KEZIYA CHERIYAN MATHEW

TOWN PLANNING ASSIGNMENT 1 4B

MEDIEVAL CITIES
• Medieval cities had no formal structure.
• Almost all cities were protected by thick stone walls.
• Religious places , markets and entertainment centres played the most
important roles in the city.
• Roads generally radiate from the church plaza and market plaza to the gates.
• Irregular pattern of streets to confuse enemies making it difficult for them to
navigate the town.
• Streets were very narrow due to the mode of transport at that time.
• Expansion of city beyond walls was not seen ads possible leading to very
dense planning.

RENAISSANCE CITIES
• Renaissance cities had formal structure.
• City Pienza was a good example of the Renaissance.
• They were symmetric in form with large axes running across the city breaking the city into
various simpler programmatic elements with streets and pedestrian paths.
• Fortifying walls over time.
• Roads and streets became more wide and a hierarchy of streets came up.
• Preference of order and organisation can be seen in the translation of the plans.
• Human needs played a vital role in the new ideas, being made for man to meet his needs.
• Based heavily on theoretical ideas, they ignored geographical constraints and hence were diff
to build.
• Many were drawn but not built.
• The concept of the ‘ideal city’ can be seen here.
IDEAL CITIES
• A comfortable and spacious city, with well-ordered streets and architecture.
• Leonardo da Vinci wished for “high, strong walls”, with “towers and battlements of all
necessary and pleasant beauty”, and felt the place needed “the sublimity and
magnificence of a holy temple” and “the convenient composition of private homes”.

Mantua, a Renaissance centre

Plan of Palmanova