University of Jijel

Faculty of Sciences and Technology

Department of Architecture

1st year Licence GTU

Subject : Introduction to urban planning 1

Chapter 01: Urban planning: a global approach

Lesson 02: Generalities of the city

Academic year: 2023-2024

Introduction

01 What's a city?

02 Distinction between city and country

03 Distinction between town and village

04 Birth and spatial transformation of cities

05 City typology

Conclusion - bibliographical references

 Introduction

Around half of the world's population lives in cities

or urban areas, some 3.5 billion people, and the
movement from rural to urban areas continues
unabated.
 1. What's a city?
This is why the study of a city, or an urban
Although its meaning may seem obvious, the word ville is
region, necessarily calls on the
one of the most complex in the French language
contributions of different disciplines
(Lavedan, 1936, p7).
(planning, urban development, sociology,
Cities are not born by chance. They don't develop
economics, etc.). The city, as an urban
simply to provide work for urban planners. Their
entity, has been the subject of several
existence is linked to the socio-economic phenomena
definitions:
that drive human history.

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 1.1. Etymological definition of the city

Etymologically, the word “ville –town’"

The city also evokes the civitas, a community of citizens
comes from the Latin villa, meaning
living together and possessing a city lifestyle. Thus,
"country house, rural property", which
from the outset, the city appears as a spatial form and a
from the 5th century onwards came to
social object (Hadef, 2021, p. 7).
mean "group of houses attached to the

villa", i.e. roughly "village "1.

1. https://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/ville
05
1.2. The city, a product of historical development

The city is also a particular historical creation: it has

not always existed, but has appeared at a certain point in
the evolution of society, and may disappear or be radically
transformed at another time (Benevolo, 1983). It can be
identified through its buildings, institutions and urban
structure.

However, there are cities with no history, such as new

towns, cities dedicated to leisure and gaming (Las Vegas)
and oil towns like Hassi Messaoud.
City of Algiers
Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger.
06
1.3. The city, a place of human concentration

A. Demographic and statistical definition

In Algeria:
It is based on the criteria of size and density. According to law no. 06-06 of February 20, 2006, the
The demographic thresholds at which we city orientation law, a city is any urban
qualify a human settlement as a city are agglomeration with a population of a certain size and
conventional and relative, since the with administrative, economic, social and cultural
distribution of people in space depends on functions.
economic, ecological, cultural and
Urban agglomeration: an urban area with an
technological conditions. Exp: Europe (
agglomerated population of at least five thousand
10000 ha), India ( +100000 ha), South Africa
(5,000) inhabitants.
( 5000 ha), USA ( 10000ha)

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1.3. The city, a place of human concentration
B. The city as a social object

In sociology, the city is both space and
population, a material framework and a
unit of collective life. It is a privileged place
As a social and cultural entity, the city is the site of a
system of values and specific social relationships; it can
be seen as the projection of society onto space. It is a
superior form of human organization, a community

of articulation between a densified, of men and women linked to one another by the same
residence at a given point on the surface of the globe,
differentiated and limited space and a
bound together by the same laws, by the same needs for
culturally and practically diverse work, housing and recreation.

population (Grafmeyer, 1994).

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1.4. The city as a place of power and administrative center

However, today, many rural communities have

been elevated to the rank of town (according to

administrative decrees). This gives them an

important or special role in the administrative

hierarchy of a territory. Exp: administrative

divisions after independence.

New administrative division

Source : https://www.algerie-eco.com/2019/11/28/nouveau-
decoupage-administratif-impact-mitige-vision-strategique/ 09
1.5. The city as a system, a GLOBAL vision

This approach is interesting insofar as it provides an overall

picture of the city. Visible urban forms, the uses people make
of them and the meanings given to different spaces are the
result of complex interactions between determining factors
such as historical development, technical progress, regulations,
social organization, political power, economic conditions,
cultural references and so on.

N.B. The term town is sometimes used unofficially to designate a large village, but the political

organization running the place will be called a commune, not a town.

10
2. The city-country distinction

The city is distinguished by its shape, the

value of its soil, its symbolic and cultural
functions, its cultural influence and the
exclusion, in most cases, of agricultural
activity (SAIDOUNI, 2000). This classic
definition has been undermined by the
new forms of recent development:
metropolises and the urbanization of the
countryside itself.
Source: https://sciencepost.fr/faut-il-plutot-vivre-en-ville-ou-a-la-
campagne-pour-une-meilleure-esperance-de-vie/

11
3. The town-village distinction

We also often distinguish between

town and village in terms of
dominant activities, taking
population into account: unlike
villages, towns are not essentially
agricultural or artisanal, but also
commercial, political and
intellectual.

Source: https://education21.ch/fr/dossiers-thematiques/ville-village-
lieu-de-vie
12
4. The birth and spatial transformation of cities

Towns appeared soon after the birth of agriculture and the

Indeed, as a structured and
transition to sedentary life. The villages in which farmers grouped
regulated place, the city is seen as a
together grew, and some are considered to have become towns as
place where land use and urban
soon as craft activities (manufacture of agricultural tools,
styles are regulated by codes that are
pottery, weapons, etc.) and commercial activities (purchase and
binding on all builders and generate a
resale of agricultural produce, with the first towns acting as
minimal ordering of public spaces and
redistribution centers for these products) began to develop. The
the architectural forms that qualify
first known traces of writing in the city-states of Mesopotamia
them.
concern commercial transactions.

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 4.1. The ancient city, a fortified settlement

We have to go back to around 4,000 BC to find the

origins of the first real city recorded as such, the

city of Uruk, located between the Tigris and

Euphrates rivers, in the heart of ancient

Mesopotamia. Here, the ancient city in 3,000 BC,

3D image created by a team of researchers from le mur

d'enceinte
Western Sidney University. monumental

The city of Uruk (3D model)

Source: (Trescak et al, 2014)
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Town surrounded by walls and ramparts:

In the case of ancient towns, the general structure of the city is simple. The city is

bounded by natural or artificial defensive barriers, or both. Beyond them begins an

elsewhere that is not the city. Next come permanent elements lined up along

communication routes, often forming "main streets": these are the suburbs. Within the old

city, distinctions are more or less marked, depending on history, growth and urban

planning policies or lack thereof.

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4.2. today's city, from center to periphery

Source : https://www.schoolmouv.fr/cours/un-espace-organise-la-ville-ce2/fiche-de-cours 16
Source: https://www.calameo.com/read/00591401477fc513761a4
17
 The main components of a city are :

❖ The center :
The center is a place of convergence where the city
exerts and asserts its power, and from which
emerges an image that exalts its influence:

• It brings together the most advanced and

diversified technologies available.

• There are three main types of center (historical

center, topological center, business center).
Oran city center
Source:https://www.facebook.com/104636264652153/photos/a.10
4660471316399/224527252663053/?type=3
18

The center is a place whose extent
and relative importance vary
according to certain conditions.
The characteristics of the center can
be visual, structural and/or
functional. They vary over time
according to changes in economic,
technical and political conditions
(Choay and Merlin, 1988).
The power of the center can be appreciated in different ways:
❑ the absolute number of its population
❑ By the number and/or variety and/or sophistication of its facilities.
❑ By the existence and importance of shops and rare activities.
❑ By the roles it can play at the urban level: economic, social, or even
cultural and symbolic due to its historical past.
In addition to being a place where activities and jobs are
concentrated and around which the transportation network is
generally organized, it is also the place where socio-cultural values
are produced and represented.
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- The neighborhood: Urban space is subdivided into elements of different sizes. The basic unit is the block,

whose perimeter corresponds to the public roads or natural boundaries that surround it. Under certain conditions,

a group of blocks forms a neighborhood.

Block and plot

Source: (Simonin, 2009)
L'Îlot Fertile in Paris, a future multi-use district
Source: https://www.demainlaville.com/lilot-fertile-futur-quartier-multi-usages-zero-carbone/
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 ❖ Center - Suburbs

The center is first and foremost an element that

stands out in relation to its location: the periphery.
The periphery seems to be defined in relation to a
fixed point, the "center".

Differentiation is also based on urban morphology,

type of construction and number of amenities. Center
and periphery are defined in relation to each other.

Extension of the city of Oran

Source: (Madani et al, 2019) 21
5. City typology
Cities can be classified into several types according to the criterion used:

A. Depending on size

According to this criterion, cities can be classified as: small,

medium, large, metropolis, megalopolis... etc.
• In Algeria (according to law 06-06)

• A small town: is an urban agglomeration with a population of between twenty thousand (20,000) and
fifty thousand (50,000) inhabitants.
• A medium-sized city: is an urban agglomeration with a population of between fifty thousand (50,000)
and one hundred thousand (100,000) inhabitants.
• A large city: according to law n°01-20 of December 12, 2001 on regional planning and sustainable
development, a large city is an urban agglomeration with a population of at least 100,000.

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B. According to production method

❑ Planned city : it's a town whose creation

has been decided by political and
administrative means, generally as part of
a national or regional planning policy.

Example of planned urbanization; Housing Development Board New Town in

Singapore.
Source : https://www.techno-science.net/glossaire-definition/Urbanisation-
page-2.html
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❑ Unplanned city
With no pre-established plan, the
unplanned city is a spontaneous
response to the daily problems
experienced by its inhabitants. Its
expansion gives rise to anarchic
urbanization characterized by the
proliferation of shantytowns and
precarious housing.
An example of unplanned urbanization; an aerial view of Sisli, Istanbul's
Gulbag district, looks chaotic and disorganized.
Source: https://www.alamyimages.fr/photos-images/ville-non-
planifi%C3%A9e.html?sortBy=relevant
24
 C. By urban function

By urban function we mean the - Political city: the dominant function at city level is command.
dominant activity of a town. A - Military city: the military function is dominant in the city, with
town may fulfil several a large number of military bases sharing power with civilians.
functions, sometimes - Industrial city: where the industrial sector is dominant: Hassi
complementing each other, or it Messaoud, Skikda in Algeria.
may lose its initial function and
- Tourist towns: the tourism sector is predominant, as in Sidi
acquire others. These functions
Boussaid (Tunisia), Sharam Cheikh (Egypt)...
include :

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Conclusion
The city is a living organism whose
growth is continuous and exposed to all
kinds of hazards. As a result, its plan is
never definitive, but is continually
reshaped and adapted to the changing
needs of the community. Or, the city is
defined as a piece of architecture, a
construction in space, but on a vast
scale and requiring long periods of time
to perceive.
References
• Asmaa Missoumi, M., Hadeid, M., & Desponds, D. (2019). Jeux d’acteurs et
fragilisation de l’agriculture périurbaine dans l’agglomération d’Oran
(Algérie). Études caribéennes, (43-44).
• Hadef, H (2021) : Polycopié de Cours “Introduction à l’urbanisme”,Université de
Jijel.
• Maouia, S. (2000). Eléments d’introduction à l’urbanisme. Histoire, Méthodologie,
Réglementation, Alger: casbah édition, p202.
• Merlin, P. (2022). L'urbanisme. Que sais-je.
• Djouad, FZ (2021) : Polycopié de Cours “Introduction à l’urbanisme”,Université 08
Mai 1945 de Guelma.
• Trescak, T., Bogdanovych, A., & Simoff, S. (2014). City of Uruk 3000 BC: Using
genetic algorithms, dynamic planning and crowd simulation to re-enact everyday life
of ancient Sumerians. In Social simulation conference.
• https://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/ville
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger.
• https://www.alamyimages.fr/photos-images/ville-non-
planifi%C3%A9e.html?sortBy=relevant
• https://www.techno-science.net/glossaire-definition/Urbanisation-page-2.html
• https://www.demainlaville.com/lilot-fertile-futur-quartier-multi-usages-zero-
carbone/
• https://www.calameo.com/read/00591401477fc513761a4