URBAN DESIGN…

15ARC 7.6…

RNS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

PRESENTED BY:

Ar. USHA PATTABHI

OUTLINE

1. TO INTRODUCE THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF URBAN DESIGN

2. TO UNDERSTAND THE CHANGING ATTITUDE TOWARD URBAN

FORM/SPACE AND ARCHITECTURE

3. TO FAMILIARISE URBAN DESIGN THEORY THROUGH TRADITIONAL

AND CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES
MODULE-1

BEHAVIOURAL /PERCEPTUAL APPROACH : City as visual experience– walking,

observing, documenting/recording and interpreting city/ and its elements –such as
neighborhood, street, block, building, architectural elements.
SUB MODULE: Theories works of Gordon Cullen, Kevin Lynch.

MODULE-2
SOCIAL CULTURAL APPROACH: study of social and cultural layer that influence
urban design and architecture.
SUB MODULE: Theories / approach by Jane Jacob, Kevin Lynch
MODULE -3
MORPHOLOGICAL APPROACH: built and un-built, relation with scale, size and
influence of byelaws and regulation. Example showing transformation quality of space
and form
SUB MODULE: Theory and works of Collin Rowe - Street, public square facade.
Notion of Collective Memory by Aldo Rossi
MODULE-4
FUNCTIONAL AND TEMPORAL APPROACH: formal and informal urban environment
and readability differences,
SUB MODULE: Approach by Kevin lynch through good city form, critical study by
Charles Correa & Indian example such as Connaught place, church gate, Ballard
estate, Gate way of India etc.
MODULE-5
ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACH: relationship with physical activity and built
environment, human activity and building as environment
SUB MODULE: study by Charles Correa & Indian example
Christopher Alexander, "A Pattern Language ", Oxford University Press, 1977.
3. Rob krier, " Street, public square facade"
4. Kamu Iyer, "Boombay: From Precincts to Sprawl", Popular Prakashan Ltd; 2014.
5. Kevin Lynch, "The Image of the City", MIT Press, 1960.
6. Kevin Lynch, " Good City Form", MIT Press, 1981.
7. Gordon Cullen, " The Concise Townscape", Architectural Press, 1971.
8. Charles Correa, " Housing and Urbanisation: Building Ideas for People and Cities",
Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2000.
WHAT IS URBAN DESIGN…
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

RELATES TO SINGLE BUILDING

INSISTS ON FUNCTION OF ONE BUILDING

(RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL,……)

RELATES TO FORM OFONE BUILDING

(COLOURS, MATERIALS,…….)

DOES NOT FOCUS ON SPACES BETWEEN

BUILDINGS
URBAN PLANNING

ORGANISES THE PHYSICAL COMPONENTS

OF THE CITY

DEALS WITH FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS OF CITY USES
OF THE BUILDING, STREETS,
TRANSPORTATION……

FOCUSES ON FUNCTION NOT ON

AESTHITICS
 URBAN DESIGN IS CONCERNED WITH THE ARRANGEMENT, APPEARANCE AND
FUNCTION OF OUR SUBURBS, TOWNS AND CITIES.

 IT IS BOTH A PROCESS AND AN OUTCOME OF CREATING LOCALITIES IN WHICH

PEOPLE LIVE, ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER, AND ENGAGE WITH THE PHYSICAL
PLACE AROUND THEM.

 IT INVOLVES THE DESIGN AND COORDINATION OF ALL THAT MAKES UP CITIES

AND TOWNS

WHAT IS URBAN DESIGN?

 URBAN DESIGN DEALS WITH THE LARGER SCALE OF GROUPS OF BUILDINGS, STREETS
AND PUBLIC SPACES, WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOODS AND DISTRICTS, AND ENTIRE CITIES,
WITH THE GOAL OF MAKING URBAN AREAS FUNCTIONAL, ATTRACTIVE, AND
SUSTAINABLE.

 URBAN DESIGN IS ABOUT MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PLACES,

MOVEMENT AND URBAN FORM, NATURE AND THE BUILT FABRIC.

 URBAN DESIGN DRAWS TOGETHER THE MANY STRANDS OF PLACE-MAKING, SOCIAL

EQUITY AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY INTO THE CREATION OF PLACES WITH BEAUTY AND
IDENTITY.

WHAT IS URBAN DESIGN?

OSCAR NIEMEYER, LÚCIO COSTA
DESIGNED THE CITY OF BRASILIA IN
1956
 ART OF MAKING PLACES
FOR PEOPLE

 HUMAN INTERACTION
WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

 INVOLVES PLACES
SUCH AS SQUARES,
PIAZZA, STREETS,
PEDESTRIAN PRECINCT

URBAN DESIGN IS THE DESIGN OF FUNCTIONALITY OF SPACES

BETWEEN BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES
 URBAN DESIGN OPERATES AT 3 DIFFERENT SCALES
the region The neighborhood the block
city and town district and corridor street and building
URBAN DESIGN VOCABULARY…
URBAN MORPHOLOGY
Morphology is derived from “morphos” meaning
form and “logos” meaning study.!

MORPHOLOGY refers to the physical form,

structure and the constituent elements of an
urban area, along with those processes which are
instrumental in determining that form.

It is the study of the form of human settlements

and the process of their formation and
transformation.

TERMINOLOGIES OF URBAN DESIGN

URBAN FORM
Urban Form is the collective three-dimensional
expression of an urban area as represented by
the elements of built and open spaces and their
relationship to each other.
The term 'built' would refer to buildings, city walls,
vertical towers, etc. while 'open spaces' would
include streets, courtyards, roads, parks, tot-
lots, river beds, etc. Size, shape, grain and
texture of an area are some of the characteristics
that determine the nature of urban form.!

TERMINOLOGIES OF URBAN DESIGN

URBAN STRUCTURE

Urban structure is the underlying basic

skeletal system around which the different
parts of an urban area are bonded
together.

This system comprises of physical,

functional, social and perceptional
components, which are instrumental in
determining the nature or character of the
area.

TERMINOLOGIES OF URBAN DESIGN

URBAN TISSUE URBAN FABRIC
Urban tissue is the smallest identifiable URBAN FABRIC refers to the manner in
segment of an urban area possessing which urban tissues, uniform or diverse
and exhibiting functional homogeneity in nature are knitted together with the
and cohesive built form. urban structure to form an entity.

TERMINOLOGIES OF URBAN DESIGN

URBAN GRAIN & TEXTURE
Urban GRAIN is the degree of fineness FINE GRAIN
or coarseness in an urban area. EVEN TEXTURE
Grain can be understood by the bulk of
the built forms that constitute an urban
area. For instance, residential areas are
usually of fine grain and civic buildings
are largely defined as coarse grain.
COARSE GRAIN
TEXTURE is the degree of mixture of fine UNEVEN TEXTURE
and coarse elements. It is qualified as
being either uniform or uneven.

TERMINOLOGIES OF URBAN DESIGN

URBAN DESIGN ELEMENTS …
 BUILDINGS ARE THE MOST PRONOUNCED ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN
 PUBLIC SPACES ARE THE LIVING ROOM OF THE CITY - THE PLACE WHERE
PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO ENJOY THE CITY AND EACH OTHER.
 STREETS ARE THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SPACES AND PLACES, AS WELL AS
BEING SPACES THEMSELVES.
 TRANSPORT SYSTEMS CONNECT THE PARTS OF CITIES AND HELP SHAPE THEM,
AND ENABLE MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
 LANDSCAPE, THE GREEN PART OF THE CITY THAT WEAVES THROUGHOUT, IN THE
FORM OF URBAN PARKS, STREET TREES, PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND WATER IN
MANY FORMS.

ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN

WELL-DESIGNED BUILDINGS AND GROUPS OF
BUILDINGS WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A
SENSE OF PLACE.
PUBLIC SPACES RANGE FROM GRAND CENTRAL
PLAZAS AND SQUARES, TO SMALL, LOCAL
NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS..
PUBLIC SPACES MAKE HIGH QUALITY LIFE IN THE
CITY POSSIBLE – THEY FORM THE STAGE AND
BACKDROP TO THE DRAMA OF LIFE.
THE PATTERN OF THE STREET NETWORK IS PART OF WHAT
DEFINES A CITY AND WHAT MAKES EACH CITY UNIQUE.
 AVENUE is traditionally a straight route
with a line of trees or large shrubs
BOULEVARD a type of large ROAD, running along
usually running through a city. ESPLANADE is a long, open, level area,
usually next to a river or large body of
water, where people may walk.

A narrow street between the fronts of

houses or businesses. This type of alley is
found in the older parts of
many cities,
THE BALANCE OF THESE VARIOUS TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IS WHAT
HELPS DEFINE THE QUALITY AND CHARACTER OF CITIES, AND
MAKES THEM EITHER FRIENDLY OR HOSTILE TO PEDESTRIANS.
 It is the green part of the
city that weaves
throughout, in the form of
urban parks, street trees,
plants, flowers, and water
in many forms.

LANDSCAPE HELPS DEFINE THE CHARACTER AND BEAUTY OF A CITY

AND CREATES SOFT, CONTRASTING SPACES AND ELEMENTS.
 It is the green part of the
city that weaves
throughout, in the form of
urban parks, street trees,
plants, flowers, and water
in many forms.

