16AR406 - URBAN DESIGN & RENEWAL

Unit -2
2.1 Study & Analysis of Urban Spaces in History
in the West

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Context - Political, Economic and Social background

The history of Ancient Greece can be divided into three main periods.

Archaic period – 800 to 480 B.C
Athens and Sparta began to form
Olympic games started
Pythagoras was born
Classical Period – 480 to 323 B.C
Introduction of democracy in
Athens
completion of the Parthenon
Peloponnesian wars
Alexander the Great was born
Hellenistic Period – 323 to 146
B.C
death of Alexander the Great
146 B.C Rome defeats the
Greeks in the Battle of Corinth

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Context - Political, Economic and Social background

• Concept of City-states

• Two types of rule

• Monarchy
• Oligarchy

• Powerful and popular city-state

• Athens
• Sparta

• Polis – city-state

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Study of the ‘Urban Space’

3 spaces characteristic to all Greek cities.

1. ACROPOLIS 3. TOWN
• center of the city-state • Housed the dwellings
• usually atop a hill • Pre-hellenistic period – organic
• fortified area growth
• Hellenistic period – Hippodamus
• temple for the patron god
of Miletus
• served the purpose of defense

2. AGORA OTHER COMMON BUILDINGS

• Located in the plains • Open air theatres
• Large open area in the center of the city • Stadium
• Stoas • Temples
• Social hub
• Accessible from all possible directions

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Study of the ‘Urban Space’

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Study of the ‘Urban Space’
The Hippodamian plan The Greek settlement size
• Grid iron plan • Polis was small for efficiency
• could be laid out over any kind of terrain • Ideal size 5-10,000 ppl
• Series of rectangular blocks or cells
• Allocation of public and private space
• Planned inside out
• center of the city - public spaces • Neopolis
• Acropolis - the highest part of the city • Paleopolis
• streets and houses were aligned – climate
• standard size for city blocks
• Some building regulations
– Not encroach onto streets
– Projection of upper floors
– Window openings

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Example

The City of Priene

• Town of about 4000 inhabitants
• Built on 4 broad terraces
• A 97.5 m descent from the Acropolis to the
Stadium and Gymnasium on the South
• Public spaces – a temple, theater, second
Gymnasium and Agora – 2 intermediate
terraces
• Follows the grid iron plan
– 7 E-w streets following the contours
– 15 N-S stepped paths
• Main streets – 7m wide
• Housing blocks – 47m x 35.3m with 4 houses
per block
• Agora at the center bordered by stoas
• North of the agora – assembly building
• Acropolis at the highest point

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Example

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.1 Greek Period - 800 to 146 B.C
Relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century

1) Development of city plan with a regularised

street pattern

2) Public space articulation

The importance given – its location
The rich social life it enabled

3) Accessibility – agora to the dwellings and other

parts of community

4) Pedestrian spaces – stoas

5) Concept of Urban management – scale and

size of development

6) Urban scale and size – accessibility and choice of access

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.2 Roman Period - 510 B.C–476 A.D
Context – Political, Economic and Social background

• Roman Republic founded in 510 • motivated by political power and organization

B.C
• Influenced the way cities were envisioned and built
• End of Etruscan dynasty –
ascendance of the Roman • Adopted the Greek’s city planning grid
Republic

• History of Roman Empire can be

divided into 3 distinct periods
Period of Kings
Republican Rome
Imperial Rome

• Ended in 476 A.D - emperor

Romulus Augustus defeated

• Marked by conquests

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.2 Roman Period - 510 B.C–476 A.D
Study of the ‘Urban Space’
City Planning Sanitation system
• Population – few thousands to 30,000 • City had a developed drainage system
• Adopted the Hippodamian Grid iron plan • Aqueducts built to channel water to the
• Walls built around the cities – cities
boundaries and protection • This was connected to the fountains
• Skilled engineers – Built bridges, roads • Fountains – water supply points for the
and aqueducts people
• Built triumphal arches to commemorate • Fountains were found at the end of
their victories streets

