transport facilities.
 Urban Renewal is of growing importance because of:
 Urban areas are becoming larger and older, so more and more renewal of urban fabric has to
take place.
 Constant expansion of urban areas into agricultural hinterland, while large quantities of urban
land and buildings are abandoned and left dilapidated.
ROOTS OF URBAN RENEWAL
 Term ‘Urban Renewal’ is American in Origin
 It emerged in the late 1940s (post-war) as an attempt to revitalize central cities.
 Site clearance program remained in practice until 1960s.
 Other emerging approaches came into practice afterwards.
 Urban Renewal programs are generally undertaken by public authorities or by local
governments.
 The emphasis is on those parts which have fallen below current standards of public
acceptability. These are commonly to be found in:
 the residential parts of the inner city,
 In the central business district itself.
 Indicators for residential parts of inner cities are:
 inadequate housing,
 environmental degradation,
 Presence of non-conforming uses.
 Indicators for central business district are:
 traffic problems,
 congestion,
 Dilapidated buildings.

57
POLICIES/ APPROACHES
 Slum Clearance
Demolition of dilapidated dwellings located in a slum (an area of sub-standard, overcrowded
housing occupied by the poor immigrants)
 Redevelopment
The demolition of an existing building and its replacement by a new building
 Rehabilitation
The repair and improvement of existing structurally sound property
 Housing Improvement
Improvements of dwellings by provision of essential basic amenities
 Conservation
To retain intact or unchanged. Also meant as ‘Preservation’
 Environmental Improvements
Main emphasis is to improve environmental conditions
 Economic Renewal
Improvement of economic conditions of dwellers
URBAN RENEWAL PROJECTS
Following Projects fall under Urban Renewal:
 Redevelopment projects
 Economic development strategies
 Housing loans and other financial tools
 Streetscape improvements
 Transportation enhancement
 Historic preservation projects
 Parks and open spaces
Conservation on the architectural level is based on this context and identifies the architectural
characteristics to prevent stylistic distortions and disruption of the existing architectural language

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