Elements of Urban

Design

URBAN DESIGN (AR-7104)

Department of Architecture
National Institute of Technology, Patna
 ELEMENTS OF URBAN SPACE

Urban thinker Kevin Lynch was able to establish a notation of city elements that matched peoples perception. They are
identified as:
• Districts
• Paths
• Edges
• Nodes
• Landmarks

Kevin Andrew Lynch was an American urban planner and

author. He is known for his work on the perceptual form of
urban environments and was an early proponent of mental
mapping. His most influential books include The Image of
the City (1960), a seminal work on the perceptual form of
urban environments.
HOW CAN WE RELATE VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN

ST.PETERS,ROME
 PATHWAYS

• These are the streets, sidewalks, trails, canals, railroads and other channels in which people travel;
• They arrange space and movement between space
• Paths are the channels along which the observer moves.
• They may be streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads.
 PATHWAYS
Importance:
• They organise the mobility.
• Pattern of street network is what defines a city and makes it unique.

Characteristics of Paths
• They are defined by their physical dimension, size ,shape and character of the buildings that line them.
• They range from grand avenues to intimate small paths.
 NODES
• A common point where two or more roads meet to form a junction or square.
• The strategic focus points for orientations of squares and junctions.
• Spots in a city into which an observer can enter, and which are the intensive foci from which the person is travelling.

Importance:
• to increase the perception of an active, urban corridor and to encourage more walking.
• Strengthen the emphasis on alternative mode use in the corridor.
• Contribute to the overall vibrancy, safety, and desirability of the area.
 NODES
Characteristics of nodes:
• These nodes should occur where single uses or a combination of uses lead to higher levels of pedestrian activity,
• Pedestrian nodes should include such furnishings as drinking fountains, trash cans, and benches to increase the users’ sense of comfort.
• Seating should be arranged to accommodate groups of people
• Careful thought should be given to the amount of seating provided because too much unused seating may detract from the goal of
creating an active area.
 LANDMARK
• External points of orientation, easily identified objects– towers, spires, hills are distant and are typically seen from many angles and from
• distance, over the top of smaller elements.
• Other landmarks – sculptures, signs and trees are primarily local being visible only in restricted localities and from certain approaches.

Importance
Functionally prominent structures have a major influence on the aesthetics of their immediate urban landscape; location ,function of open
spaces and landscape furniture.

Physical Characteristics
• Some aspect that is unique or memorable in the context.
• Points of reference person cannot enter into;
• These are buildings, signs, stores, mountains, public art;
• Mobile Points (such as Sun) can be used as well.
 LANDMARK
• Landmarks are another type of point-reference, but in this case the observer
does not enter within them, they are external.
• They are usually a rather simply defined physical object: building, sign, store, or
mountain.
• A physical element with unique and special visual features that has a "point-
specific” location, and can be identified from the distance.

Singularity: “one in the context”

Difference in form, shape & height from surroundings Contrast with the surroundings Clarity of general form
 EDGES

They are boundaries between two phases,

• Bodies of water (such as an ocean, river, or lake)
• Landforms (such as mountains and hills)
• Manmade structures (such as buildings, railroad tracks, walls, or highways)

Characteristics of edges:
• Acts in a space by stopping it, more or less penetrable, or they may be seams, lines along which two regions are related
and joined together.
• Street edges need to be oriented and/or adjusted for maximum light on the space between buildings, and not just for
interior penetration, in order to encourage active street life.
 EDGES

• Boundaries;
• They can be either Real or Perceived;
• These are walls, buildings, and shorelines, curbstone, streets,
overpasses, etc.
• Edges are linear elements that form boundaries between areas or
linear breaks in continuity (e.g. shores, railway cuts, walls).
 EDGES

The strongest edges are continuous in form, and often impenetrable to cross movement.

Manmade edges

Natural edges
 DISTRICT

Areas characterized by common characteristics, these are the medium to large areas, which have some common identifying character.
Characteristics:
• Distinctive physical characteristics might include ‘thematic continuities’, such as texture, space, form, detail, symbol ,function and
building.
• The presence of these and other similar attributes reinforce a district’s fabric, cohesiveness, and identity.
• Good planning makes for liveable neighbourhoods, a safe and healthy community, and a sustainable economy.
 DISTRICT

Districts may have Clear edges, or soft uncertain ones gradually fading away into surrounding areas.
Are the medium to large parts of the city which share the same characteristics
 ELEMENTS OF URBAN SPACE

• Buildings
• Public Spaces
• Streets
• Transport
• Landscape
 BUILDING
• Buildings are the most pronounced elements of urban design.
• 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.