GREEN SPACES IN CITIES RANGE FROM GRAND PARKS TO SMALL INTIMATE

POCKET PARKS.
URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES…
 CHARACTER

 EASE OF MOVEMENT
 CONTINUITY AND ENCLOSURE
 PUBLIC REALM

 ADAPTABILITY
 LEGIBILITY
 DIVERSITY

PRINCIPLES OF URBAN DESIGN

•
•
CHARACTER
PROTECT AND ENHANCE THE BUILDINGS,
STREET, MATERIALS, LANDMARKS AND VIEWS
THAT ARE UNIQUE AND GIVE THE PLACE/CITY
ITS IDENTITY.
SUCCESSFUL PLACES ARE DISTINCTIVE AND
MEMORABLE. ALL THE ELEMENTS OF THE
BUILT ENVIRONMENT WORK TOGETHER TO
CREATE A CHARACTER THAT REFLECTS THE
IDENTITY OF THE PLACE AND ITS COMMUNITY.

PRINCIPLES OF URBAN DESIGN

•
CONTINUITY AND ENCLOSURE
CREATE STREETS AND PUBLIC SPACES THAT ARE
WELL CONNECTED ANDENCLOSED BY ATTRACTIVE
BUILDING FRONTAGES.

THE TERM ‘PUBLIC REALM’ MEANS ANY PART OF THE

CAMPUS THAT CAN BE EXPERIENCED BY EVERYONE,
FROM BUILDINGS TO BOLLARDS. EVERYTHING IN THE
PUBLIC REALM HAS AN EFFECT ON THE CAMPUS/CITY
IMAGE AND CHARACTER.

THE AIM IS TO PRODUCE FRIENDLY, VIBRANT PUBLIC

PLACES WHERE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME TO VISIT,
SOCIALIZE AND GO ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS AND
COMFORT AND SAFETY.
QUALITY OF PUBLIC REALM
A PLACE WITH ATTRACTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL
OUTDOOR SPACES.

THE TERM ‘PUBLIC REALM’ MEANS ANY PART OF THE

CAMPUS THAT CAN BE EXPERIENCED BY EVERYONE,
FROM BUILDINGS TO BOLLARDS. EVERYTHING IN
THE PUBLIC REALM HAS AN EFFECT ON THE
CAMPUS/CITY IMAGE AND CHARACTER.

THE AIM IS TO PRODUCE FRIENDLY, VIBRANT PUBLIC

PLACES WHERE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME TO VISIT,
SOCIALIZE AND GO ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS AND
LEISURE IN COMFORT AND SAFETY.
EASE OF MOVEMENT
A PLACE SHOULD ALWAYS BE EASY FOR EVERYONE
WHO USES IT, WHETHER THEY ARE ON FOOT OR BY
BICYCLE, CAR OR PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

TRANSPORT PLANNING SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE

THAT STREETS HAVE VITAL SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND
AMENITY ROLES IN ADDITION TO THAT OF BEING
CHANNELS FOR VEHICLES.

A WELL DESIGNED URBAN STRUCTURE WILL HAVE A

NETWORK OF STREETS AND SPACES THAT CAN
ACCOMMODATE THESE ROLES AS WELL AS THE
TRAFFIC.
LEGIBILITY
PLACE THAT HAS A CLEAR IMAGE AND IS EASY TO
UNDERSTAND

SUCCESSFUL PLACES ARE EASY TO FIND. KNOWING

WHERE YOU ARE AND HOW TO GET AROUND IS
ESSENTIAL TO ENJOYINGA PLACE AND ALL ITS
ATTRACTIONS.

STREETS, BUILDINGS, VISTAS, VISUAL DETAILS AND

ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE USED TO GIVE A STRONG
SENSE OF PLACE AND TO PROVIDE AN
UNDERSTANDING OF DESTINATIONS AND ROUTES.
ADAPTABILITY
PLACES SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE CHANGE
OVER TIME, CREATE CONTINUITY WITH THE PAST AND
RESPOND TO NEW SOCIAL, MARKET OR
ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS.

CREATE A CAMPUS THAT CAN ADAPT TO CHANGE SO

THAT BUILDINGS MAY COME AND GO, BUT THE
STREETS LAST A LIFETIME.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND PUBLIC REALM

IMPROVEMENTS SHOULD BE DESIGNED BOTH TO
RESPECT THE EXISTING CONTEXT AND TO ACCOMDATE
FUTURE CHANGE.
DIVERSITY A PLACE WITH VARIETY AND CHOICE.
SUCCESSFUL PLACES OFFER A VARIETY OF USES
AND ACTIVITIES, SHOPS AND SERVICES.

CHOICES IN EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING FOR

HOUSEHOLDS OF ALL SIZES AND INCOMES ARE
IMPORTANT TO MAKING A PLACE INCLUSIVE AND
WELCOMING.

A PLACE IS SUCCESSFULLY DESIGNED IF IT CAN BE

USED BY AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE,
REGARDLESS OF THEIR PHYSICAL ABILITY OR
BACKGROUND. IT NEEDS TO BE ACCESSIBLE.