RIMT-COA

SIRHIND SIDE
MANDI GOBINDGARH

BACH-803
URBAN DESIGN-I
PRINCIPLES,DEVELOPMENT
CONTROLS,ROLE &IMPORTANCE
 CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION
 ROLE OF URBAN
DESIGN
 DESIGN PRINCIPLES
• SCALE
• ENCLOSURE & MASS
• URBAN PATTERN
• URBAN TEXTURE
• URBAN GRAIN
• CONTRAST
• URBAN MORPHOLOGY
 URBAN CONTROLS
 CHANDIGARH
 COMPARISION
 INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS URBAN DESIGN?
arrangement, appearance & functionality
of towns and cities, especially,
shaping and uses of urban public space.

Urban design deals with the larger scale of groups of buildings, streets and public
spaces, whole neighborhoods and districts, and entire cities, with the goal of making
urban areas functional, attractive, and sustainable.

Urban design theory deals primarily with the design and management of public
space and the way public places are experienced and used. Public space includes
the totality of spaces used freely on a day-to-day basis by the general public, such
as streets, plazas, parks and public infrastructure.
ROLE OF URBAN DESIGN SHAPING AND USES OF PUBLIC SPACE

Urban Design Theory deals primarily with “Design and Management of Public
& Public Places are experienced Public Space -- 'environment',
the way and used.
Some aspects of privately owned public environment ,
spaces,such as building facades or 'public realm' or 'public domain‘ --
domestic gardens, also contribute to includes all manners of spaces used
public space and are, therefore, also freely on a day-to-day basis by the
considered by Urban Design Theory. general public --streets, plazas, parks..
DESIGN PRINCIPLES –
URBAN SCALE
WHAT IS ‘SCALE’?
• System of measurement convenient to us
and whatever we are measuring
• Relative proportion or “module” –
Full extent of a building or a city whose design is based
on a module
consists of elements occurring at regular intervals –
Allows us to imagine
parts that we cannot see

• Keeping things in context with each other

and with people –
City and its parts are interrelated and also related to
people and their
abilities to comprehend their surroundings – to feel ‘in
place’ in the
environment
 URBAN SCALE

Hierarchy of
Spatial Types
based on
‘Scale’

Ranges from
small, intimate
court spaces,
to grand urban
spaces,
ending with
vast space of
nature in
which the city
is set
General Field of Human Vision & Detailed Field of Human Vision
• A person 3-10’ from us is in ‘close’
relationship, 8’ is normal conversation
distance –speak in normal voices, catch
subtleties of speech & facial gestures.
• 40’ -- distinguish facial expressions.
• 80’ – friend’s 80 Recognize a friend s face
• 450’ – Discern body gesture. Maximum
distance at which we can distinguish a
man from a woman, or tell if someone is
waving for a taxi, catching ball, etc. (Max.
acceptable distance in athletic stadiums)
• 4,000’ – Maximum distance for seeing
people, beyond which they are too small to

How does this determine Urban Scale?

be seen at all.
• ‘Intimate Spaces’ of a city are usually not
more than 80’ across
• ‘Urbane Spaces’ are generally around 450’
• In ‘Monumental Vistas’ greater than 4000’,
human beings cease to play a part
 Grand ‘urban spaces’ cannot exceed
450’ without seeming too large ,
unless some intermediary elements
are introduced to sustain the
character of the place

TRIUMPHAL ARCHWAY,PARIS

Intimate Scale’ of our fine old

residential streets

In ‘Monumental Vistas’
greater than 4000’, human
beings cease to play a part  St. Peter’s Square
in the Vatican
 DESIGN PRINCIPLES –URBAN ENCLOSURE &URBAN MASS -1
A fundamental requirement of urban space is
actual urban enclosure, or its strong
articulation by urban forms.

Just how much enclosure is necessary?

Our frontal field of view in a space
determines ‘degree of enclosure’ – sense of
space – which is given by the relationship of
viewing distance to building height.
Full Enclosure (1:1): Since building is
considerably higher than the upper limit (30
degrees) of our vision, we feel well-enclosed)
Threshold of Enclosure (1:2):Façade height
coincides with the upper limit of our normal
view. This is the threshold of distraction, the
lower limit for creating a feeling of enclosure.
Minimum Enclosure (1:3):We perceive the
prominent objects beyond the space as much
as the space itself.
Loss of Enclosure (1:4):The space loses its
containing quality and peripheral facades
function more as edges.
 Click to add title

45 degrees (1:1):Tend to notice details more than the whole facade or object
30 degrees (1:2): See object as a whole composition together with its details.
18 degrees (1:3):Tend to see the object in relation to its surroundings.
14 degrees (1:4):Tend to see the object as a forward edge in an overall scene.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES –URBAN ENCLOSURE &URBAN MASS - 2

Click
Spatial to addistitle
enclosure also a matter of
continuity of wall surface:
the role of building facades must be
subservient to the spaces they form.

