Basic Concept of Urban Design

Who were the personalities mentioned in the reading assignment? What are the ideas and or concept they
espoused about urban design?

• (Blessing, 1966) states that for every locality, it has its potential that originates from its own natural
form, concept of place, sense of history, character and culture, regardless of its inherent natural
attributes of site and terrain and man-made difficulties.
• (Lynch, 1960) claims that imageability is the likelihood that a space would cause users to form a
vivid visual picture.
• Camillo Sitte (1843-1903) states that the finest reference for modern urban design theory can be
stated to be one that is based on a careful analytical examination of how urban space is perceived.
• Paul Zucker (1959) he did a thorough spatial examination and categorization of squares with a
concentration on the urban square, which he saw as the heart of urban space.
• Kevin Lynch (1960) he analyzed the elements of human evaluation and urban design parameters.
He presented the idea of the city as a concept that could be understood, assessed, and altered.
• Jane Jacobs (1961) she stressed the necessity of viewing cities as mixtures or combinations of
uses rather than as discrete land uses by defending busy pedestrian, active street life, and
established neighborhoods.
• Gordon Cullen (1961) He emphasized on the observer's subjective values as they relate to the
interactions between elements, where townscape revealed the connections between the buildings
and outdoor areas in the context of the city.
• Hall (1966) He developed his proxemics hypothesis on the premise that culture shapes and
patterns how people perceive space. He defined social distance and personal space, which vary
greatly depending on cultural origins.
• Shadrach Woods (1975), has made an effort in his writings and projects to preserve the city's
cultural traditions while confronting a wide range of changes in the modern metropolis.
• Christopher Alexander et al (1977) have incorporated elements of urban design to create a pattern
language that anyone, anywhere can utilize.
• William Whyte’s (1980) made a thorough analysis of small urban plazas revealed the traits of
effective urban plazas that revealed how or when people used urban common areas.
• Aldo Rossi’s (1984) Instead of focusing on constructing in the urban design theory, he emphasized
urban concepts like memory and monumentality that take the city as a whole.
• Wayne Attoe (1989) has addressed about how urban design in practice applies the catalyst
hypothesis to urban components.
• Nasar J.L.(1997) has addressed methodological concerns in evaluative studies of settings in great
detail. He has worked significantly on assessing the city's image, particularly as it relates to open
areas and crime prevention.
• Ramadier Thierry and Moser G.(1998) they studied the field experiment, the idea of legibility in an
urban setting was examined with regard to two cultural groups that the qualities of environmental
meanings depend on the perceiver's cultural heritage.
 • Nahoum Cohen (2002), proposes the use of a conservation potential matrix when working with
heritage precincts. He has been working on developing an urban profile assessment since he
supports urban conservation.
• (Buchanan and Hucyznski, 1985). They studied the permanent interaction between a person and
their environment. The selection of inputs and their arrangement whereas, learning, motivation,
and personality are internal characteristics that have an impact on this process.
• (Mcnamara 1984, 1986), they often consider its distance from the road rather than considering a
location's physical proximity, they observed that cognitive maps are largely accurate, and
differences between these maps and reality are the result of a logical or rational approach.
• Franklin and Twersky (1990) Their research came to the conclusion that humans follow the spatial
framework model, which states that our perceptions of space differ from our conceptions of it, and
that certain spatial directions
• Halt E.D. (1966) he established his theory of proxemics, with the premise that human perceptions
of space are shaped and patterned by culture and that there are variances in how spaces are
viewed among various races.

What were the findings of the research, and given your initial understanding of urban design, what is/are
the factor/s that can be considered to create a successful urban design?
What I have learned from the research is focused on having a good urban design. It improves a
development's functionality, clarifies its goals and objectives, generates new advantages, and raises how
participants feel and act in the finished product. A pleasant environment produces better, long-lasting
financial value. Of course, excellent design also has a good environment and ambience. In preserving the
cultural characteristics of the locality while it is evolving into a successful city. I also learned i n the research
that the urban square is the center of the urban space considering its function to let people find it as a
comfort place to relax and feel the natural environment with built environment. Also, in planning a building
on a site, the distance of the road is one of the priorities to consider to prevent accidents and negate
crowded pedestrian by having a sufficient space for them.
A successful urban design should take into consideration on how residents feel about the area, where the
buildings should be located, how to make it more convenient for residents to live in the said place, and how
to maximize the community's potential for sustainability by balancing the built environment and the natural
ecosystem. In order to provide the location distinct qualities and characteristics, it is also concerned with
the locality's health and social & cultural influence.