SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
PLANNING (LECTURE 2)
SOCIO-CULTURAL BASIS FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND
DESIGN
Understanding the social and cultural factors that shape community design
What is a community?
-A group of people living in a shared geographical area
-Shared values, beliefs, and practices
-Social interactions and relationships
The importance of socio-cultural factors in community
design
-Reflects and enhances the identity, values, and practices of the community
-Promotes respect for cultural diversity and human creativity
-Fosters social cohesion and empowerment
Socio-cultural factors to consider in community design
-Demographic, ethno-linguistic, and religious characteristics
-Historical memories, traditions, customs, ceremonies, taboos, prejudices
-Intangible and tangible heritage
-Individual and group attitudes and preferences
Community Design as a Participatory Approach
-Involves community members in the design process
-Democratizes the design process
-Ensures equal opportunities for all types of community building
What is Community Planning?
-Public bodies working together with local communities
-Design and deliver better services
-Make a real difference to people’s lives
Community Planning as a Bottom-Up
Approach
-Evolution of regional, city, and urban planning
-Promotes public/private partnerships
-Community defined goals
Top Down
International
Bottom-up
National
Countries
Citizens
Empowering Communities through Community Planning
-Developing capacities to take part in democratic decision making
-Three-dimensional model of empowering community planning
-Resources for effective Community Planning
-Community Planning, Community Planning Toolkit
PLANNING 2 (LECTURE 3)
HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN
Planning 2: Fundamentals of Urban Design and Community Architecture
OVERVIEW
Definition of Urban Design: Urban design is the art and science of
designing and shaping the physical environment of cities, towns, and
communities. It involves the arrangement and design of buildings, public
spaces, transportation systems and communities. It involves the arrangement
and design of buildings, public spaces, transportation systems, and other
elements that make up the built environment.
Historical Impact: The history of urban design dates back to ancient
civilizations and has evolved over time to become a critical component of
modern city planning.
Paradigm shifts: In the last 100 years, three different paradigm shifts took
place regarding the development of the urban planning approach, with each
one driven by a different factor: (1) technical conditions for roads and cars;
(2) road safety and visibility conditions for pedestrians and cyclists; and (3)
environmental conditions and its effects on dark skies, plants, animals and
people.
Interdisciplinary nature: Urban design is an interdisciplinary field that
utilizes the procedures and elements of architecture and other related
professions, including landscape design, urban planning, civil engineering,
and municipal engineering. It borrows substantive and procedural knowledge
from public administration, sociology, law, urban geography, urban
economics and other related disciplines from the social and behavioral
sciences, as well as from the natural sciences.
Issues related to urban design: Urban design considers ‘bigger picture’
issues economic, environmental value and social design. The scope of a
project can range from a local street or public places to an entire city and
surrounding areas.
ANCIENT URBAN DESIGN:
Urban design principles of order, symmetry, and hierarchy: The urban design
of ancient civilizations such as Rome, Athens, and Babylon were centered
around the principles of order, symmetry, and hierarchy. These cities were
designed to convey a sense of power and grandeur, with monumental
architecture and public spaces that served as gathering places for the people.
ANCIENT URBAN DESIGN EXAMPLES:
Examples:
Rome, Italy: known for its grand architecture and monumental public
spaces, including the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Forum.
Athens, Greece: famous for its classical architecture and the Acropolis, a
hilltop citadel featuring the Parthenon temple.
Babylon, Iraq: an ancient city known for its innovative urban planning,
including the famous Hanging Gardens.
Emergence of the first human settlements
Organic growth of ancient cities
“Autopoiesis” = organic self-organizations
ANCIENT BABYLON
IRAQ: an ancient city known for its innovative urban planning, including the famous
Hanging Garden of Babylon.
CLASSICAL URBAN DESIGN
Development of grid-based cities
Influence of Greek and Roman urban planning
LORDS’ DOMAINS
Rise of medieval towns and fortifications
Influence of feudalism on urban structure
RISE OF MEDIEVAL TOWNS AND FORTICIFICATIONS
During this time people are subsistent with local farming
Build their fortifications such as castles or medieval castles
Derivatives of such community-based effort to defend and prosper in one
place
MEDIEVAL URBAN DESIGN
Influence of the church and feudal system: During the medieval period,
the design of cities was heavily influenced by the church and the feudal
system. Cities were often built around a central cathedral of castle, with
narrow streets and tightly packed buildings.
Development of trade and commerce: The growth of trade and
commerce during the medieval period led to the development of new urban
forms, including market squares and commercial districts.
Medieval Urban Design Examples:
Paris, France
Siena, Italy
Toledo, Spain
RENAISSANCE URBAN DESIGN
Revival of interest in classical architecture and humanism: Urban
designers sought to create ideal cities that were harmonious, well-
proportioned, and beautiful
Concept of the “ideal city”: Emerged during the Renaissance, with urban
designers creating plans for cities that were based on principles of symmetry,
order, and beauty.
Emergence of Renaissance city planning principles
Grand Axial Avenues and squares
DESIGN FEATURES OF THE RENAISSANCE
Regular geometric spaces (entire cities or parts of)
The primary streets
The public spaces/ squares/ piazzas with sculptures and fountains
Sequence and perspective
RENAISSANCE EXAMPLES
Florence. Italy
Venice, Italy
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION URBAN DESIGN
Impact of industrialization on cities
Urbanization and slums
Beginnings of public health planning
URBANIZATION AND SLUMS
The industrial era, beginning in the late 18th century, was a time of rapid
urbanization
Factories and mills in cities attracted people from rural areas
This led to an increase in the population of cities and a rise in slums
Housing became scarce and expensive, forcing many people to live in
overcrowded, unsanitary conditions
Slums were characterized by a lack of basic services such as clean water,
sanitation, and adequate housing
Efforts to address the problem of slums and urban poverty were slow to
materialize
MODERN URBAN DESIGN
Emergence as a reaction to the need for solving the situation of urban
planning and architecture
Interdisciplinary field that utilizes procedures and elements of architecture
and other related professions
Subfields such as strategic urban design, landscape urbanism, water-
sensitive urban design, and sustainable urbanism
LE CORBUSIER’S RADIANT CITY
He proposed the concept of the Radiant City in the 1920s, which was his
vision for a modern, Utopian City.
The RADIANT CITY was designed to be efficient, functional, and beautiful with
tall skyscrapers, wide boulevards and large green spaces
It used zoning to separate different functions of the city, with residential
areas located in tall skyscrapers, and commercial and industrial areas located
in separate zones
Le Corbusier’s ideas were influential and many of his concepts were
incorporated into the design of cities around the world.
However, his vision for the Radiant City was not without its critics, who
argued that his emphasis on efficiency and functionality came at the expense
of community and social interaction.
MODERNIST PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONALISM AND ZONING
Functionalism is the principles that buildings and urban spaces should be
designed based on their intended function or purpose
Zoning is the practice of dividing a city into different areas or zones, each
with its own set of regulations governing land use and development
POST-WWII PLANNING
Emergence of post-war planning and suburbanization
Car-oriented urban design- focuses on accommodating cars in cities and
town. This approach became popular in the mid-20 th century as a car
ownership increased and cities expanded. It is characterized by wide roads,
large parking lots, and low-density development.
SUSTAINALE URBANISM
Focus on sustainability, mixed land-use, and transit-oriented development
CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
Urban sprawl and its consequences
SMART CITIES AND TECHNOLOGY IN URBAN DESIGN
Rise of AI and machine learning
Technology like material science, urban social media landscape
REVIEW:
