MODERN URBANISM - URBAN DESIGN AR3901 CHAPTER 2

UNIT II
MODERN URBANISM
Resubmitted – Prof Niveditha V
niveditha.arch19@gmail.com
+9195514165510
Prof Ar.Mani Sasidharan M.Arch (L.A)
AR3901
URBAN DESIGN

CONTENT
Industrialisation and impact on urbanism. American grid iron planning. Theories,
ideas and practice of good urban planning/cities/urbanism in early 20th century.
Outline of modernist cities and urbanism across the world. Morphology of Indian
modernist cities of Chandigarh, Bhuvaneshwar and Gandhi Nagar. Components of
modern urbanism such as blocks, density, neighbourhood, streets etc., and their
interdependencies. Evolution of urban design as a discipline, its scope and
objectives.

GENERAL TERM:
1.Industrialisation: The development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale.
2.Urban planning: A technical and political process that is focused on the development and
design of land use and the built environment, including air, water
3.Morphology: The study of word structure
Industrialisation and impact on urbanism.
In Industrial era, port cities and industrial cities were developed to boost the economic and trading activity.
An industrial town is a city where the economic system is based on the industry, such as a mining town.
An area where workers of a monolithic heavy industry live within walking- distance of their places of
work is the general character of Industrial era. In 1750, India produced nearly 25 % of the world's
manufacturing output. Coal mining was a profitable business during British colonial times. Few major
industrial developments are textile industry, Bengal Iron Works, Tata Steel in 1907 and automobile
industry. Few examples of Industrial city are Mining Industry (Neyveli); Textile Industry (Thirupur); Steel
Industry (Jhamshedpur); Automobile Industry (Mahendra city). Major Port city in India is Bombay,
Madras and Calcutta. Port cities are the major colony for the british and European administration.
Major city activity during British period

REASONS FOR NEW EFFORT
Industrial Revolution started in 1760
Establishment of mills in India during half of 19th century
Influx of large number of people to cities
No proper prior planning to house
Resulted in degradation of living conditions thereby causing
epidemics
Industrialization is the process that takes an agricultural economy and transforms it into a
manufacturing one. Mass production and assembly lines replace manual and specialized
laborers. The process has historically led to urbanization by creating economic growth and
job opportunities that draw people to cities.
The Industrial Revolution had many positive effects. Among those was an increase in
wealth, the production of goods, and the standard of living. People had access to healthier
diets, better housing, and cheaper goods. In addition, education increased during the
Industrial Revolution.

The 5 factors of industrialization
Natural Resources.
Capital.
Labor Supply.
Transportation.
Consumers.
Technology.
Government.
It also creates more jobs and income in the economy as it increases the value-added of
primary sector output. However, industrialization has also resulted in more population,
urbanization, and pressure on social and environmental problems
Impacts of urbanization
Urban areas can grow from increases in human populations or from migration into urban
areas. Urbanization often results in deforestation, habitat loss, and the extraction of
freshwater from the environment, which can decrease biodiversity and alter species
ranges and interactions.
Furthermore, urbanization improves environmental eminence through superior facilities
and standards in urban areas as compared to rural areas. Lastly, urbanization curbs
pollution emissions by increasing innovations.

With industrialization, a huge part of manpower was replaced by machines and this led
to a decrease in the income and also made the jobs less secure. As people were no longer
able to understand what they were producing and the use of the products that were made
by them, they developed a sense of dissatisfaction.
It also creates more jobs and income in the economy as it increases the value-added of
primary sector output. However, industrialization has also resulted in more population,
urbanization, and pressure on social and environmental problems.
The characteristics of urbanization
Characteristics of Urbanization given by Ruth Glass:- Ruth Glass has
emphasized mobility, anonymity, individualism, formal relations, social segregation,
transience, organic nature of social cohesion, etc. as some important characteristics of
urbanization.
Industrialization: More people have been attracted to move from rural to urban areas on
account of improved employment opportunities. Commercialization Better commercial
opportunities and returns compared to rural areas.
The first urbanization
The Indus valley cities, which represent the first urbanization in the sub-continent, are
noted for their meticulous urban planning and remarkable drainage system.

AMERICAN GRID IRON PLANNING.
The grid has been used continuously throughout the world as a development pattern since
Hippodamus first used it at Piraeus, Greece in the 5th century BC.
Fig: Road hierarchy plan of American grid planning
In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets
run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent
intersections and orthogonal geometry, facilitate movement.
The geometry helps with orientation and way finding and its frequent intersections with the choice and
directness of route to desired destinations.
In ancient Rome, the grid plan method of land measurement was called centuriation. The grid plan
dates from antiquity and originated in multiple cultures; some of the earliest planned cities were built
using grid plans in Indian subcontinent.

