BOOK REVIEW

Urban Design: The Architecture Of

Towns and Cities

Submitted to: Submitted By:

Ar. Chandrakala Kesarwani Anshul Choudhary

Ar. Preeti Nair Priyanshi Sharma
Ar. Samreen Sultan Stuti Sharma
 Visual Survey: The Architecture of Towns and cities
• Graphic Examination of the key physical elements and functional character of an area.
• A vocabulary of symbol exists: Edge, Path, Node, Landmark, District(after lynch) that
enables an urban designer to characterize, in graphic form, the key elements of the urban
fabric.
• VISUAL SURVEY is an urban design tool used to communicate the perceptions of the
structure and organization of the city.
• Image ability/ Liability: A more legible city makes us feel less anxious about finding our way
about in the city.

Components of Visual Survey:

Image of the city Landform and nature
Local climate Shape of urban form
Size and density Pattern, grain and
texture
Urban spaces and open Routes of movement
spaces
Districts/ Enclaves/ Activity Structures
Sectors
Orientation Details
Pedestrian Areas Vistas and Skyline
Non Physical Aspects Problem Areas Fig. The problem areas and Fig. Existing and
their solution to urban space proposed areas for a city
Anshul Choudhary
 1. City Plans: An Important components of city as a Visual survey
The shape, placement, design, and quality of the built
environment (building design, placement, and
composition) are important elements in reinforcing a
comfortable, human-scale environment, maintaining the
City’s attractiveness and economic vitality, and providing
a unique sense of place in the City of Sandusky.

2. Landform- as a virtual survey

B T
Transformation of
R R
city plans within
A A
6,000 years. Slowly
M N
and steadily the
G S
planners focussed
I F
on elements and
R O
evaluated the
I R
assets and
M
liabilities
R A
E Fig,. Geomorphic Landforms T
G Landforms, natural venture and climate makes a platform for I
I broader aspect of visual survey. O
O They can be accenting landscapes and employed actively as N
N sites or passively as vistas, supplementing as architectural
form. Anshul Choudhary
 3. Ideas For Improving, Correcting or replacing a city
There is always a better way.
And to create a better space with all the possible living for our common habita
Fig. Creating a green
parkway.
Would reduce
obstruction and allow
a better feasibility

Fig. one of the country's fiercest conservation projects. It aims Fig. The transformation
to allow animals to cross safely from the Simi Hills to the Santa of streets leads to an
Monica Mountains. Organized way and a
4. Local Flora and uses- Visual Survey clear image of a city.
We can add seating
layouts rather than a
unplanned parking
area

Fig. Urban For a in

reducing urban heat
island effect

Anshul Choudhary
 5. LANDFORM AND NATURAL AREAS
Considerations,
 Character of surrounding landscape that built form
will respond to functionally and aesthetically.
 Degree to which built form will enhance nature.
 Natural areas to be left intact to compliment urban
form.

TOPOGRAPHY, LANDSCAPE & 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, creeks, lakes, bush
land, parks, recreational facilities,
Streetscapes or private gardens, and is often referred
to as ‘green infrastructure’.

URBAN FORM
• The arrangement of 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.

Open spaces giving form to the city Stuti Sharma

 6. LOCAL CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

 TEMPERATURE : implications of seasonal temperatures and

humidity, averages and extremes, comfort zones and periods,
amelioration of extremes and discomfort.
 LIGHT : implications of clear and cloudy days
 PRECIPITATION : rain and snow
 SUN : angles of the sun (solar altitude) at different seasons
affects viewing conditions, long and short sunny days.
 WINDS : direction and intensity of seasonal winds; cold and
hot winds.
 Micro-Macro climates.

Stuti Sharma
 7. SHAPE, SIZE & DENSITY
 
City Shape
• Radiocentric
• Rectilinear
• Star
• Ring
• Linear
• Branch
• Sheet - (Articulated Sheet)
• Satellite
• Constellation

Size
Relates to Spatial Nature
Amsterdam - walk across, but 1,000.000 pop

Density
Relates to Size and other factors
--#of people/unit
--# of houses/unlt
--# of cars
Built-up area/open space
Floor area/unit

Stuti Sharma
 8. PATTERN, GRAIN & TEXTURE
 PATTERN : the underlying geometry of city form, mostly defined by block and street layouts.
 GRAIN : degree of fineness or coarseness in an urban area.
 TEXTURE : the degree of mixture of fine and coarse elements of urban form.

URBAN PATTERN
• T h e pattern of the city is the way how different
functions and elements of the settlement form are
distributed and mixed together spatially. It can be
measured by the size of its grain.
• T h e design pattern in the city’s outer neighborhoods is
less formal than it is in the heart of the city. Their image
is defined more by architecture, scale, tree cover, and Partizánske in Slovakia – an
topography than it is by monumental vistas. example of a typical planned City of Pulmanova.
• I t can be of different types:- European industrial city.
1) RADIAL PATTERN
2) GRID PATTERN
3) LINEAR PATTERN

GRID IRON PATTERN RADIAL PATTERN

Stuti Sharma
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.

• Urban grain refers to the street pattern, block sizes and building pattern
within a city and describes the interrelationship between these
elements.
• A fine urban grain is highly desired to create a precinct which is as
inviting and approachable as possible to visitors.
• The Design must balance high quality permanent landscape with flexible,
well- designed urban spaces that can continually change and support a
variety of activities and events and draw an increased number of visitors
to the site.

