EKISTICS

THE SCIENCE OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT

PREPARED BY:
VELARDE, JESSA DYNN A.
GROUP 2: AR406
EKISTICS
THE TERM EKISTICS WAS COINED BY GREEK
ARCHITECT & URBAN PLANNER CONSTANTINOS
APOSTOLOS DOXIADIS IN 1942.
IN ORDER TO CREATE THE CITIES OF THE FUTURE,
WE NEED TO SYSTEMATICALLY DEVELOP A SCIENCE
OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.
THE TARGET IS TO BUILD THE CITY OF OPTIMUM
SIZE, THAT IS, A CITY WHICH RESPECTS HUMAN
DIMENSIONS.
SINCE THERE IS NO POINT IN RESISTING
DEVELOPMENT, WE SHOULD TRY TO ACCOMMODATE
TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION AND THE NEEDS OF MAN
WITHIN THE SAME SETTLEMENT.
CITIES AND SETTLEMENTS ARE CONFRONTED WITH A GREAT NUMBER OF PROBLEMS, SOME
INHERITED FROM THE PAST, SOME ARISING OUT OF PRESENT CONDITIONS .

ACCORDING TO DOXIADIS THERE ARE CRITICAL CONDITIONS, WHICH ARE

COMMON TO ALL CITIES:
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. THESE
IMPACTS LEAD TO HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY AND NEW POSSIBILITIES, BUT ALSO
BRING UNPRECEDENTED PROBLEMS TO THE STRUCTURE OF CITIES AND
SOCIETY, OF RESOURCE USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION.
3. THERE IS A GRADUAL SOCIALIZATION IN THE PATTERNS OF LIVING, WHICH
ALLOWS THE WHOLE POPULATION TO PARTICIPATE MORE AND MORE 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 LISTED HERE:
THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
OR EKISTIC ELEMENTS: MAN, SOCIETY,
NATURE, SHELLS AND NETWORKS, AND THEIR
RELATIONSHIPS.
THE EKISTIC LOGARITHMIC SCALE (ELS)
AND THE EKISTIC UNITS.
THE EKISTIC GRID, CONSISTING OF UNITS
OF SPACE AND THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.
THE MODEL OF SATISFACTION.
THE ANTHROPOCOSMOS MODEL.
FIVE ELEMENTS OF EKISTICS
 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.
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.
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.
SHELLS ARE USED AS THE GENERIC TERM FOR ALL
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES.
NETWORKS FOR TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATION AND
UTILITIES SUPPORT THE SETTLEMENTS AND TIE THEM
TOGETHER WITH THEIR ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE.
THEIR CHANGES PROFOUNDLY AFFECT URBAN PATTERNS AND
OFTEN DEVELOPMENTS IN NETWORKS HAVE BEEN PORTENDING
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN CITIES AND SOCIETIES.
EKISTICS LOGARITHMIC
SCALE(ELS).
ANY STUDY OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS MUST BE
RELATED TO THE SCALE. TO THIS END,
DOXIADIS PROPOSED 15 LEVELS OF
SETTLEMENT SIZE OR 15 EKISTIC UNITS,
RANGING FROM THE INDIVIDUAL MAN OR
ANTHROPOS TO THE ENTIRE GLOBAL
SETTLEMENT CALLED ECUMENOPOLIS, WITH ITS
ULTIMATE SIZE OF 30 50 BILLION PEOPLE.
EKISTICS GRID
BY COMBINING THE
EKISTIC ELEMENTS WITH
THE EKISTIC LOGARITHMIC
SCALE, DOXIADIS CREATED
THE EKISTIC GRID, AN
ORGANIZATIONAL MATRIX
ON WHICH EACH STUDY CAN
BE LOCALIZED AND
CATEGORIZED. THIS
EKISTIC GRID WAS
HENCEFORTH TO BE
INCLUDED AT THE
BEGINNING OF EACH
PUBLICATION, THUS IT
BECAME A UNIQUE AND
MOST VALUABLE ELEMENT
IN THE JOURNAL
EKISTICS.
GOALS AND MODEL OF SATISFACTION
DOXIADIS DERIVED THE GOALS FOR
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS FROM
ARISTOTLES AGE OLD SAYING THAT
THE GOALS FOR OUR CITIES ARE TO
MAKE MAN HAPPY AND SAFE. SAFETY
IS NOT ONLY LIMITED TO SAFETY
FROM WARS, BUT SAFETY FROM CRIME,
POLLUTION, AND NATURAL DISASTERS
(THROUGH LOCATION, CODES).