History
Ancient grid plans
By 2600 BC, Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, major cities of the Indus Valley civilization, were
built with blocks divided by a grid of straight streets, running north–south and east–west. Each
block was subdivided by small lanes . The cities and monasteries of Sirkap, Taxila
and Thimi (in the Indus and Kathmandu Valleys), dating from the 1st millennium BC to the
11th century AD, also had grid-based designs.
One of the greatest difficulties with grid plans is their lack of specialization, most of the
important amenities being concentrated along the city's main arteries. Often grid plans are
found in linear settlements, with a main street connecting between the perpendicular roads.
However, this can be mitigated by allowing mixed use development so that destinations
become closer to home. Many cities, especially in Latin America, still successfully retain their
grid plans. Recently, planners in the United States and Canada have revisited the idea of
reintroducing grid patterns to many cities and towns.

A lot happened over the next 2,000 years after that, but in 1682 William Penn used the grid
as the physical foundation for Philadelphia. With that, the grid began its new life in the
new America. Penn‘s instructions for laying out his orthogonal plan were simple: Be sure
to settle the figure of the town so as that the streets hereafter may be uniform down to the
water from the country bounds.
This may be ordered when I come, only let the houses built be in a line, or upon a line, as
much as may be… Penn‘s use of the grid may have been influenced by Richard New
court‘s plan for London following the fire of 1666. However, Penn may have utilized the
grid for its indexical qualities.
The grid by its very nature has no built-in hierarchy. What better way to promote the
Quaker value of equality than to build it into the very foundation of your new town.
Philadelphia was the first city to use the indexical system of numbers for north-south
streets and tree names for east-west streets.
Because of this coordinate system, the intersection at 12th/Walnut has no more or less
social or political meaning than that at 18th/Cherry. Every plot of land is essentially equal
to every other.

Over 100 years after Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson executed the purchase of the
Louisiana Territory.
Following the acquisition of such a vast territory came the challenges of subdividing,
selling, and occupying it. It was impossible to survey the entire area ahead of time so
Jefferson devised a system that would make platting and selling achievable from a
distance. Jefferson answered with the grid in the Land Ordinance of 1785.
The Ordinance divided the entire western territory into townships, sections, quarter-
sections, and so on. A system of Euclidean geometry made this possible. Having never
stepped foot on their property, someone could point to a map, make a purchase, and start
their wagon westward knowing precisely where they were going.
Today, a cross-country flight will easily show the physical ramifications of Jefferson‘s
decision to subdivide our territory upon the grid. The vast majority of America‘s western
land is so arranged in logical lattice-work.
Following the precedent of Philadelphia, the grid has been used extensively in a number of
American cities in every one of our now 50 states. Each of these cities, with their own

Unfortunately, over the last 80 years judicial interpretation over what constitutes a
master plan has allowed the zoning map to replace the master street plan. Without a
master street plan the grid is essentially impossible to execute. Thus, our American grid‘s recent
history has been a stagnant one.
Finally today, we find ourselves in a situation where our cities develop piece-meal on a lot-by-
lot basis. Because a zoning ordinance only regulates private property and does not–and legally
cannot–provide for the public framework of cities, development is rendered essentially
unplanned, un walk-able, and unsustainable. A re-emergence of the American grid is warranted
in order to restore much needed order to the places we call home.
In Chicago, the grid was used as a vehicle to maximize both the speed of development and
financial speculation. In San Francisco, the grid flatly ignored topography and created a city
of dramatic hills and valleys. In Paragonah, Utah, the grid was executed to promote the
doctrine of Mormonism. But perhaps most famous of all American grids is that found in
Manhattan.
In 1811, the Commissioners adopted a master street plan that would come to
define the city of New York centuries later. One of the greatest understatements of the
19th century was made by one of the commissioners at the time: It is improbable that (for
centuries to come) the grounds north of Harlem Flat will be covered with houses. As we
know now Manhattan did grow and it grew well beyond all expectations within only a single
century.