FINE GRAIN :
Grain is fine when similar elements or functions are widely dispersed
throughout the district without forming any large clusters.
In this Google image of Hoboken, NJ,
COARSE GRAIN : we see two very different types of
On the other hand, grain is coarse if different elements and functions are block. On the left is a fine-grained
segregated from each other in a way that extensive areas of one thing are block with 40+ lots. On the right is a
separated from extensive areas of other things. coarse-grained block with only a
handful of lots.
Stuti Sharma
 9. URBAN TEXTURE
Urban texture usually refers to the urban space patterns which include
the urban space structure and the arrangement of its related factors .

At beginning phase, urban texture was used as a method of analyzing

space and its importance was subsequently realized in urban historic
preservation, urban design, and urban landscape studies.

At the macroscale, urban texture examines the main

urban landscape characteristics of a city. URBAN TEXTURE OF KONAK SQUARE

At the microscale, urban texture underlines the interrelations of land-

use, block, and street layouts, which are the physical expressions of
urban evolution.

PATTERNS CAN BE EVEN AND UNEVEN PATTERNS.

Stuti Sharma
 10. Urban and Natural Spaces: Facades
• Urban Spaces also known as the Formal spaces are usually moulded by building facades and the city’s floor.
• Natural or open spaces , represent nature brought into and around the city Urban Spaces could be segregated
Fig. The image in 2 parts:-
Depicts the 1.) Formal Spaces (also known as
Evolution and urban spaces)
use of façades in 2.)Natural Spaces (also known as
creating an open spaces)
urban space.
It varies from
the space for
streets to but
as spaces.

11. Urban spaces and Open spaces

Urban Spaces could be Linear Corridors. Avenues and Streets are
Enclosed on two sides or some unifying character

Fig. To restore dignity and The urban fabric becomes chaotic

meaning to public spaces, to re- The open space acts as a
create a space that is a meeting reorganizing agent
Priyanshi Sharma
 12. Urban Spaces and Various ways in which an Urban Space is used

Fig. A cascade Project that Fig. An office building serving Fig. An office building Fig. Urban Space acting
Transformed diffused staircase into as an urban space serving a Landmark as traffic node
urban space
All Recreational Parks, Spatial Network, Roadways,
An urban space could be described
Schools,
by its outfitting and edges.
Parks, Civic Building , libraries etc. comes under the
13. Natural Spaces OR Open Spaces Natural Spaces

Natural Spaces are usually open

spaces but in some cases we
incorporate natural elements in urban
spaces The natural spaces are usually
determined by the size of trees.

Fig. Singapore( Land Reservoir as a

Natural space) Priyanshi Sharma
 14. Routes : As a visual survey of city
The Function of Highway Outside the Routes could be further classified as :-
city could be considered as a Route. 1.) Approach Routes
They present city to us, and are present in
their best light.
They help us in reaching our destination
readily.
2.) Surface Arteries
Major Routes of the city are surface arteries.
These are the heavy traffic streets.
They are judged on its relation to the
cityscape
Fig. Highway- Acting as an edge for the city Fig. gate tower Building(japan) And the way they pass through a city
Approach Routes
Outlying routes first intro to city, create first impression
Inform and conduct viewer
Major Routes--Internal
Carry high volume
Help define city
Create ties to other routes to other districts
What effect do they have upon cityscape, district, buildings
How can they be improved
How do they relate to secondary streets
Local Streets
Stop & Go streets
Pedestrian & Vehicular flow
Conflict
Where? How much?  Long waits at crossings? Open crossing?  Grade specifications?
Can traffic be relocated
What is dimensional scale of streets Priyanshi Sharma
 15. Local Streets : Step and Go streets
S• The Arteries which connect to the small streets along with the movement of car, bus, trucks etc.
T• While analysing local streets we come across the point that either the 2 main movements i.e. VEHICUAR AND
R PEDESTRIAN conflicting or not.
E
E
T

V
I
S Fig. Congested sidewalks Fig. Transit Streets Fig. Crossing
U
A
L

P Streets are Streets create Streets can be Design For Streets maintain Recreational
public spaces great business changed Fig. Current
A safety Ecosystem street Scenario
R Local Streets vary city to city an country Of Chicago and
to country. san Francisco
A
For some of the above examples. The
M streets are congested and don’t follow a
E synchronized circulation, that is the main
T key point.
While in Santa am Monica, A planned
E streets allow us to even maintain an
R ecosystem. And a linear corridor for
S pedestrians. Priyanshi Sharma
 16. Anatomy of a District
Two factors to observe in differentiating distinct
Physical Form
Visible Activity
Downtown vs. neighborhood
Complexity - intermixture of complementary activities
Greenwich Village

Activity Structure of Districts and Nodes

 It starts as follows ( Living - Working - Shopping - Travel –
Leisure)
Recreation learning
Logic of location
Symbiosis and Interrelationships
Density topography - routes effect
Orientation of Districts
Logic of morphology

• Landmarks provide orientation

• Nodes require orientation
• Details of Distinct
• Tell age, purpose, upkeep, decay
• Street furniture
• Buildings - Trees Fig. Urban Design Form Priyanshi Sharma