CHARACTERISTICS:
• Variation in building height,volume and the way in which buildings are grouped together
• Contour
• Facade Design-main doors /openings, other fenestration, material, etc.
ROLE:
• Height & Contour define sense of enclosure and visibility
• Openings lead to spatial structuring
• Facade Designs animate & personalize urban space
• Building forms are guided by specific uses of buildings.
• As they have an impact on the streetscape, it is important that their forms respond to their surroundings.

EXAMPLE:
Developments along Orchard Road, however, have shopping podiums with high-rise towers set further away from the road. This gives a
sense of openness to the tree-lined pedestrian mall, that has become a signature feature of Orchard Road.
BUILDING
 BUILDING
• Buildings are the most pronounced elements of urban design.
• 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.

CHARACTERISTICS:
• Variation in building height,volume and the way in which buildings are grouped together
• Contour
• Facade Design-main doors /openings, other fenestration, material, etc.
ROLE:
• Height & Contour define sense of enclosure and visibility
• Openings lead to spatial structuring
• Facade Designs animate & personalize urban space
• Building forms are guided by specific uses of buildings.
• As they have an impact on the streetscape, it is important that their forms respond to their surroundings.

EXAMPLE:
Developments along Orchard Road, however, have shopping podiums with high-rise towers set further away from the road. This gives a
sense of openness to the tree-lined pedestrian mall, that has become a signature feature of Orchard Road.
 PUBLIC SPACE
• 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 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.

CHARACTERISTICS:
• Promotes human contact and social activities.
• Is safe, welcoming, and accommodating for all users.
• Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting.
• Promotes community involvement.
• Reflects the local culture or history.
• Relates well to bordering uses.
• Is well maintained.
• Has a unique or special character.

ST. PETERSQUARE
Located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
 PUBLIC SPACE
ROLE:
• Open spaces can be grand central plazas and squares, or small, lush pocket parks. They can also be soothing sanctuaries amid the urban
hurly-burly or packed with people.
• These spaces let you soak in the sun, enjoy the lush greenery and interact with fellow city dwellers at these open spaces.
• These open spaces also act as landmarks and unique setting for events and celebrations.

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.
 STREET

• These are the connections between spaces and places, as well as being spaces themselves.
• Other pedestrian networks include pedestrian malls, promenades, covered walkways and link-ways, through-block links and overhead
linkages.
CHARACTERISTICS:
• They are defined by their physical dimension and character as well as the size, scale, and character of the buildings that line them.
• The pattern of the street network is part of what defines a city and what makes each city unique.

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.
 STREET

ROLE:
• Well-connected pedestrian networks to allow people to move easily and comfortably within the city, and facilitate the use of public
transportation.
• It connects open spaces, points of interest and parks, and can be at different levels, allowing you to appreciate the city from different
perspectives.

OVERPASS SKYWAY Alley

In many countries including India, an overpass Skyway is usually used in the US for long or A narrow passage between or behind
is normally a bridge for motor vehicles to pass high bridges for traffic building
over other road or rail traffic.
 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.
• The best cities are the ones that elevate the experience of the pedestrian while minimizing the dominance of the private automobile.
CHARACTERISTICS:
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.
ROLE:
• The location of car parks and drop-off points affect the way vehicles navigate their way around the city.
• It also influences how pedestrians experience the city.
• It is important to separate pedestrians from vehicular traffic to avoid causing danger and conflict to pedestrians.

Train Bus Taxi Bicycle

 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.
• Green spaces in cities range from grand parks to small intimate pocket parks.
• The landscape helps define the character and beauty of a city and creates soft, contrasting spaces and elements.
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Levels, Flat or Sloping
• Pattern
• Surface texture
ROLE:
• Level moulds scale, give directionality, focus, emphasis.
• Texture suggests (supports / prohibits) nature of activity – pedestrian, vehicular / slow, fast
• Pattern moulds movement paths, gives direction
• Landscape plays an important role in our urban design, and developments are encouraged to provide greenery (on the ground or skyrise)
in the city.
• Other than its environmental benefits—helping to clean the air and mitigating the urban heat island effect—greenery can help shape the
streetscape, reinforce the character of a place, and make the public spaces more comfortable by providing shade
EXAMPLE:
The sky terraces at Parkroyal Hotel at Pickering Street allow hotel guests to enjoy greenery at new ‘heights’.
 PRINCIPAL OF URBAN DESIGN

• CHARACTER
• CONTINUITY & ENCLOSURE
• PUBLIC REALM
• EASE OF MOVEMENT
• LEGIBILITY
• ADAPTABILITY
• DIVERSITY