Aqueducts

Roman Town in early 4th Century Bridge built by The Romans

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.2 Roman Period - 510 B.C–476 A.D
Study of the ‘Urban Space’
Public Spaces Houses
• Varied spaced meant for public life - the • Houses were 4 floors high
forum, public baths, basilica, circus, • Shops in the ground floor – tabernae
amphitheatre and the theatre • Rooms in the upper floors
• Forum at the meeting point of the • Rooms accessed through a central open
cardinal roads area
• A rectangular plaza at the center of the
city
• Surrounded by important Government
buildings with the Basilica on one side

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.2 Roman Period - 510 B.C–476 A.D
Study of the ‘Urban Space’
Roads and Streets
• Introduced the cardinal roads
Road running N-S called Cardo
Road running E-W called Decumanus
• These crossed at right angles – resembled a
military camp
• At this junction, the forum was located
Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID
• All roads equal in width within the grid
• Grid created smaller sized blocks – Insulae
• Each main road – gateway with
watchtower
• Bridges and roads built to enable invasion
and connecting the different Roman
colonies
• Cardinal roads had raised platforms on
either side – pedestrian movement
• Roads of varied widths to accommodate
different kinds of traffic – Ex:Porta Marina
• Roads built with a convex profile to drain
water
• Most roads paved and not dirt roads
2.1.2 Roman Period - 510 B.C–476 A.D
Relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century
1) Importance given to Public spaces – the development
of the forum

2) Starting of mixed use development – buildings with

shops on the ground floor and houses on the upper floors

3) Creating landmarks in the city – triumphal arches

4) Development along an axis – the cardinal roads

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 2.1.2 Roman Period - 510 B.C–476 A.D
Relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century
5) Importance of networks – roads for connection and roads to suit different kinds of traffic
Ex: Porta Marina - There were 2 arches. One for pedestrians and the other for animals

6) Pedestrian importance – designing the street with pathways on the side

7) Modern city block – Insulae

8) Varied spaces meant for public social life – forum, public baths, basilica, circus, amphitheatre,
theatre.

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.3 Medieval Period-476 to 1450 A.D
Context – Political, Economic and Social background

• 5th – 15th Century A.D

• Bridge between the ancient and
modern times
• Started with the fall of the Western
Roman Empire in 476 A.D
• Political unrest leading to
fragmented kingdoms
• Medieval period – early, high and
the late middle ages
• Church gained prominence
• Social – 3 classes of people

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.3 Medieval Period-476 to 1450 A.D
Context – Political, Economic and Social background

Feudal system Manorial system

A system of A manor is a large

Government in estate often
which less powerful including a village
people promise and farmlands ruled
their loyalty and by a Lord or Lady in
services to more Medieval Europe;
powerful ones in often surrounding a
return for castle. This system
protection from of land ownership
external threats was called the
(Ex:Barbarians/Viki- Manorial system
ngs)

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.3 Medieval Period-476 to 1450 A.D
Study of the ‘Urban Space’
• Not much city building during the medieval times.
• The growth in agriculture, development of trade, the social
Feudal system and the rise of the church in power saw the
growth of different types of towns.
Typical Manorial village (Farm town)
• A single street
• Houses arranged on either sides
• A castle of the Lord or Lady that ruled that land
• Church
• Surrounded by pastors and meadows
• Other little shops that served the village

Fortress towns/Castle towns –

Alnwick, Arundel, Lubeck
A heavily fortified town
around a castle
Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID
2.1.3 Medieval Period-476 to 1450 A.D
Study of the ‘Urban Space’
Church towns – Example: church town
of Gammelstad
Church towns had one church around
which were many houses which were
used only on Sundays and in
conjunction with other religious
festivals as housing for worshippers
from the surrounding countryside who
could not journey back the very same
day. This type of settlement was
Merchant Guild towns – Hanseatic
shaped by people’s religious and social
League towns
needs rather than by economic and
In the mid-thirteenth century, North
geographical forces.
German seafaring merchants joined
together to form the Hanseatic League
as a way to pursue their shared
economic interests. Throughout the
North Sea and Baltic Sea region, up to
200 towns and cities were members of
the League, as were several large
trading houses
Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID
2.1.3 Medieval Period-476 to 1450 A.D
Relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century

• During the medieval period towns and cities grew organically and weren’t consciously built.
The focus was more on individual buildings like the cathedrals and the palaces and castles.

• But what we do see is the start of the Urbanisation process. Its during the medieval period
the differentiation between the rural and the urban started.

