ELEMENTS OF URBAN

DESIGN
AR 442
Introduction to Urban Design
WHAT IS URBAN DESIGN?

u  Urban design is concerned with the arrangement, appearance and

function of our suburbs, towns and cities.

u  It is both a process and an outcome of creating localities in which

people live, engage with each other, and engage with the physical
place around them.

u  It involves the design and coordination of all that makes up cities
and towns.
ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN

u  BUILDINGS

u  PUBLIC SPACES

u  STREETS

u  TRANSPORT

u  LANDSCAPE
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

     

BUILDINGS
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BUILDINGS      

Buildings are the most

pronounced elements of
urban design
BUILDINGS
     

they shape and articulate space by

forming the street walls of the city.

Well-designed buildings and groups of buildings work

together to create a sense of place.
      

examples
      

RESIDENTIAL Bldgs.
these are structures where people dwell.
      

COMMMERCIAL BLDGS.
Asiatown IT Park, Cebu City
Calyx Centre (left) and RMDA Office Building (right)
      

INSTITUTIONAL BLDG.
Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu City
      

EDUCATIONAL BLDG.
University of San Carlos Main Campus, Cebu City
 GOVERNMENT bldg.
One example is the Tacloban City Hall, the
administrative building of the city.
     
      

INDUSTRIAL BLDG.
 #ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

     

PUBLIC SPACES
 #ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN

PUBLIC SPACES      

Great public spaces are the living

room of the city - the place where
people come together to enjoy the
city and each other.
PUBLIC SPACEs

u  Public
spaces make high quality life in the city possible -
they form the stage and backdrop to the drama of life.

u  Public
spaces range from grand central plazas and
squares, to small, local neighborhood parks.
      

examples
 ST. PETER SQUARE
Located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican
City.
 TIMES SQUARE
New York’s famous city square, Times Square is located
at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and
stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets.
PLAZA MAYOR
The best known plaza in Madrid, Spain, this
impressive city square is one of the main stops on
any tourist visit.
MANILA BAYWALK
Located at Roxas Boulevard, this baywalk catches the
beautiful view of the sunset.
      

STREETS
#ELEMENTSOFURBANDESIGN
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STREETS      

These are the connections between

spaces and places, as well as being
spaces themselves.

They are defined by their physical

dimension and character as well as the
size, scale, and character of the buildings
that line them.
 STREETS

The pattern of the street network is

part of what defines a city and what
makes each city unique.
      

examples
STREETS
EXAMPLES

Main street
It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in the central business district, and is
most often used in reference to retailing and socializing.

The term is commonly used in Scotland and the United States, and less often in
Canada, Australia and Ireland.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

HIGH street
Frequently used for the street name of the primary business street of towns or cities,
especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

FORE street
Often used for the main STREET of a town or village. Usage is almost entirely confined
to the SOUTH WEST OF ENGLND. There is also a Fore Street in PORTLAND, MAINE,
UNITED STATES, presumably named by colonists from SW England.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

OVERPASS
In the US, an overpass is normally a bridge for motor vehicles to
pass over other road or rail traffic.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

OVERPASS
It would introduce confusion to call a pedestrian bridge or
footbridge an overpass.
STREETS
EXAMPLES

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF OVERPASS

STREETS
EXAMPLES

SKYWAY

Skyway is usually used in the US for long or high bridges for

traffic.
 STREETS
EXAMPLES

SKYWAY
Example of skyway
STREETS
EXAMPLES

freeway
STREETS

BOULEVARD
a type of large ROAD, usually running through a city.
STREETS

boulevard
Multilane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the center, and perhaps with
roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and
pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery.
STREETS

BOULEVARD
STREETS

avenue
is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running alon
side
STREETS

ESPLANADE
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water,
where people may walk.

In NORTH AMERICA, an esplanade may often refer to a MEDIAN or the strip of raised
land dividing a roadway or boulevard.
STREETS

alley a narrow passageway between or behind

buildings.
 A narrow street between the fronts of houses or
businesses. This type of alley is found in the older parts of

alley many cities, including American cities like PHILADELPHIA

AND BOSTON.
STREETS

It can refer to a narrow, usually paved, pedestrian path,

alley often between the walls of buildings in towns and cities.