Spatial enclosure can be weakened

by too many gaps in building walls,
drastic variation among the facades
Facades , and, abrupt changes in cornice
line

18 degrees (1:3): Tend to see the

object in relation to its surroundings
 GOLDEN TEMPLE QUIPO CHURCH

14 degrees (1:4): Tend to see the object 30 degrees (1:2): See object as a whole
as a forward edge in an overall scene. composition together with its details.
 CONTRADICTION OF ENCLOSURES SATISFYING RATIO

Traditionally streets in
hot climates were
frequently built to be
much narrower than their
height in order to provide
shaded streets, and
many pleasant streets in
cooler climates also
display this
characteristic.

The Shambles, York Phoenix Town, Hunan, China.

URBAN GRAIN
URBAN PATTERN
URBAN TEXTURE
URBAN GRAIN:-
The balance of open space to built form, and the nature and extent of subdividing
an area into smaller parcels or blocks.
For example a ‘fine urban grain’ might constitute a network of small or detailed
streetscapes. It takes into consideration the hierarchy of street types, the physical
linkages and movement between locations, and modes of transport.
Urban grain refers to the street pattern, block sizes and building pattern within a city
and describes the interrelationship between these elements.
A fine urban grain is highly desired to create a precinct which is as inviting and
approachable as possible to visitors.
The Design must balance high quality permanent landscape with flexible, well-
designed urban spaces that can continually change and support a variety of
activities and events and draw an increased number of visitors to the site.
FINE GRAIN
COURSE GRAIN
Grain is fine when similar elements or functions are widely dispersed throughout the
district without forming any large clusters. On the other hand, grain is coarse if
different elements and functions are segregated from each other in a way that
extensive areas of one thing are separated from extensive areas of other things
URBAN PATTERN
The pattern of the city is the way how
different functions and elements of the
settlement form are distributed and mixed
together spatially. It can be measured by
the size of its grain.
The design pattern in the city’s outer
neighborhoods is less formal than it is in
the heart of the city. Their image is defined
more by architecture, scale, tree cover, and
topography than it is by monumental vistas.
IT CAN BE OF DIFFERENT TYPES:-
RADIAL PATTERN
GRID PATTERN
LINEAR PATTERN
 URBAN TEXTURE

Urban texture usually refers to the urban space patterns which include the urban
space structure and the arrangement of its related factors .

At beginning phase, urban texture was used as a method of analyzing space and
its importance was subsequently realized in urban historic preservation, urban
design, and urban landscape studies.

At the macroscale, urban texture examines the main urban landscape

characteristics of a city.

At the microscale, urban texture underlines the interrelations of land-use, block,

and street layouts, which are the physical expressions of urban evolution.

PATTERNS CAN BE EVEN AND UNEVEN PATTERNS.

 URBAN TEXTURE

EXAMPLE OF BARCELONA
PIAZZA SAN MARCO,ITALY
 URBAN MORPHOLOGY
Urban Morphology is the study of the physical form of a city, which, among other things,
consists of
o street patterns,
o building sizes and shapes,
o architecture,
o population density and patterns of residential, commercial, industrial and other uses,

Urban morphology is, thus, the study of urban tissue, or urban fabric, in order to discern and analyse
o the basic structure of the built landscape,
o the manner in which social forms are expressed in the physical layout of a city, and
conversely, how physical form of a city can produce various social forms
o how the physical form of a city changes over time
o how different cities compare to each other
WHAT ARE ‘URBAN CONTROLS’
At no stage in the growth of a human
settlement can one
predict its total or ultimate form –
development takes place in
space and time, and, is subject to social,
economic, political,
technological , and, several other stresses

The Purpose of “Urban Controls” or

“Urban Regulatory
Measures” is, thus, to create a system of
development that
will permit the realization of form in which
an urban settlement
is conceived, and, which will give the
designers’ hand the
strength of law.
DEVELOPMENT OF REGULATORY MEASURES
•Formal Beginning around mid-19th century
•Instituted to clarify boundaries of ‘public’ and ‘private’ domain –
•Social, health and safety requirements began to be major regulators of
urban form (Adoption of Housing Codes, Regulations for fire prevention,
etc.)

IMPORTANT LAWS / DATES LAWS / DATES

•1916 – Pioneering ‘Zoning Laws’ in New York - Necessitated by threat
to property values posed by 40-storey Equitable Building that cut off
light and air from its adjoining plots Led to the ‘Zoning’ / public
regulations ensuring adequate light and air
•1926 – Standard Enabling Legislation” – empowered state city
governments to prepare zoning plans, etc.
•1954 – Supreme Court of decided that aesthetics was a just public
concern worthy of support by law.
ELEMENTS AFFECTED BY URBAN CONTROLS:
Urban Controls affect anything that plays a role or role, or, occurs in the design of
the ‘public realm’ – i.e., spaces as well as objects in space –
•Constructed Volumes ( individual & occurring in groups). Features affected form,
scale, skyline, spatial setting, façade, materials, colour, etc.
•Open Spaces / Urban Spaces: Features affected – Scale, degree of
enclosure, surface contour, floorscape, landscaping, street furniture
•Circulation Channels: Features affected – size, right-of-way, flanking
buildings, trees, hoardings, and, all such elements seem on or from such
channels
•Public Services, including electric supply lines, telephone lines, drainage,
water supply, etc. and the manner of taking connections from the public
supply lines to private / individual property
THE CITY’S MASTER PLAN -- an overall urban concept, an idea:
Document showing major components of the city – Layout of Roads
of various categories; Disposition / location of major functions;
Public land for parks, bus stations, other public uses; Broad
densities FARs --

ZONING ORDINANCE -- enforcement of Master Plan:

set of specifications with LEGAL backing
Most forceful regulator of urban form and the appearance of cities

SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS -- Physical extensions of ‘zoning’:

More clear statement of building form and community character
Specify size of front and rear yard coverage yard, minimum coverage, sometimes
materials, fenestration, etc.
EFFECT OF SOME EVENTS --
•Civic Defence required construction of defensive wall –
regulated physical limits to city
•Control on sale of land to inhabitants
generally led to grid layouts

Before 19th century No control on actual use of land

As city developed and became more dense – it became important

to clarify the difference between the ‘public’ and ‘private’ domain
Right-of-way for traffic
Operation of a police and fire system Government tasks
Sewage disposal, water supply… Mid -19th century

Social requirements began to be major regulators of urban form

 TYPES OF URBAN CONTROLS

•ZONING

•ARCHITECTURAL CONTROLS

•GROUND COVERAGE

•F.A.R.

•BUILDING HEIGHT

70% of the city of Chandigarh was to be constructed through private development thus the
architects and planners conceptualized a series of architectural regulations meant to preserve
the street picture. These regulations became legislation in 1958.
ZONING
ZONING OF CHANDIGARH IS DONE ON THREE SCALES-

•URBAN SCALE
•SECTOR SCALE
•PLOT SCALE
 ZONING
•CHANDIGARH HAS A COARSE GRAIN
•ALL SPACES WITH DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS
ARE COMPLETELY SEGREGATED.
ZONING
ZONING OF SECTOR 16-D
CHANDIGARH
ZONING

Le Corbusier planned that every dwelling should

have three elements of Sun, Space and greenery.
 ARCHITECTURAL CONTROLS
Chandigarh’s architectural controls are
broken into four main categories:-

•Along V2 streets
system of architectural and construction
controls were placed on all buildings.

•Along V4 streets
Residential and commercial structures
regulated by full architectural controls.

•Along V6 streets
Residential plots up to 10 marla in size
are governed by frame controls
concerning the façade.

•Schematic controls
They are applied to special purpose
buildings like petrol pumps and cinemas
that do not fall under other categories.
 ARCHITECTURAL CONTROLS

•Along V4 streets
Residential and commercial structures
regulated by full architectural controls.