The goal of ekistics is to

achieve a balance between
the elements of human
settlements in order to
guarantee happiness and
safety of man.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EKISTICS
1. MAXIMUM CONTACTS (MAXIMATION OF HUMAN
POTENTIALS)- MAN ALONE ALWAYS SEEKS TO INCREASE
HIS CONTACTS WITH THE ELEMENTS OF NATURE, WITH
OTHER PEOPLE AND WITH THE WORKS OF MAN.
2. MINIMIZATION OF EFFORTS- MINIMIZATION OF THE
EFFORT REQUIRED FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MAN'S
ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL CONTACTS.
3. OPTIMUM SPACE (OPTIMIZATION OF MANS PROTECTIVE
SPACE)- MEANS THE SELECTION OF SUCH A DISTANCE
FROM OTHER PERSONS, ANIMALS, OR OBJECTS THAT HE
CAN KEEP HIS CONTACTS WITH THEM WITHOUT ANY KIND
OF SENSORY OR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISCOMFORT.
4. QUALITY OF ENVIRONMENT (OPTIMIZATION OF MANS
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS ENVIRONMENT)- THIS IS THE
PRINCIPLE THAT LEADS TO ORDER, PHYSIOLOGICAL AND
AESTHETIC, AND THAT INFLUENCES ARCHITECTURE AND,
IN MANY RESPECTS, ART.
5. OPTIMUM IN THE SYNTHESIS OF ALL PRINCIPLES
(OPTIMIZATION OF FOUR PREVIOUS PRINCIPLES)- A
BALANCED AND BENEFICIAL SYNTHESIS OF THE
PRECEDING PRINCIPLES HAS TO BE CREATED.
CONCEPTS
WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF DOXIADIS NUMEROUS MODELS, SEVERAL CONCEPTS EMERGED,
WHICH WERE DEVELOPED AND REFINED OVER TIME AND SERVED AS RECURRING PARADIGMS IN
MANY OF HIS PROJECTS:
DYNAPOLIS IS A TERM COINED BY DOXIADIS IN THE EARLY FIFTIES MEANING DYNAMIC
CITY OR DYNAMIC POLIS, RECOGNIZING THE FACT THAT CONTEMPORARY CITY IS A
DYNAMIC AND NOT A STATIC ENTITY. HE PROPOSED A UNIQUE LINEAR CONFIGURATION
TO ACCOMMODATE FOR GROWTH AND CHANGE.
ECUMENOPOLIS IS A KEY CONCEPT OF EKISTICS. AS THE LARGEST UNIT OF THE
EKISTIC LOGARITHMIC SCALE IT IS THE INEVITABLE CITY OF THE FUTURE, WHICH
WILL COVER THE ENTIRE EARTH AS A CONTINUOUS SYSTEM FORMING A UNIVERSAL
SETTLEMENT
THE HUMAN COMMUNITY IS THE SETTLEMENT UNIT DESIGNED AT A HUMAN SCALE. IT
CORRESPONDS TO UNIT 7 AND COMMUNITY CLASS IV ON THE EKISTIC LOGARITHMIC
SCALE AND IS AN INDISPENSABLE BUILDING BLOCK WITHIN THE CHANGING AND DYNAMIC
CONTEXT OF ECUMENOPOLIS, PROVIDING A STABLE SPATIAL AND FUNCTIONAL UNIT TO
SATISFY THE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF OUR DAILY LIFE.
THE FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF SPACE POSTULATES THE COMPLETE ALLOCATION OF
LAND FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS CONSISTING OF THE AREA OF URBAN SETTLEMENT, OF
CULTIVATED AREAS AND NATURAL AREAS.
BASIC PARTS OF COMPOSITE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

HOMOGENEOUS PARTS (ex. CENTRAL PARTS

Fields) (ex. Built-up Villages)

CIRCULATORY PARTS SPECIAL PARTS

(ex. Roads and Paths) (ex. Monastery in a homogeneous
part)
CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
BASED ON SIZES: BASED ON LOCATION OF
SMALL AND SPARSELY SPACED- SETTLEMENTS:
EX. RURAL SETTLEMENTS EX. SETTLEMENTS LOCATED IN
LARGE AND CLOSELY SPACES- PLAINS, MOUNTAINS AND
URBAN SETTLEMENTS COASTALS

Cudillero, Asturias, Spain

CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
BASED ON PHYSICAL FORMS: BASED ON FUNCTIONS:
FORM AS THE EXPRESSION OF WHICH ARE IMPORTANT TO AN
CONTENT, FUNCTION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE MEANING AND
STRUCTURE ROLE OF SETTLEMENTS: REVEAL
NATURE, SPECIALIZATION, & RAISON
DETRE OF SETTLEMENTS

