C.A.

Doxiadis
&
The Science of Human
Settlements
C.A. Doxiadis & His Books
1. Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis
- Greek Architect – Engineer
- Awarded 12 honorary degrees

2. His Books:
- Ekistics 1968
- Anthropopolis 1974
- Ecumenopolis 1975
- Building Entopia 1975
- Action for Human Settlements 1976
He described cities as …
- Urban nightmares, irrational
structure, clogged arteries,
congested streets, pollution &
environmental degradation, lack of
sufficient housing, facilities and
services are poor.
 EKISTICS ECONOMICS

CULTURAL SOCIAL
DISCIPLINES SCIENCES
EKISTICS
- Science of human
settlements, Greek term TECHNICAL POLICAL SCIENCE
DISCIPLINES &
meaning “settling ADMINISTRATION

down”
- All other science of human settlements
conditioned by men and influenced by
economic, social, political, administrative
and technical science as well as disciplined
related to the arts.
According to Doxiadis critical
conditions common to all cities are
as follows:
1. There is an unprecedented increase in population due
to improved living conditions, accompanied by a
migration to urban settlements. The result is growth
of urban settlements at a tremendous scale.
2. We experience multiple impacts of machines in our
lives.
3. There is a gradual socialization in the patterns of
living, which allows the whole population to
participate more and move in the city, its facilities
and resources.
4. In the modern city, growth and change over time is a
dominant feature, which must take precedence in all
planning considerations.
Doxiadis formulated a set of
conceptual models which formed the
foundation of ekistics. Five of the most
important ones are:
1. The five elements of human settlements
or ekistic elements man, society, nature,
shells and networks, and their
relationships.
2. The Ekistic Logarithmic Scale (ELS) and
the ekistic units.
3. The ekistic grid, consisting of units of
space and five elements of human
settlements.
4. The model of satisfaction
5. The Anthropocomos model
 The City & Its Elements
(Kevin Lynch)
Paths
- Channels along which the observer
customarily occasionally or potentially
moves.
Edges
- the linear elements not used or considered
as paths by the observer
- Boundaries between two phases, linear
breaks in continuity (shores, railroad cuts,
edges of development, walls.
Districts
- Medium to large sections of the city
conceived of a having two dimensional
extent which the observer mentally enters
“inside y” and which are recognizable as
having some common identity character.
Elements of Human
Settlements / Ekistics
(Doxiadis)
Networks
- For transportation, communication and
utilities support the settlements and tie
them together with their organization
and structure. Their changes
profoundly affect urban pattern and
often developments in networks have
been portending new development in
cities and societies.
Society
- Deals with people and their interaction
with population trends, group behavior,
social customs, occupation, income,
and government. Of increasing
importance is the preservation of
values inherent in small communities
after they have been absorbed by
larger settlements.
Shells
- Are used as the generic term for all
buildings
and structures
 The City & Its Elements
(Kevin Lynch)
Nodes
- Points, the strategic spots in a city into
which an observer can enter and which are
the intensive foci to and from which he is
traveling.
Landmarks
- Another type of point reference, but in this
case, the observer does not
enter within them, they are external
- Simply defined physical objects, building,
sign, stone or mountain
Elements of Human
Settlements / Ekistics
(Doxiadis)
Nature
-Represents the ecosystem within which
man and society operate and cities and
settlements are placed. The interrelation
between man, machine, settlement and
nature is of high importance as is the
carrying capacity of regions, continents
and ultimately the entire planet.
Man
- In the center stands man, the
individual human being. The generic term
includes male and female. Later Doxiadis
replaced man with the Greek term
anthropos to be more inclusive.