• Understanding how the values of the people, the governance systems, power structures and
economic activity during this period impacted and led to the growth of different kinds of
towns – in other words, how these varied systems influenced the physical built environment -
can help us reflect on our current society in a similar manner.
What is the current political scenario?
What is the power hierarchy in the society?
What are the economic changes taking place?
What are the current values of the people?
Reflecting on and understanding how all these factors impact our society, will play a crucial role in
informing the urban design process and approach.

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
CONTEXT – Political, Economic and Social background
• Renaissance means re-birth
• It was a cultural and intellectual movement
• The factors that led to the start of the Renaissance period:

1) The vast trade networks 2) Impact of the crusades

Trade networks across The crusades caused the

Europe, Asia and Africa led religions of Christianity,
to increased interaction Judaism and Islam to clash.
between different societies This clash of religious
which caused not only an ideals caused a sharing of
exchange of goods, but also ideas between the
an exchange of different religious groups
people,beliefs, ideas and and helped the principles
values of each religious faith to
spread into new areas.

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
CONTEXT – Political, Economic and Social background

3) Rediscovery by 4) The discovery of the

European thinkers of printing press by
ancient Greek and Roman Johannes Gutenberg
texts allowed for an explosion
in the publishing and
An intense interest in and printing of books. It
learning about classical allowed new ideas and
antiquity was "reborn" worldviews to spread
after the Middle Ages. across the continent
The Renaissance thinkers more easily.
sought to revitalize their
culture through re-
emphasizing classical
texts and philosophies

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
CONTEXT – Political, Economic and Social background

5) The evolving of the 6) The discovery of linear

humanistic approach perspective allowed artists to
Renaissance Humanism portray people and the world in
was a movement in news ways. The art during this
thought, literature, and period with it realism and
art, represented by a humanistic ideas, helped people
revival in interest in the view human beings and life in a
classical world which did much different way than they had
not focus on religion, as previously in the earlier centuries.
was standard in medieval
times, but on what it
means to be human.
Realism and the human
form were important and
central to the new styles
of art.

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
Study of Urban Spaces & the relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century

City planning
• Notion of ideal city explored
• Importance to scale, height,
symmetry and proportion
• Importance to order and
organisation
• Also a political strategy to establish
power
• Filarete – Sforzinda
• Eight point star shaped plan within a
circle
• Three central piazze
• Radial symmetry for the streets
instead of the regular grid iron

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
Study of Urban Spaces & the relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century

Example of star shaped city

One such example is the Fortress town of Palmanova, founded in 1596 by the Venetians and
one of the few ideal cities that was built from scratch and based on the study of a perfect
model with radial symmetry.

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
Study of Urban Spaces & the relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century

Development of Garden Design

• Gardens were designed in front of the Basilicas, Palaces and Universities.
• Emergence of Garden design
• Example – Botanic garden in Padua
Created in 1545 on the property of the Benedictine monks of St. Justina, Padua
Botanical Garden in Padua is the world's oldest university botanical garden

Palazzo del Te garden

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
Study of Urban Spaces & the relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century

Development of Squares
• Referred to as Plaza, Piazza
• Used for a variety of purposes
• As a forecourt for public buildings a
• As a setting for a group of monuments
• As a market place or forum
• The most popular – St.Peter’s square, Rome
• Example – Piazza of the Tuscan city of Pienza

Piazza of the Tuscan City of Pienza

Piazza Navona

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

2.1.4Renaissance-15th to 17th Cent. A.D
Study of Urban Spaces & the relevance for Urban Design in the 21st Century

Idea of a Beautiful city

• City planning aimed at magnificence in design in
contrast to more military, utilitarian and colonial
objectives of the Roman and Medieval times.
• Revisiting of this idea in The City Beautiful movement

Focus on the Creation of focal points

• roads were broad and straight, generally terminating
at some monument to create visual impact

Humanistic approach (Place making)

• brought the focus to experience of the city by the
people
• Example : Alberti’s view on main streets
Street to be gently curved and not laid out straight .
It is also of great significance when a new cityscape
emerges at every step for the traveler. Slowly and
one by one, the buildings appear in front of him.

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID

 THANK YOU

Prepared by : Ar.Swethini Ramamurthy | Assistant Professor | Department of Architecture | SRM SAID