ARN-403 |URBAN DESIGN

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING,

I.I.T. ROORKEE

URBAN DESIGN GLOSSARY

PAPER TITLE | Making a city: Urbanity, vitality and urban design

AUTHOR | John Montgomery
YEAR | 1998
JOURNAL | Journal of Urban Design

Parnika Goyal
17110020
Paper in brief
The paper explains city as a phenomenon of
Principles of Good City Design
structured complexity. It talks about a place in terms
of Activity, Form and Image, their characteristics and
good practices in City design.

Aspects of Place making:

Promenade
Promenade is a long, open, level area in a public
space used for walking or strolling for pleasure
and/or view.

It can be the main avenue of the city or can be next

to a river or a large water body or in a landscape
area.
Atlantic City, N.J., U.S.A.
Promenade as a verb means to walk or ride leisurely for
pleasure or for display and parade.

It is often used interchangeably with the word

Esplanade. The historical definition of esplanade was a
large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to
provide clear fields of fire for the fortress's guns.

REF : [The successful street will have users on it fairly continuously, watching and
being watched. There will also be a clear demarcation of public and private spaces, Marine Drive, Mumbai
places to promenade and shelter from the wind.]
Imageability
Imageability is the measure of place’s capacity to
create a strong visual image in the minds of an
individual.

It is influenced by a city's legibility; the degree to

which the different elements of the city are
organized into a coherent and recognizable pattern
which allow people to create a clear mental map of
the place.

Kevin Lynch was the first to use the word Imageability

for cities. He said that cities contain a key set of physical
elements namely Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes and
Landmarks that people use to understand the
environment, orient themselves inside of it and assign it
meaning.
Representation of a mental map of
REF : [An individual's knowledge of a city is, according to Lynch (1960, 1981), a Mexico City by a person
function of the imageability of the urban environment: that is, the extent to which
the components of the environment make a strong impression on the individual.]
Nodes
Nodes are the strategic spots into which an observer
can enter and which are the intensive foci to and
from which he is travelling.

They are centers of public activities and gathering

and can be related to the spatial accumulation of
economic activities or to the accessibility to the
transport system or to a famous public space. Connaught Place, Delhi

“The nodes are the conceptual anchor points in our

cities and they have a form adequate to support his
attention other than a certain concentration of
activities." - Kevin, Lynch

REF : [In turn, imageability is influenced by a city's legibility: the degree to which the
different elements of the city (defined as paths, edges, districts, nodes and
landmarks) are organized into a coherent and recognizable pattern.]

St. Peter, Rome

Urban Amenity
Urban amenities are understood as specific urban
facilities that are linked to the daily life needs of
residents and contribute to the urban living
experience.

There are both public sector amenities provided by

councils, such as parks, public squares and
recreational facilities, as well as private sector Amenity deck, Chicago
amenities such as cafés, restaurants, retail and
other goods or service providers.

Urban amenities are used as an indicator of liveability

of our urban environment.

[REF : Amenity generally means access to shops and other services required for daily
living. This includes access to employment, health care, educational services,
transport, cultural and leisure services, and green spaces.]

Shopping street, Athens

Adaptability
Adaptability is the ability of a city (i.e. Urban
buildings, neighbourhoods and public spaces) to fit
itself to changing needs.

An adaptable city is one that can grow and change in

response to social, environmental and economic
factors, while minimizing the disruption of the
original systems.

Principles for an Adaptable City:

1. A Flexible Public Realm
2. Adaptable Building
3. Responsive Public Policy
4. Open Public Discussion
5. The Economy of Adaptability
REF : [By extension, the successful urban area is one which offers in-built adaptability
rather than in-built obsolescence.]
MOVIE | Urbanized

“Cities are fluid and are ever changing as a response to Social, Cultural,
Economic and Political processes and problems, and flux of Identity. The
unprecedented rate of Urbanisation is raising new questions for the future
liveability and sustainability of these cities which we need to address soon.”
WALKING EXPERIENCE | Facades and Spaces
A | Interactive Facades which slow me down and C | Facades/ Spaces which make me walk faster.
capture my thoughts. Ex. Ashiana Greens, Indirapuram Ex. Construction Yard Boundary, Vasundhara

B | Continuous long Facades - Rhythmic Walk but do D| Facades/ Spaces which make me apprehensive
not catch attention Ex. Olive County Road, Indirapuram Ex. Streets of Chandni Chowk