Theories, ideas and practice of good urban planning/cities/urbanism in early
20th century.
Linear City Moment: Concept introduced by Soria Y Mata - Spanish Urban Planner in Madrid.
Promoted by the Soviet planner Nikolai Alexander Milyutin in the late 1920s. He introduced this
moment to solve .
•Minimize transport, overpopulation and time.
•Settlement Close to nature.
•Parcelling out around a linear centre line of the main street.
•Streets had to be 200 metre long and 20 metre wide, and the centre line of the street had to connect
with the different blocks of houses.
•The city should grow parallel to the main street.
Fig: City in Linear moment

•Concentric zone theory by Burgess: In this theory each zone invade the next outer zone. Location
advantage of central sites diminishes as CBD expands. City zones become more and more diminish as
the CBD expands. City zones becomes more and more blighted and await re- development. Sub-urban
population increase and new outlying business districts evolve.
Fig: Concentric settlement by Van thumen and Burgess

One of the striking examples for Concentric form of settlement is Moscow – Mega polis
capital of Russia
Fig: Mexico City form
TRANSITION
The Linear City will be built at the outskirts of present cities and could move to urban centers when
these will become dilapidate and abandoned. We will only keep the interesting and historic buildings.
The Linear City, using very little space, should provide the most interesting places of the country,
which frequently corresponds to the encroachment of national roads.
Linear City should be connected to the existing road networking, by rapidly connecting to the
existing city center. And furthermore, to encourage its first occupants, there will be buses that will
stop and will link the Linear City to the existing city center.
This implantation process will promote the development of the Linear City because it will be
advantageously connected to the existing town centers and by providing public transportation to its
inhabitants, and this from the very beginning.

RADIANT CITY:
The Ville Radieuse was an unrealised project to house three million inhabitants designed by
the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier in 1922. The centre piece of Corbusier's utopian,
urban plan was a group of sixty-story cruciform skyscrapers built on steel frames and
encased in curtain walls of glass. The skyscrapers housed both offices and the flats of the
wealthiest inhabitants. These skyscrapers were set within large, rectangular park-like green
spaces. At the centre of the planned city was a transportation hub which would house depots
for buses and trains as well as highway intersections and at the top, an airport.
Le Corbusier segregated the pedestrian circulation paths from the roadways, and glorified
the use of the automobile as a means of transportation. As one moved out from the central
skyscrapers, smaller multi-story zigzag blocks set in green space and set far back from the
street housed the proletarian workers. The principles of the Ville radieuse were incorporated
into his later publication, the Athens Charter published in 1933. His utopian ideal formed the
basis of a number of urban plans during the 1930s and 1940s culminating in the design and
construction of the first Unité d'habitation in Marseille in 1952.
The concept of Radiant City or Ville Radieuse was an urban design project for the center of
Paris.

RADIANT CITY:
Fig: Le corburier’ Radiant city

The layout of Corbu’s ideal city was abstractly inspired by the arrangement and functions
of the human body. Like a living organism, it consisted of organized parts that would work
together as a whole.
Corbu’s approach to his visionary Ville Radieuse was an extension of other conceptual
cities he had been working on, including the Ville Contemporaine and Plan Voisin.
Notably, the latter of these sparked controversy after Corbu suggested razing historical parts
of Paris to build it — he had a way of riling people up, arguably an intentional tactic to
draw public attention to and elicit media coverage of his ideas.
The basic strategy behind these various schemes was to create vertical architecture and
leave plenty of shared open space in between for people to use and enjoy. The resulting
horizontal areas would serve as traffic corridors as well as public landscapes with lush
greenery. Pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and public transportation users were given dedicated
routes to get around, set up (or down) at various elevations.

Everything in the Ville Radieuse would be symmetrical and
standardized. At the center, a business district would be
connected to separate residential and commercial zones via
underground transit. Prefabricated housing towers would serve as
vertical villages with their own laundromats as well as rooftop
kindergartens and playgrounds. Apartments would have views
out onto shared public spaces. Residents would enjoy peace and
quiet, separated from industrial districts.
Outline of modernist cities and urbanism across the world.
Modern Urban Planning concepts of leading thinkers of modern urban planning had a significant
impact in shaping modern cities all over the world. Modern cities all over the world by Ebenezer
Howard, Le Corbusier, Patrick Geddes, Dioxides ha attained an remarkable name.
Ebenezer Howard’s- The Garden City
Ebenezer Howard whose main concern was to stem the drift of population- limited to 30000 people
from rural to urban areas presenting the alternatives as town and country magnets, each of which has its
attractions and country magnets, each of which has its attractions and corresponding disadvantages –
dis-integration of town and country. He characterizes the town as closing out nature and catalogues
many disadvantages such as the isolation of crowds, distances from work, high rents and prices,
excessive hours of work, etc. He then balances these with some advantages, such as social opportunity,
places of amusement, high wages, fresh air, low rents, etc. low rents, etc.

This article is about a method of urban planning. For the band, see Garden City Movement (band).
"Garden town" and "Garden Cities" redirect here. For other uses, see Garden town
(disambiguation) and Garden City.
The Garden cities of a population of 30000 each, divided into smaller neighbourhoods of 5000
to act as counter magnets, he planned low densities in industrial areas with number of trees,
private gardens, parks & other open spaces trees, private gardens, parks & other open spaces
and proposed greenbelt around the city to be used for agriculture. For socio economic – land to
be owned co- operatively, but allowed for private ownership of shops & business. He wanted
to replace the plan less expansion of the big city with planned expansion to accommodate the
growing population, For this he proposed to
build self-sufficient communities and hence he proposed to build self-sufficient communities
limited in size & density of population but big enough to sustain.

The first ring around the central garden consisted of public buildings: the town hall,
concert and lecture halls, library, museum, art gallery and hospital.
These were surrounded by a ring of parkland, cut through radically by the six principal
boulevards and surrounded by the Crystal Palace - a wide glass arcade which, in wet
weather, is one of the favourite resorts of wide glass arcade which, in wet weather, is one
of the favourite resorts of the people. The next ring was a broad ring of houses each
standing in its own garden.
The houses were greatly varied in character, some having common gardens. The main ring
of housing was surrounded by a Grand Avenue forming a belt of green, an annual park
dividing the main part of the town into two concentric belts. The Avenue itself is divided
into six radial boulevards occupied by public schools, their surrounding play-grounds and
gardens.
The Avenue itself is divided into six radial boulevards occupied by public schools, their
surrounding play-grounds and gardens. The outer regions of the town would be occupied
by factories, warehouses, markets, coal yards, etc. all with access to circular railway lines
which surrounding the town enabling goods to be loaded at various points. Beyond this
there would be a full range of uses for agricultural purposes. Howard‘s Garden City can be
seen as the beginning of regional planning and decentralization.

Principles
 Strong vision, leadership and community engagement
 Land value capture for the benefit of the community
 Community ownership of land and long-term stewardship of assets
 Mixed-tenure homes and housing types that are affordable for ordinary people
 Beautifully and imaginatively designed homes with gardens in healthy communities
 A strong local jobs offer in the Garden City itself and within easy commuting distance
 Opportunities for residents to grow their own food, including allotments
 Generous green space, including: surrounding belt of countryside to prevent
unplanned sprawl; well connected and biodiversity-rich public parks; high quality
gardens; tree-lined streets; and open spaces
 Strong cultural, recreational and shopping facilities in walkable neighbourhoods
 Integrated and accessible transport systems

This third magnet contains such promising qualities of the garden city that it shifts the title
to the center of the diagram, as opposed to the first two, suggesting a strong attraction
between the question The people: where will they go? and the many advantages offered by
this model of urban planning.
The idealized vision of the garden city contained specific utopian elements like small
communities planned on a concentric pattern that would accommodate housing, industry,
and agriculture, surrounded by greenbelts that would limit their growth.
Many diagrams and maps illustrate clusters of several garden cities, which was an
important aspect to ensure the effectiveness of the garden cities.

Morphology of Indian modernist cities of Chandigarh,
After independence, Nehru‘s vision to build India into a developed country made the basic
foundation for the development of cities. New Objective of India‘s development were
developed which is shown below.
 To establish a socialistic pattern of society
through
 Economic growth with self – reliance
 Social justice & Alleviation of poverty
 Establishment of Planning Commision
 Introduction of five year plans .
Example: Bhubaneswar town by Architect – Otto H Konigsberger (1946), Chandigarh city
by
Architect – Le Corbusier; Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat) by Architect – H K Mewada & Prakash
M
Apte (1960s); Navi Mumbai by Architect/Planner – CIDCO (1972).
From this age, Professional town planners were recognized for planning the city layout with
suitable land uses, street network and green cover. One of the best examples is the
planning of Chandigrah by Le Corbusior.

Planning of Chandigrah by Le Corbusior

Le Corbusier divided the city into 63 “Sectors”. Each Sector (what had been named an “Urban
Village” in Mayer’s plan) or the neighbored unit, is quite similar to the traditional Indian
'mohalla'. The primary module of the city’s design is a sector, of size 800×1200 m. Each sector is
a self sufficient unit having shops, school, health centers and places of recreations and worship.
The population of a sector varies between 3000 and 2000 depending upon the sizes of plots and
the topography of the area. Convenient walking distance for social services like schools and
shopping centers are provided.
The Master plan prepared by Le Corbusier was broadly similar to the one prepared by the team of
planners led by Albert Mayer and Mathew Nowicki except that the shape of the city plan was
modified from one with a curving road network to rectangular shape with a grid iron pattern for the
fast traffic roads, besides reducing its area for reason of economy. Le Corbusier conceived the master
plan of Chandigarh as analogous to human body, with a clearly defined part.
Fan shaped plan for Chandigarh by Albert Mayer

Chandigarh City Planning
Chandigarh was the first planned modern city after independence from British rule.
•Designed for population of 50000
•Area: 114 sq kms
•American architects Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki were the first architects to be
appointed for the project.
•After the death of Novicki in 1950, Le Corbusier was commissioned.
•Master plan of Chandigarh followed the concept of analogous to human body.
•The six parts of the city are
1. Head (the Capitol Complex, Sector 1),
2. Heart (the City Centre Sector-17),
3. Lungs (the leisure valley, innumerable open spaces and sector greens),
4. Intellect (the cultural and educational institutions),
5. Circulatory system (the network of roads, the 7Vs) and
6. Viscera (the Industrial Area).
• The capital complex consists of Secretariat, High Court and Legislative Assembly
• The city center is the Inter-State Bus Terminus and has Parade Ground, District
• Courts, Vast business and shopping center, mixed use 4 storey, concrete buildings house
• banks and offices above and showrooms/shops at the ground level with wide pedestrian
• concourses.
• Leisure valley contains layout range from Public Greens at City Level to Semi- Private
to
• Private Green Areas.

Fig: Master plan of Chandigraph city

STREET NETWORK: One unique feature in the layout of Chandigarh is its roads, classified in
accordance with their functions. An integrated system of seven roads was designed to ensure efficient
traffic circulation. Corbusier referred to these as the 7‘ Vs. The city‘s vertical roads run northeast/
southwest (The Paths‘) and the horizontal roads run northwest/southeast (The Margs‘).
 V-1 Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns
 V-2 Arterial roads
 V-3 Fast vehicular roads
 V-4 Free flowing shopping streets
 V-5 Sector circulation roads
 V-6 Access roads to houses
 V-7 Footpaths and cycle tracks
The residential buildings were governed by a mechanism known as 'frame control' created by the
municipal administration to control their facades. This fixed the building line and height and the use of
building materials. Certain standard sizes of doors and windows are specified and all the gates and
boundary walls must conform to standard design.
Chandigarh has four Main work centers – The capitol complex in the north east – The educational
institutes in the north west – The city centre in the heart – The industrial area in the south east. The
educational, cultural and medical facilities are spread all over city, however, major institutions are
located in Sectors 10, 11, 12, 14 and 26. The Capital complex, Sector 1, comprises three architectural
masterpieces, the “Secretariat", the "High Court" and the "Legislative Assembly".

SUPERBLOCK: The basic planning of the city is a sector. Each SECTOR is a selfsufficient unit
having shops, school, health centers and places of recreations and worship to accommodate
population of a sector varies between 3000 and 20000 depending upon the sizes of plots and the
topography of the area. There are 30 sectors in Chandigarh planning. Among which 24 are
residential. The sectors are surrounded by high speed roads with bus stops at every 400m.The size of
the sector are based on the concept that no pedestrian need to walk for more than 10 min. Each
Primary module is an Neighborhood unit measuring 800 meters x 1200 meters.
Fig: Super block (sector)

Gandhi Nagar
Gandhinagar got an identity of its own when the state of Mumbai was divided into two
separate states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
After Independence, the territories in India were divided based on linguistic lines and
former Bombay state was divided into two states, Gujarat and Maharashtra. In the
beginning, Ahmedabad - a commercial hub of Gujarat was chosen as the state capital and it
was proposed that a new capital should be constructed along the line of other new state
capitals, particularly Chandigarh. Therefore two well-known Indian architects, H.K. Mewada
and Prakash M. Apte (who worked as beginner for the Chandigarh city) designed the new
state capital. Named after Mahatma Gandhi the foundation stone of this city was laid on
1965 and in 1971 the capital was shifted from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar .
The city has been planned in GRID IRON METHOD. It is a highly structured city and has
orders street grid patterns. It was built by taking inspiration from CHANDIGARH,
BHUBANESHWAR. The major factor which creates traffic problems in our country is the
mixture of slow and fast complete segregation of the two is achieved by a traffic system
ensuring relatively safer and swifter passage for both. the system consists of a grid (1 km. x
0.75 km.) of motor roads and another grid (1 km. x 0.75 km.) of cycle pedestrian ways
superimposed on each other so that each residential community is served by motor roads
on the periphery and cycle ways within it.

The main town roads have been so oriented as to be helpful in orienting the various
buildings correctly with respect to light and air ventilation. The alignment of the
distributor road within the sectors is taken in such a way that it facilitates to orient the
residential quarters in a correct manner. Practically in all the sectors, nearly 60% of the
residential quarters have been correctly oriented with reference to light air and ventilation.
Chandigarh, designed on barren lands with no sizable existing human settlement near
about, Gandhinagar's site is just 23 km. north of Ahmedabad, a flourishing city. To
establish and maintain a separate identity for the new city, the surrounding area of about
39 villages was brought under a Periphery Control Act (as in Chandigarh) that permitted
new development of farm houses only. The area later constituted a separate administrative
district of Gandhinagar.
The city is planned on the western bank of the river Sabarmati. Due to a constant military
confrontation with Pakistan, whose borders are close from the city, a large military
presence was required here. The land acquired on the eastern bank, adjacent to National
Highway no.8, was therefore allotted to the Border Security force and military
cantonment.
Considering the mostly south-west to north-east wind direction, the land to the north of
the city was allotted for the then biggest thermal power station and the adjacent areas
were zoned for industrial use.

This area was distanced from the township by a 2000 ft. wide green strip of thick
vegetation.
Planned as the administrative capital of the state, the current and future population
employed in state government offices was distributed in 30 residential sectors around the
State Assembly-Secretariat complex. Each residential sector could accommodate about
50% of population, and was intended to house the half of the population employed by the
government. Plots on the periphery of each sector are meant for private and supporting
population that constitutes the remaining 50%.
The city was planned for a population of 150,000 but can accommodate double that
population with increase in the floor space ratio from 1 to 2 in the areas reserved for
private development.
The river being the border on the east, and the industrial area to the North, the most logical
future physical expansion of the city was envisaged towards the north-west. To retain the
identity of the city as a new town and the capital, the planners provided for its
growth away from the city of Ahmedabad to the south. Hence, as a rational extension of
the grid, the planners had envisaged 30 additional residential sectors to the northwest that
could accommodate a population of 450,000. Thus, the growth potential of the city by
densification and area expansion to the northwest is for a population of 750,000.

The city is to be expanded and extended, it can be done as originally envisioned. It would be
rational, in keeping with the original concept, to retain the urban design and the central vista.
And yet the plan can absorb new design ideas without destroying the basic concept.
The consultants, thus dealing a death blow to the organic growth of Gandhinagar, have
helped private developers to get cheap lands to develop commercial & residential apartments
with access to free physical infrastructure (roads-water supply etc,) health, education and
cultural facilities provided in Gandhinagar by the State Government.
Not content with this abuse of the basic concept, the consultants have dismantled some
important urban design features of the plan. A major Area for cultural facilities, in the city
square in sector 17 of the city centre is proposed to be converted to commercial use, killing
Gujarat's traditional concept of a 'city square' & destroying a major element of 'urban design'
of the new capital city.
An area along J road (along the river Sabarmati) across sector 9 covered by ravines, was
proposed for conservation as an adventure park. It is now designated by the consultants for
residential taking away a unique recreational facility.
The open spaces at the junctions of all main roads of the city, left open in the original plan to
improve road geometrics in future, ornamental landscaping, road signage, guide maps etc. are
proposed to be filled up with roadside petty shops & hutments for the immigrants giving the
city a slum like look. So, the "original" city may look like a slum and the "NEW" a jewel!

Components of modern urbanism such as blocks, density, neighbourhood, streets etc.,
and their interdependencies.
Urban design is the discipline through which planning and architecture can create or renew
a sense of local pride and identity. It has great potential for enhancing the visual image and
quality of neighbourhoods by providing a three- dimensional physical form to policies
described in a comprehensive plan. It focuses on design of the public realm, which is
created by both public spaces and the buildings that define them.
Urban design views these spaces holistically and is concerned with bringing together the
different disciplines responsible for the components of cities into a unified vision.
Compared
to comprehensive plans, urban design plans generally have a short time horizon and are
typically area or project specific.

Key elements of an urban design plan include the plan itself, the preparation of design
guidelines for buildings, the design of the public realm - the open space, streets, sidewalks, and
plazas between and around buildings and the public interest issues of buildings. These include
massing, placement, sun, shadow, and wind issues. Urban design plans are prepared for various
areas, including downtowns, waterfronts, campuses, corridors, neighbourhoods, mixed-use
developments, and special districts.
Issues to be considered include existing development, proposed development, utility
infrastructure, streets framework, and sustainable development principles. Urban design plans
require interdisciplinary collaboration among urban designers, architects, landscape architects,
planners, civil and environmental engineers, and market analysts. The City of Baton Rouge,
through the implementation of the Horizon Plan, has taken some bold steps to preserve and
enhance the appearance of the community through the adoption of sign, landscape, and lighting
ordinances. Additional elements addressed by urban

engineers, and market analysts. The City of Baton Rouge, through the implementation of the
Horizon Plan, has taken some bold steps to preserve and enhance the appearance of the
community through the adoption of sign, landscape, and lighting ordinances. Additional
elements addressed by urban .
What are the components of urban design.
As for the elements of urban design, these are more related to the physical and built form
and consist of: 1) buildings; 2) public spaces; 3) streets; 4) transport; and 5) landscape.
5 ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN
In urban design, the elements of a city are often considered in terms of five key
components: paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. These elements work together
to create the overall structure and character of a city.

What are the 5 principles of New Urbanism
The principles of urbanism can be applied increasingly to projects at the full range of
scales from a single building to an entire community.
 Walkability.
 Connectivity.
 Mixed-Use & Diversity.
 Mixed Housing.
 Quality Architecture & Urban Design.
 Traditional Neighborhood Structure.
 Increased Density.
 Green Transportation.
Toward Practical Criteria for Analyzing and
Designing Urban Blocks

Elements and Components of Urban Design
1.Signage
when choosing a sign one must consider several aspects such as the desired
size, type and placement of a sign. The first question that you should ask is how much
space do you have to construct a sign? If you have limited space you should consider
constructing a wall, canopy or awning sign. If the site is large enough to construct a
monument sign you should do so in addition to wall, canopy or awning signs.
Architecturally integrate all signs with their surroundings in terms of size, shape, color,
texture and lighting so that they are complementary to the overall design of the building and
are not in visual competition with other signs in the area.

2.Lighting
Lighting is an important element in Urban Design. When considering a lighting design, one
must take into account the type of light needed for the specific purpose of the site. Is the
light designed to enhance security to the property, provide ambiance, aid drivers by
increasing visibility on roadways, or used simply to illuminate a sign? Consult the UDC to
determine the proper lighting for your structure or site.
3.Parking
Parking is an essential element in regards to urban design and traffic circulation. A parking
plan should be developed for each site prior to development (consult the UDC). The type
and number of parking spaces should reflect the desired uses of each site. Landscaping of
parking areas is also recommended to provide shade, enhance the beauty of a site, and
allow for a reduction in storm-water runoff. Parking structures are generally constructed
using asphalt or concrete, but the East Baton Rouge City-Parish Planning Commission
suggests the use of alternative and porous pavement materials whenever feasible.
4.Landscaping
The enhancement of an area‘s aesthetic beauty is directly related to that area‘s
landscaping. All efforts should be made to enrich the visual landscape of Baton
Rouge. Each parcel of land should be landscaped thereby reinforcing the area‘s sense of
place. Not only does landscaping add to the visual appeal and contiguity of a site, it also
preforms important and invaluable function relating to the reduction of pollutants and
Storm water treatment.

5.Service Areas
When considering the placement of service areas one should remember the old maxim,
―out of sight, out of mind.‖ Service areas should be oriented towards the rear of the
building to minimize visual eyesores. In addition service areas should be screened from
public view, and the best way to do this is to build a solid fence around the service area in
the same style as the building to which the service area is designated.
6.Fencing
It is to everyone‘s advantage to construct, and maintain good solid fences between
two abutting properties, especially when the abutting properties are not under the
same zoning classification. Chain-link and barbed-wire fences are discouraged as
building materials in many areas of Baton Rouge. Wood and masonry fences are
preferred.
7.Building Materials
Façade treatment and the architectural detail of buildings contribute significantly to
the way a building ‗reads‘ from the street and to the character and continuity of the
streetscape. The composition and detailing of the building façade also has an impact
on the apparent bulk and scale of a building. It is important when considering the
design of new development that the predominant patterns, compositions and
articulation of façades reinforce the character and continuity of the streetscape. This
does not mean replicating the appearance of buildings.