Roros Mining Town, Norway

CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
BASED ON ACTIVITY: (ECONOMIC, BASED ON TIME DIMENSION:
SOCIAL), AGE OF SETTLEMENTS, THEIR
THEIR PERFORMANCE,OR SPECIAL ROLE PLACE IN CONTINUUM (PAST,
(AS DORMITORIES, RETIREMENT PRESENT, FUTURE), THEIR
VILLAGES, ETC.) RELATIVE STATIC OF DYNAMIC
CHARACTER, THE WHOLE PROCESS
OF THEIR GROWTH

Matera (Basilicata, Italy)

The Old Town (Sassi)
CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
BASED ON DEGREE OF SOCIETYS BASED ON INSTITUTIONS,
INVOLVEMENT IN SETTLEMENT LEGISLATION AND ADMINISTRATION:
CREATION: NATURAL AND PLANNED WHICH SOCIETY HAS CREATED FOR
SETTLEMENTS SETTLEMENTS
CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

BY EKISTICS UNITS
BY EKISTICS ELEMENTS
BY EKISTICS FUNCTIONS
BY EVOLUTIONARY PHASES
BY FACTORS & DISCIPLINES
CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
BY EKISTICS UNITS: FOUR BASIC GROUPS
Minor shells or elementary Micro-settlements- units smaller
units- Man(Anthropos), than, or as small as, the
room, house; traditional town where people
used, do & still do achieve
interconnection by walking (house
group, small neighbourhood);
BY EKISTICS UNITS: FOUR BASIC GROUPS
Meso-settlements- between Meso-settlements- whose largest
traditional town & conurbation possible expression is the
within which one can commute Ecumenopolis
daily (small polis, polis, small
metropolis, small eperopolis,
eperopolis)
BY EKISTICS UNITS
Physical and Social Units
Man (as individual)- smallest
unit
Space- second unit either
personally owned or shared with
others
Family Home- third unit
Social Unit
Group of Homes
BY EKISTICS UNITS
BY EKISTICS UNITS
BY EKISTICS UNITS
LARGE CITY- A CITY WITH LARGE CITY- A CITY WITH ABUNDANT BUT
POPULATION & MANY SERVICES NOT WITH AS MANY SERVICES AS
HAVING LESS THAN 1 MILLION BUT IN A LARGE CITY ,HAVING OVER 1
OVER 3 HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE. HUNDRED THOUSAND UP TO 3
HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE.
BY EKISTICS UNITS
LARGE TOWN- POPULATION TOWN- POPULATION OF VILLAGE- POPULATION
OF 20,000 TO 1 HUNDRED 1,000 TO 20,000. OF 100 TO 1000
THOUSAND.
BY EKISTICS UNITS

