Unit – II

Classical cities, medieval towns, neoclassic cities, and industrial towns.

Characteristics of towns built by Hindu and Muslim rulers in India.
Colonial inheritance, growth of post towns, civil lines, cantonments,
railway and resort towns and Design in New Delhi.
Classical architecture - Architecture of ancient Greece and Persepolis
Rome, especially from the 5th century BCE in Greece to
the 3rd century BCE in Rome, that emphasized the column
and pediment. Greek architecture was based chiefly on the
post-and-beam system, with columns carrying the load.
Classical architecture originated in ancient Greece and
Rome, and is characterized by symmetry, columns,
rectangular windows, and marble, to name a few. For
centuries, architects have drawn influence from these
civilizations and incorporated traditional ideals into
subsequent styles of architecture.
Throughout Ancient Rome, the city contained a lot of Greek
culture. The Ancient Roman world left a legacy on the Greek
world. The Romans created new architectural structures such
as the basilica, triumphal arch, monumental, aqueduct,
amphitheater, granary buildings, and residential housing
blocks. Columns were still used, only to add a traditional
looks to structures. It is also evident that there was a lot of
Greek tradition added to the buildings of Ancient Rome.
Some of the most famous column structures throughout the
city are the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
Rome was originally a small town around the banks of the
Tiber River. Rome had grew early on by size and strength due
to the strong trade. The location of the city made it easy for
merchants to find and use waterways to sell their goods.
The Greek culture and civilization had provided a way of life
to live by for the Romans. The Romans did indeed follow the
Greek traditions and based their own culture after the
Greeks. The Romans had borrowed literacy, religion and the
fundamental of architecture from the Greek culture. The
Romans also had a Roman Republic government.
Chang'an It Was the capital for many Chinese Dynasties. The city was built
in a symmetrical format. The streets laid out like a chess board
and in an orderly inner matter. The design of the city influenced
many other neighboring cities. There were eastern and western
markets in the ancient city. The city had 11 south-north streets
and 14 east-west streets. All the roads were lined with neat rows
of water drainage channels on both sides. Canals in the ancient
city help transport goods throughout the city. The silk road had
traveled through Chang'an and many merchants were in and out
of the city.
The overall form of the city was an irregular rectangle. The ideal
square of the city had been twisted into the form of the Big
Dipper for astrological reasons, and also to follow the bank of the
Wei River. The eight avenues divided the city into nine districts.
These nine main districts were subdivided into 160 walled 1×1 li
wards. About 50-100 families lived in each ward. Historically,
Chang'an grew in four phases: the first from 200 to 195 BC when
the palaces were built; the second 195-180 BC when the outer city
walls were built; the third between 141 and 87 BC with a peak at
100 BC; and the fourth from 1 BC-24 AD when it was destroyed.

Neoclassical architecture was a rebirth of
Classical architecture during the 18th and early
19th centuries. It was a reaction to the
extravagance and ornamentation of the earlier
styles. This style is considered as the rebirth of
classical architecture going back to the
simplicity of geometric forms influenced by the
classical form of the Greek and Roman
architecture era. The Rococo and Baroque
architectural styles had quite an influence on
this style. The movement involved grandeur of
scale, simplicity of geometric forms, Greek and
Roman details, and dramatic use of columns.
The Neoclassical movement has continued to
inspire architects to this very day and has
prospered in the United States and Europe.
Neoclassical architecture has three main
variations.
Temple-style buildings imitate the style of
ancient temples. Paris’ Panthéon which is
based on the Pantheon in Rome and the Greek-
inspired British Museum in London are such
examples.
Palladian buildings were inspired by the villas of
16th-century Italian Renaissance architect
Andrea Palladio had designed. He was inspired
by the buildings of ancient Greece and Rome.
In Britain, architect Robert Adam designed
many neoclassical-style houses which were
influenced by the Palladian style.
Classical block buildings which are rectangular
or square had flat roofs and exteriors which
display repeating columns to form a classically
decorative block-like appearance.
Paris Pantheon Baroque Architecture Rococo Architecture

Palladian Style Classical Block Building

Neoclassical architecture influence in India

In the early days of the introduction of the

railway in India, the builders, sponsors, and
their architects were primarily British which
led to the colonial railway architecture
being influenced by ‘Neoclassical’,
‘Romanesque’, ‘Italianate’, ‘Gothic Revival’,
‘Indo-Saracenic’ and ‘Modern’ schools. The
first station built in Madras (now Chennai)
falls in the Neoclassical category. Its
features include fluted columns, the
‘Corinthian’ capital, a classical balustrade on
the roof, and blind doorcases.
The medieval towns were surrounded by a moat and
walls made of stone or brick. The walls had towers,
round or square, designed both for defense and as a
decoration. Nuremberg for example had more than
eighty. Access in town was permitted only through the
vaulted access gates which were closed at night.
*The medieval towns usually grew up around a castle
or monastery, or followed the contour of a hillside, or a
river-bank. As a result, they had steep, meandering
streets, with irregular width.
*As the land available within the walls of the medieval
towns was limited, the streets were narrow. The main
streets ran to the city gates, which were the only points
of access in and out of town.
*Medieval towns, whether in India or anywhere else,
were walled, encircled by an outside moat. The town
resembled “an island when its gates were locked at
sundown”.
Industrial city or industrial town refers to a town or city
in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is
centered around industry, with important factories or
other production facilities in the town. It has been part
of most countries' industrialization process.
Features of industrial city
A large sprawling open city housing a large percent of the population of the society.
Relatively low segregation; few outward symbols, segregation based on race.
Good transportation and communication.
A manufacturing, finance and coordinating center of an industrial society.
A fluid class structure with an elite of businessmen, professionals and scientists.
A large middle class with technologically related jobs.
Wealth by salaries, fees, investment. High status of business activity.
Unionization at a national level.
Specialization of production and marketing.
Large service sector, fixed price.
Time important and regular work schedule.
Standardization of process and quality.
Formal public opinion with a bureaucracy based on technical criteria.
A weak religious institution separate from other institutions dominated by the middle class.
Standardization of religious experience marked by the disappearance of magic.
Technical and secular education for the masses.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the towns
built by the Mughals were famous for their concentration
of populations, their monumental buildings and their
imperial grandeur and wealth. Agra, Delhi and Lahore were
important centers of imperial administration and control.
Mansabdars and jagirdars who were assigned territories in
different parts of the empire usually maintained houses in
these cities: residence in these centers of power was
symbolic of the status and prestige of a noble.
The presence of the emperor and noblemen in these
centers meant that a wide variety of services had to be
provided. Artisans produced exclusive handicrafts for the
households of nobles. Grain from the countryside was
brought into urban markets for the town dwellers and the
army. The treasury was also located in the imperial capital.
Thus the revenues of the kingdom flowed into the capital
regularly. The emperor lived in a fortified palace and the
town was enclosed by a wall, with entry and exit being
regulated by different gates. Within these towns were
gardens, mosques, temples, tombs, colleges, bazaars and
caravanserais. The focus of the town was oriented towards
the palace and the principal mosque.
REFERENCES:

https://mrbarton-abcjs.weebly.com/the-great-classical-cities.html
https://ancientcivilizationsapwh.weebly.com/the-great-classical-cities.html
http://apwhfour.weebly.com/the-great-classical-cities.html
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-styles/a2447-10-things-you-did-not-know-about-neoclassical-
architecture/
https://www.bigboytravel.com/europe/topmedievalcities/
https://worldarchitecture.org/article-links/eehmv/new-delhi-capitol-complex-from-edwin-lutyens-herbert-baker-
on-to-bimal-patel.html