•Along V6 streets
Residential plots are governed by
frame controls concerning the
façade.
 GROUND COVERAGE
IT IS THE MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE SITE COVERAGE ON A PLOT

d) Above Two Kanals

a). Marla houses of less than one kanal:
Ground coverage : 25%
Ground coverage : 70%
e)Apartment building
b) One Kanal and above
Ground coverage : 40%
but less than two Kanals
f)Educational building
Ground coverage : 50%
Ground coverage : 40%
c) Two Kanals
g)Banquet halls
Ground coverage : 45%
Ground coverage : 40%
FLOOR AREA RATIO
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) - The quotient of the ratio of the combined covered area
(plinth area) of all floors, excepting areas specifically exempted under these
regulations, to the total area of plot, viz.: -

Total Covered Area on All Floors

Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = Plot Area

a). Marla houses of less than one kanal:

FAR : 2.0
b) One and above but less than two Kanals
FAR : 1.50
c) Two Kanals = FAR : 1.25
d) Above Two Kanals = FAR : 1.0
e)Apartment building = FAR : 2.0
f)Educational building = FAR : 1.5
g)Banquet halls = FAR : 1.0
BUILDING HEIGHT

a) Residential Buildings d)Banquet halls

Max. permissible ht.-32’3” Max. permissible ht.-48’9”
b) S.C.F along V4 e)Educational buildings
Max. permissible ht.-32’3” Max. permissible ht.-57’6”
c)Apartment buildings f) S.C.O. in sector-17
Max. permissible ht.-62’3” Compulsory height 57’7“
 ROLE OF LEGISLATION(CONTROLS)

CITY WITH HIGHEST

POPULATION IN WORLD

CITY WITHOUT LEGISLATION

 AGRA SHANGHAI
•Agra is an important city of Mughal Period... •Shanghai is the highest populated city in the
world…

•Total population of over 4,380,793 as of 2010… •Total population of over 23 million as of 2010…

•Population density - 1,084 persons per sq.km. •Population density - 13,631 persons per sq.km.

•Major financial center and the busiest container

•Agra is one of the top tourist destination’s in port in the world…
India…
•Shanghai lies on the bank of the Yangtze
•Agra lies on the bank of the Yamuna river… River…

•Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th

•It is the major tourist destination because of its century due to its favorable port location and
many splendid Mughal-era buildings , TAJ was one of the cities opened to foreign trade…
MAHAL , AGRA FORT & FATEHPUR SIKRI all
3 are UNESCO World heritage sites…
 FLOOR AREA RATIO(F.A.R.)/GROUND COVERAGE
AGRA SHANGHAI

Complete site is covered under built up area. Residences in Shanghai have maximum
Streets are used for parking. permissible FAR of 2 but Skyscrapers like
Shanghai Tower have F.A.R of upto 12.51…
INFERENCE: INFERENCE:
Public space is being used as private property, Building Volume is maintained.
further crowding the streets.
 BUILDING SETBACKS
AGRA SHANGHAI

No boundary wall is provided.

Proper Setbacks are given.
Entrance to the house is taken directly from the
street without any setbacks.

INFERENCE:
INFERENCE:
No scope of future expansion of any kind.
Scope for Road Widening in Future.
Lots of problems in vehicular movement.
 BOUNDARY WALL
AGRA SHANGHAI

Wall of the building itself acts as a boundary wall In Shanghai byelaws are not that strict for
In buildings where boundary wall is provided no boundary wall but still they have maintained
specific heights are taken. proper setback from the road.
INFERENCE:
Streets become narrow with lack of natural light INFERENCE:
and ventilation. More functional street.
 WIDTH OF STREET
AGRA SHANGHAI
No uniformity Market places like
in the width of Nanjing Road has
street is seen. road width of 28m.
• No traffic
No sidewalks
Movement is
are provided. Allowed there

Lot of In residential areas

encroachment Streets are
in the streets. 6.6 m to 30.0 m
Heavy traffic on wide.
streets.
INFERENCE:
• INFERENCE: Vehicular and
• Vehicular and Pedestrian Pedestrian movement
movement are not Segregated. are segregated in Market places.
 PARK AREAS

AGRA SHANGHAI

Shanghai has
Many outdoor
Gym Gardens
in every alternate
locality ….

Parks are provided only in the tourist buildings.

No neighborhood parks are provided. Yu-Yuan
1 -2 public parks are provided for the Agra city. Garden.

INFERENCE:
Makes the surroundings congested, Increases
the population density. No recreational spaces. Shanghai has many smaller parks that offer
some reprieve from the urban jungle.
 HEIGHT OF BUILDING

AGRA SHANGHAI
In Residential Area proper height is maintained
through out the street as per bye-laws.

Skyscrapers like
Shanghai Tower
has height of
632m.
(under construction)

No height restrictions can be seen.

Skyline of the street is totally disrupted. INFERENCE:
They have different
INFERENCE: Zone for Residential
Doesn't create a balanced environment. Area and for sky-
Scrapers.
Thank You