HAMLET- TINY POPULATION (LESS ISOLATED DWELLINGS 1 OR 2

THAN 100) AND VERY FEW (IF ANY) BUILDINGS OF FAMILIES WITH
SERVICES, & FEW BUILDINGS NEGLIGIBLE SERVICES, IF ANY.
BY EKISTICS ELEMENTS
NATURE: REPRESENTS ECOSYSTEMS
INCLUDING WATERCYCLE, BIOSYSTEM,
CLIMATICZONES,ETC.
ANTHROPOS: CONSTANTLY ADAPTING &
CHANGING CERTAIN PHYSICAL &
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISEASES DIRECTLY
ASSOCIATED WITH URBANIZATION. THESE
INCLUDE OBESITY, RESPIRATORY ELEMENTS
& ALIENATION.
SOCIETY: REALM OF SOCIETY COMPRISES
ALL THOSE ASPECTS OF THE URBAN OR
RURAL SCENE THAT ARE COMMONLY DEALT NETWORKS: PROVIDE GLUE FOR ALL
WITH BY SOCIOLOGIST, ECONOMISTS & SYSTEMS OF URBANIZATION. CHANGES
ADMINISTRATORS: POPULATION TRENDS, PROFOUNDLY AFFECT URBAN SCALE LIKE
SOCIAL CUSTOMS, INCOME & OCCUPATIONS, ADVENT OF THE RAIL-ROAD, OR OF
& THE SYSTEM OF URBAN GOVERNMENT. PIPED WATER SUPPLIES, OR OF THE
SHELLS: THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS THE TELEPHONE WHICH AFFECT THE EXTENT,
TRADITIONAL DOMAIN OF ARCHITECTURAL & TEXTURE & DENSITIES OF HUMAN
ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS. SETTLEMENTS.
BY EVOLUTIONARY PHASES
MACRO SCALE- NOMADIC, MICRO SCALE- SPECIFIC AREA AT
AGRICULTURAL, URBAN, URBAN A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME
INDUSTRIAL;
BY FACTORS AND DISCIPLINE
IDEAL SOLUTIONS
WE HAVE TO GUIDE OUR CITIES. WE CANNOT STOP CERTAIN TRENDS,
BUT TO AVERT ADVERSE CONDITIONS IN OUR CITIES, WE MUST
LEARN HOW TO GUIDE THEM.
WE MUST DEFINE HOW MUCH LAND WE SHALL ALLOCATE FOR
EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE. THIS MEANS WE MUST DEFINE HOW MUCH
LAND IS TO BE ALLOCATED FOR PRESERVATION OF NATURAL
CONDITIONS, FOR CULTIVATION AND FOR SETTLEMENTS.
WE MUST IMMEDIATELY DESIGNATE COMMON CORRIDORS FOR NETWORKS
OF ROADS, COMMUNICATION AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE.
INDEPENDENT AND UNCOORDINATED NETWORKS LEAD TO CHAOS.
WE MUST CREATE HUMAN COMMUNITIES TO ENABLE US TO LIVE
TOGETHER WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
WE MUST GET RID OF TOWERS AND LIVE IN HUMAN DWELLINGS OR
HOUSES.
WE MUST CREATE NEW ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS, ONE RESPONSIBLE
FOR EVERY LARGE CITY AND ITS REGION, ANOTHER FOR EVERY
SMALL CITY AND ANOTHER FOR EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD.
CONCLUSION
1. IN DEALING WITH HUMAN SETTLEMENTS WE MUST BE
COMPREHENSIVE, HAVE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SCOPE AND RELATE
TO THE FIVE EKISTIC ELEMENTS: MAN (OR ANTHROPOS), SOCIETY,
NATURE, SHELLS AND NETWORKS, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS.
2. ANY STUDY OF SETTLEMENTS SHALL REFER TO THE EKISTIC UNITS
OF SCALE FROM MAN TO ECUMENOPOLIS, THE FIFTEEN LEVELS IN
THE EKISTIC LOGARITHMIC SCALE.
3. THE TIME DIMENSION MUST BE INTEGRATED IN A BOLD MANNER IN
THE ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS FROM THE PAST
TO THE PRESENT TO A DISTANT FUTURE.
4. THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD SHALL BE USED IN A SYSTEMATIC
TREATMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, FOLLOWING THE MODELS,
CONCEPTS, PRINCIPLES, VALUES AND POSTULATIONS OF EKISTICS.
EACH STUDY SHALL BE IDENTIFIED ON THE EKISTIC GRID INDEX.
5. ANALYSIS MUST BE FOLLOWED BY ACTION.
CONCLUSION
6. THE GOAL FOR OUR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IS DERIVED FROM ARISTOTLES
POSTULATION FOR SAFETY AND HAPPINESS.
7. ACCORDING TO THE MODEL OF SATISFACTION, INCREASE TO THE MAXIMUM ALL
POSSIBLE CONTACTS WITH PEOPLE ELEMENTS AND FUNCTIONS; REDUCE
ENERGY, TIME AND COST TO A MINIMUM; OPTIMIZE PROTECTIVE SPACE
WHETHER TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT, FOR MAN AS AN INDIVIDUAL OR AS THE
MEMBER OF A GROUP; OPTIMIZE RELATIONSHIPS WITH NATURE, SOCIETY,
SHELLS (BUILDINGS) AND NETWORKSIN OTHER WORDS WITH THE TOTAL
ENVIRONMENT; AND FINALLY, CREATE A BALANCED AND BENEFICIAL
SYNTHESIS OF THE PRECEDING PRINCIPLES.
8. ANALYSIS, PLANNING AND DESIGN MUST TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE LARGER
VISION OF THE CONCEPT OF ECUMENOPOLIS.
9. THE CITY MUST BE TREATED AS A DYNAMIC SETTLEMENT. THE USE OF THE
CONCEPT OF DYNAPOLIS ALLOWS FOR GROWTH AND CHANGE.
10.TO DEAL WITH THE OVERWHELMING FORCES OF GROWTH AND CHANGE, HUMAN
COMMUNITIES MUST BE CREATED AND PRESERVED AS STABLE BUILDING
BLOCKS, WHICH CAN BE REPLICATED WITHIN THE DYNAMICALLY GROWING AND
CHANGING CITY.
 References:
TIME SAVERS STANDARD FOR URBAN DESIGN
HTTP://EKISTICS.BLOGSPOT.COM/2005/10/WHAT-IS-EKISTICS.HTML
HTTPS://PREZI.COM/E2EGE4J8BCLA/EKISTICS/
HTTPS://WWW.ACADEMIA.EDU/9796443/THE_FOUNDATIONS_OF_EKISTICS
WWW.DOXIADIS.ORG
WWW.CSISS.ORG/CLASSICS
BASIC EKISTIC PRINCIPLES_WORD:PDF
EKISTICS_THE_SCIENCE_OF_HUMAN_SETTLEMENTS:PDF