Contemporary design solutions based on sound design principles, which reinforce and
make reference to the underlying elements that create the character of the area are
encouraged. Design consideration is to be given to the underlying building materials that
contribute to the character of a building. Such things include roof shape, pitch and
overhangs; entry porches, verandas, balconies and terraces; materials, finishes,
fixtures, patterns, fenestrations, colors and detailing; the location and proportion of
windows and doors.
8.Building Articulation
Building articulation refers to the three dimensional modeling of a building and its
surfaces, giving emphasis to architectural elements (windows, balconies, porches,
entries, etc.) that create a complementary pattern or rhythm, dividing large
buildings into smaller identifiable pieces. Building articulation establishes the
building‘s street address, its response to the local context and environmental
conditions and the degree of continuity between indoor and outdoor rooms. Use
existing lot structure to influence the design of building articulation when
development on amalgamated sites is required to respond to the existing or
prevalent lot structure.

9.Transportation
When planning a new development one should make transportation a
foremost concern. You should incorporate into your development a sidewalk system
with walkways with large enough surface area to allow at least two people to walk
side by side.
Attention should also be given to cyclists. You should provide an adequate number of
bicycle parking spaces as well as bicycle racks which are in plain sight and easily
accessible to all. Public transit should also be incorporated into development plans with
new bus shelters and stops. Public transportation decreases the number of vehicles on the
road, thus reducing traffic and emissions, as well as providing those without vehicles
a means to travel, shop and go to work.

Evolution of urban design as a discipline, its scope and
objectives.
It is 50 years since the term, ‗urban design‘, was first used and probably three
decades since it came into widespread usage. It is now difficult, if not impossible, to
identify the actual sources of the term. A conference on urban design was held at
Harvard University in 1956 under the leadership of José Luis Ser t and the first
education programme’s in urban design were initiated before the end of the decade
at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. Urban design, as we know
it today, has developed in response to the limitations of the philosophies and design
paradigms, rationalist and empiricist, of the modern movement in architecture and
city planning. The types of criticism received by architects involved in the Garden
Cities movement and those using the Rationalist approaches to urban design of
Continental Europe (as applied throughout the world) drove many city planners
away from a concern with the physical character of cities and many architects away
from dealing with problems with a social nature. Those architects who maintained
their interest in social concerns and four-dimensional physical design were inspired
to do better by the criticism of Jane Jacobs (1961), in particular, but also the
reflections of architects such as Brent Brolin (1976) and Peter Blake (1977).

A number of generic objectives can be identified in the writings on urban design.
The built environment should be designed to encourage economic growth.
It should provide a sense of historic continuity to enhance people‘s self-images.
It should help sustain the moral and social order of a society and should be designed
with a sense of justice for all to the extent that these are physical design concerns.
The broad goal of urban design is to provide opportunities, behavioural and aesthetic,
for all the citizens of and visitors to a city or one of its precincts.

Comfort has both physiological and psychological dimensions. The concern is with the
nature of the microclimate and with the provision of feelings of safety and security as people
go about their lives.
Safety and security are related to feelings of control over one‘s privacy levels and over the
behaviour of others towards one.
The ambience of places and links is related to the provision of a sense of security as well
as to feelings of self-worth and being part of a worthwhile society. Ambience is also related
to the aesthetic qualities of a place, its layout and illumination, the activities that are taking
place there, and to the people engaged in them.
Scope
Urban design covers a multitude of professional activities.
It does involve design.
Defining the context, political and physical, of urban design work with precision isdifficult.
The model of the purposes served by the public realm and the built environment in general.
The more multipurpose the public realms in the case studies covered here are supposed to be
and the more varied their contexts, the more complex the issues and the process of decision-
making.
The more open and diverse a society, the more intricate and involved are the debates over
ends and means and the more diverse the opinions about the results achieved.
Collaborative work dealing with planning, landscape architecture and architectural concerns
as well as those of various types of engineering in a politically volatile context is difficult and,
often, highly stressful.

MODERN URBANISM - URBAN DESIGN AR3901 CHAPTER 2

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MODERN URBANISM - URBAN DESIGN AR3901 CHAPTER 2