ELEMENTS OF URBAN

DESIGN
ARCH 433 PLANNING 02
FUNDAMENTALS OF URBAN AND COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE

ACOSTA, JOHN ELLIS A.

AGUILAR, JANELLE ANN T.
ALA, RUSSEL LOWELL C.
BABON, KIO ZAMANTHA C.
BS ARCHITECTURE 4A
WHAT IS URBAN DESIGN?

 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.
ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN

 BUILDINGS

 PUBLIC SPACES

 STREETS

 TRANSPORT

 LANDSCAPE
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

BUILDINGS
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

BUILDINGS

Buildings are the most

pronounced elements of
urban design
BUILDINGS

they shape and articulate space by

forming the street walls of the city.

Well-designed buildings and groups of buildings work

together to create a sense of place.
examples
RESIDENTIAL Bldgs.
these are structures where people dwell.
COMMMERCIAL BLDGS.
Asiatown IT Park, Cebu City
Calyx Centre (left) and RMDA Office Building (right)
INSTITUTIONAL BLDG.
Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu City
EDUCATIONAL BLDG.
University of San Carlos Main Campus, Cebu City
 GOVERNMENT bldg.
One example is the Tacloban City Hall, the
administrative building of the city.
INDUSTRIAL BLDG.
 #ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

PUBLIC SPACES
 #ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

PUBLIC SPACES

Great public spaces are the living room

of the city - the place where people
come together to enjoy the city and each
other.
PUBLIC SPACEs

 Publicspaces make high quality life in the city possible - they

form the stage and backdrop to the drama of life.

 Public spaces range from grand central plazas and squares, to

small, local neighborhood parks.
examples
 ST. PETER SQUARE
Located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
 TIMES SQUARE
New York’s famous city square, Times Square is located at
the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and
stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets.
PLAZA MAYOR
The best known plaza in Madrid, Spain, this impressive
city square is one of the main stops on any tourist visit.
MANILA BAYWALK
Located at Roxas Boulevard, this baywalk catches the
beautiful view of the sunset.
 STREETS
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

STREETS
These are the connections between
spaces and places, as well as being
spaces themselves.

They are defined by their physical dimension

and character as well as the size, scale, and
character of the buildings that line them.
 STREETS

The pattern of the street network is part

of what defines a city and what makes
each city unique.
examples
STREETS
EXAMPLES

Main street
It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in the central business district, and is most
often used in reference to retailing and socializing.

The term is commonly used in Scotland and the United States, and less often in Canada,
Australia and Ireland.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

HIGH street
Frequently used for the street name of the primary business street of towns or cities,
especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

FORE street
Often used for the main STREET of a town or village. Usage is almost entirely confined to the
SOUTH WEST OF ENGLND. There is also a Fore Street in PORTLAND, MAINE, UNITED
STATES, presumably named by colonists from SW England.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

OVERPASS
In the US, an overpass is normally a bridge for motor vehicles to pass
over other road or rail traffic.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

OVERPASS
It would introduce confusion to call a pedestrian bridge or footbridge
an overpass.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF OVERPASS

STREETS
EXAMPLES

SKYWAY

Skyway is usually used in the US for long or high bridges for traffic.
 STREETS
EXAMPLES

SKYWAY
Example of skyway
STREETS
EXAMPLES

freeway
STREETS

BOULEVARD
a type of large ROAD, usually running through a city.
STREETS

boulevard
Multilane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the center, and perhaps with
roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and
pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery.
STREETS

BOULEVARD
STREETS

avenue
is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along e
STREETS

ESPLANADE

An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where
people may walk.

In NORTH AMERICA, an esplanade may often refer to a MEDIAN or the strip of raised
land dividing a roadway or boulevard.
STREETS

alley a narrow passageway between or behind buildings.

 A narrow street between the fronts of houses or businesses.
This type of alley is found in the older parts of many cities,
alley including American cities like PHILADELPHIA AND
BOSTON.
STREETS

alley It can refer to a narrow, usually paved, pedestrian path, often

between the walls of buildings in towns and cities.
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT
 Transport systems connect the parts of cities and help shape them, and
enable movement throughout the city.

 They include road, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian networks, and together
form the total movement system of a city.
TRANSPORT
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.
 TRANSPORT
The best cities are the ones that elevate the
experience of the pedestrian while minimizing the
dominance of the private automobile.
examples
Train
A train is a form of rail transport consisting of a series of vehicles that usually runs
along a rail track to transport cargo or passengers although magnetic levitation trains
that float above the track exist too.
Train station
Nichols station in Taguig City
 Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry many passengers. Buses have utilitarian fittings
designed for efficient movement of large numbers of people, and often have multiple doors
Bus station
EXAMPLE
Bus station
Victory Liner, Inc. has grown as one of the largest bus transportation business
groups in the Philippines
jeepneys
Jeepney Bus Manila Philippines. pimped out Jeepney – one of the many forms of
public transportation
taxi
A taxi is an automobile that carries passengers for a fare usually determined by the
distance traveled
tricycle
a tricycle is a public utility vehicle consisting of a motorcycle and an attached
passenger sidecar
PRIVATE AUTOMOBILES
BICYCLE
BICYCLE lane
sidewalks
Sidewalks are also considered transport since it allows pedestrian to go to other
places.
 LANDSCAPE
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

LANDSCAPE
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

The landscape helps define

the character and beauty of
a city and creates soft,
contrasting spaces and
elements.

Green spaces in cities range from grand parks to small intimate

pocket parks.
examples
landscape

CENTRAL PARK
Central Park is one of those places that make New York such a great place to live.
The huge park, 341 hectare large (843 acres), is located in the center of
Manhattan. Its design has served as an example for city parks around the world.
STREETS

CENTRAL PARK
The park boasts several lakes, theaters, ice rinks, fountains, tennis courts, baseball fields, many
playgrounds and other facilities. It is also home to the Central Park Zoo and the METROPOLITAN
MUSEUM OF ART. Especially during the weekends, when cars are not allowed into the park,
Central Park is a welcome oasis in this hectic city.
 STREETS

POCKET PARK
It is a small park accessible to the general public. Pocket parks are frequently
created on a single vacant building lot or on small, irregular pieces of land. They
also may be created as a component of the public space requirement of large
building projects.
 STREETS

Trees along boulevard

Bradford pear trees along Wilson Boulevard in
Rochester, New York
 STREETS

Planters along the sidewalk

STREETS

walkways
RECAP

ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN

 BUILDINGS

 PUBLIC SPACES

 STREETS

 TRANSPORT

 LANDSCAPE
Urban Design weaves together these elements into
a coherent, organized design structure.

Which will be discussed by next group.

 END

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS.