City Image, Urban Form - Functions

City image, urban form &
functions
Constantinos Doxiadis’ Ekistics
• Developed by Constantinos Doxiadis in his book
“Ekistics: An Introduction to the Science of Human
Settlements” (1968) & “Ecumenopolis” (1975)
• Is derived from the ancient Greek term “oikizo”

meaning “creating a settlement”
– Human settlement – settlement inhabited by Man

– Goal of human settlement – it should satisfy Man,
i.e., guarantee happiness and safety of Man
Human settlements are no longer
satisfactory for their inhabitants
• Cities as urban nightmares
– Pollution and environmental
degradation
– Clogged arteries and
congested streets
• Lack of sufficient
housing, facilities and
services
• Irrational structure
• Man has
alienated himself
from his
surroundings –
social, cultural,
and natural
surroundings.
Rationale
• The elements of contemporary cities, such as
transportation, zoning, and communication, were no
longer in balance.
Rationale
• Emergence of increasingly large and complex
settlements, tending to regional conurbations
and even to world-wide city (“ecumenopolis”).
– Unprecedented urban growth due to improved living
conditions, accompanied by urban migration
Rationale
• Greatest problem facing cities is that of managing growth.
World’s Largest Cities, 2003
Urban Slum Incidence, 2001
Control of Corruption, 2001
Ekistics and the sciences directly
contributing to it.
An interdisciplinary
Economics
effort “to arrive at a
proper conception and
Cultural Social
implementation of the Disciplines Sciences
facts, concepts, and Ekistics
ideas related to human
settlement Political
Technical Science &
Disciplines Administrati
on
5 Ekistic Elements
5 Ekistics Elements
1. Man – In the center is the individual human being
2. Society – deals with people and their interaction
with population trends, group behavior, social
customs, occupation, income, and government
– Preservation of values
5 Ekistics Elements
3. Nature – represents the
ecosystem within which
man and society operate
and cities and
settlements are placed
• “Carrying capacity”
4. Shells – used as the

generic term for all
buildings and structures
5 Ekistics Elements
5. Networks – for transportation,
communication and utilities that support the
settlements and tie them together with their
organization and structure
Ekistic Units
Ekistic Logarithmic Scale
Ecumenopolis
Concept of the Dynapolis
• In all settlements, we can draw a distinction bet. The central

part, the homogeneous parts w/c are mostly residential, the
circulatory part, and the parts accommodating special
functions.
Concept of the Dynapolis
• Ideal growth should allow for the stability of the

homogenous parts (residential) while letting the center
grow with the least disruption of existing form, structure
and function.
Conclusion
Analysis, planning and design must take place

within the larger vision of the concept of
ecumenopolis.
The city must be treated as a dynamic settlement.
The use of the concept of dynapolis allows for
growth and change.
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.
Definition – urban design
Planner’s View
People’s View
Kevin Lynch’s The Image of the City (1960)
5 Elements of Urban Images:

1. Paths
2. Edges
3. Districts
4. Nodes
5. Landmarks
5 Elements of Urban Images
1. Paths – are movement channels and form
the predominant elements in people’s image
of the city.
Examples - Streets, walkways, canals, railways,
etc.
2. Edges – are boundaries that break or run
parallel to the urban textures, which is
composed of a texture of individual buildings
and open spaces,
Examples – shores, edges of development, walls,
port, gate
3. Districts – are the sections of the city and
are mentally recognized as having some
identifiable character (i.e., visually
homogenous in texture and may also be
homogenous in land use).
Chinatown, San Francisco Financial District, Battery Park NYC

4. Nodes – are places of intensive activity,
usually at the intersections of paths.
Examples - junctions, squares and street
corners
Lightrail Transit Stop Bryant Park, NYC

5. Landmarks – points of
reference based on
their visual
distinctiveness from
their surroundings.
Examples - buildings,
signs, mountains,
etc.
Landmark Bank of China building, whose
triangular shapes were designed by Pei. Hong-
Kong, China
Ian Bentley’s Responsive Environments
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
permeability: designing the overall layout of routes

and development blocks to make it accessible
variety: locating mixed uses/range of activities on

the site
legibility: designing the massing of the buildings and

the enclosure of public space/ easy to orient yourself
from a place
robustness: designing the spatial and constructional

arrangement of individual buildings and outdoor spaces
to make it flexible/adaptible
Ian Bentley’s Responsive Environments
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
visual appropriateness: designing the external
image/ focuses on details to support legibility,
variety, and robustness
richness: developing the design for sensory

choice
personalization: making the design encourage people to

put their own mark on the places where they live and
work
PLACE DIAGRAM

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City image, urban form &

• Is derived from the ancient Greek term “oikizo”

– Human settlement – settlement inhabited by Man

4. Shells – used as the

• In all settlements, we can draw a distinction bet. The central

• Ideal growth should allow for the stability of the

Analysis, planning and design must take place

5 Elements of Urban Images:

Chinatown, San Francisco Financial District, Battery Park NYC

Lightrail Transit Stop Bryant Park, NYC

permeability: designing the overall layout of routes

variety: locating mixed uses/range of activities on

legibility: designing the massing of the buildings and

robustness: designing the spatial and constructional

richness: developing the design for sensory

personalization: making the design encourage people to

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