Town Planning

I

Introduction

Town Planning, the unified development of cities and their environs. For most of its history, town planning dealt primarily with the regulation of land use and the physical arrangement of city structures, as guided by architectural, engineering, and land-development criteria. In the mid-20th century it broadened to include the comprehensive guidance of the physical, economic, and social environment of a community. Elements characteristic of modern town planning include (1) general plans that summarize the objectives of (and restraints on) land development; (2) zoning and subdivision controls that specify permissible land uses, densities, and requirements for streets, utility services, and other improvements; (3) plans for traffic flow and public transport; (4) strategies for economic revitalization of depressed urban and rural areas; (5) strategies for supportive action to help disadvantaged social groups; and (6) guidelines for environmental protection and preservation of scarce resources.

Town planning is conducted by governments on all levels and by private groups. It is also a subject of university-level study.

II

History of Town Planning

Archaeological excavations of ancient cities reveal evidence of some deliberate planning: the arrangement of housing in regular, rectangular patterns and the prominent location of civic and religious buildings along main thoroughfares.

A

Town Planning in Greece and Rome

The emphasis on planning broadened during the Greek and Roman eras. The Greek architect Hippodamus of Miletus planned important Greek settlements such as Priene and Piraeus (now Pireás). Called the father of town planning, he emphasized a geometric design for towns. Religious and civic citadels were oriented so as to give a sense of aesthetic balance; streets were arranged in a grid pattern; and housing was integrated with cultural, commercial, and defence facilities.

The Romans continued these principles. Their designs for monumental temples, arches, gymnasiums, and forums are classic examples of town planning based on strict regard for symmetry. Their colonial cities, planned as military camps called castras, were laid out with a grid of streets surrounded by rectangular or square defensive walls. After the fall of the Roman Empire, cities declined in population and importance. From the 5th to the 14th century ad, medieval Europe planned towns around castles, churches, and monasteries, with informal street arrangements.

B

East Asian Town Planning

China and its sphere of influence developed a highly urban culture, thanks to the use of cities as administrative arms of Chinese central government. The pattern for town planning was set by Chang'an (now Xi'an), capital of the Han and Tang dynasties. By the late 6th century it had a grid layout, surrounded by a pounded earth wall some 36.7 km (22.8 mi) in circumference, with broad avenues up to 155 m (169.5 yd) across running north-south and east-west, a separate palace city on the northern side, and residential areas divided into 108 walled enclosures, or wards, which were closed at curfew. This plan was copied for cities in many other countries influenced by China, notably the Japanese imperial capital Heian (now Kyoto), established in ad 794. The development of trade and a money economy in China under the Song dynasty encouraged the growth of cities, most of which tended to follow the same plan. However, other East Asian countries often modified the fairly rigid Chinese standard form.